Essay Sample on Army SHARP Program

The purpose of this essay is to inform about the failure of the army’s SHARP program (Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program). Alcohol is the gateway to sexual harassment, assault, and this is how leaders can adapt to fend off the corrosive SHARP. It is important to aggressively attack SHARP because of the corrosive effect it has within our army. I intend for SHARP representatives and competent leaders to read, comprehend, and eradicate the corrosive known as SHARP. These incidents are led into formations by three primary vessels. alcohol, peer pressure, and a lack of accountability by leaders. "Alcohol was involved in 62% of the sexual harassment and assault cases reported in the army in 2018." (Brook,2019)

Our SHARP training fails to reduce the number of sexual assaults across the army for three main reasons. It fails to emphasize how Soldiers are peer pressured. It minimizes the critical importance alcohol plays. Lastly, it does not stress the lack of leadership within our ranks. As leaders, we will end SHARP by combating the idolization of alcoholism, peer pressure, and standing up as leaders.

Soldier’s peers lead them blindly down these avenues that dead end in SHARP-related incidents. The first avenue of approach is peer pressure. Young Soldiers are peer pressured within our units by their peers the day they arrive. Leading to a systematic breakdown of their army values, which is one of the most powerful tools leaders impart to young Soldiers. Which brings us to our second avenue of approach, a lack of leadership within our ranks. As these army values are eroded down, leaders are nowhere to be found. The third and perhaps most critical avenue of approach is teaching our Soldiers to respect alcohol. "Alcohol can lead to increases in sexual desire, risk-taking, aggression, and a misinterpretation of victim responses as an invitation for sex" (Castro et al.,2015). Combining these three vessels is why Sexual harassment and assault can survive without recourse in our ranks for so long.

We can eradicate Sexual harassment and assault by addressing the three main gateways that lead there. First, as leaders, we become more present in our Soldiers nine to five, and their social lives. This allows us to train our soldiers to exceed the standard. Not only will we be ensuring they will make the right choices on the battlefield but off it as well. We eliminate the peer pressure that plagues our ranks by utilizing TIMS (This Is My Squad) and fostering development in all Soldiers. By doing this, we reduce the number of Soldiers peer pressured into idolizing alcohol. This, in turn, will reduce the number of Soldiers getting inebriated on the weekends that are making poor life choices. Therefore, reducing the number of Soldiers involved in alcohol-related SHARP cases.

The purpose of this essay was to inform you about the short comings in the army SHARP program. In conclusion, we will reduce the number of SHARP-related incidents in our formation. We are improving overall readiness and eliminating the corrosive known as SHARP. Simultaneously fostering better cohesion and building the leaders of tomorrow. We will do this by introducing better leadership, exterminating peer pressure, and discouraging alcoholism in the Army.