Sexual Assault in the Army Essay Example

Since the beginning of civilization certain cultures have developed. Some traits within those are positive while others are inappropriate and corrosive. Sexual misconduct has existed in civilian and military spheres for a long time. The Army cannot accept those kind of behaviors. This type of misconduct affects the cohesion of units, their mission’s readiness, and unit’s moral. The Army as a whole has the responsibility to address this issue: why do cases of sexual harassment and sexual assault continue to take place, despite all the training and education that take place? The answer to such a question is more complex due to the nature of people and the culture they belong to.  

Sexual assault occurs when the culture of an organization lets such behaviors be ignored and not properly addressed. Inappropriate sexual conduct can raise its ugly head at any rank in the Army. It’s not just limited to junior ranks but also occurs within senior officer ranks. Human nature is a complex thing, and sometimes weak personalities gain power and their moral compass goes haywire. The following examples that were published by the Senate Armed-Services Committee can shock the average person with the scope of devious conduct and how bad it is plaguing the Army ranks. West Point Academy, the Army’s most prestigious school can prove that no place is immune to this kind of behavior. The West Point Rugby Team was disbanded and players stripped of their ranks after an investigation into lewd chain emails found them guilty of perpetuating a “culture of disrespect towards women”. Players joked about rape, incest and homosexuality. Another case illustrates a member of Fort Hood Sexual Assault Response Team who was accused of abuse, running a prostitution ring. He is under investigation for abusive sexual contact, pandering, assault and maltreatment of subordinates. On the following incident we can see that even senior officers in the Army are susceptible to these kinds of actions. An Army battalion commander at Fort Greely, Alaska was also susceptible to these types of actions. He was allegedly "condoning" adultery and creating an "open season" climate when it came to sexual activity among the troops within his command.

With all those occurrences, we as Junior NCO’s need to embrace the various tools that were put in place for us to use. DODD 6495.01 defines the implementation program on deterrence, response, the different reporting types, and the scope of responsibility of various positions. By being competent in regards to those procedures we will be able to address any situation that we might encounter as leaders. We have to strive to eliminate sexual violence in the Army, but the army is a cross-section of society that includes deviant people and deeds. It is almost impossible to know what goes through a person’s head and where his/hers moral compass points toward and therefore we cannot stop them at the gate. The SHARP program that the Army launched was a major advance to eradicate those kinds of misconducts within the ranks. Service Members are more willingly to come forward and face their assaulter but on the other hand those unfortunate events still occur.

The Army which is a macho and male dominated environment has altered itself in a more positive shift with giant leaps in cultural change. Some rotten apples still taint its ranks. It is quite possible that the SHARP program has maxed its potential, and new routes of battling this disease need to be ventured. For the benefit of future service members, danger should only come from enemies on the front lines and not within their own units.