Posted on Dec 16, 2023
1LT Chaplain Candidate
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Upcoming changes regarding sexual assaults go live on 27DEC. The executive order covers more areas than that alone, but I am focusing my attention on that topic, over the others. For those unaware, some highlights can be found here: https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3479106/executive-order-changes-how-military-handles-sexual-assaults/


To be clear, I like the concept. I have had similar notions myself. Considering how bad things have been with sexual assaults, and by that I mean not only their increasing occurrence but the many examples of  the poorly executed investigations or corresponding consequences, I started to believe that the DoD should empower a separate entity to crack down on the crimes, totally bypassing the opportunity of command leadership to abuse or neglect the responsibility of due-process and the issuing of uniform and fair punishments. Well, here we are. I knew I wasn't the only one thinking it.


However, two things leave me with questions. First, this special trial counsel has the right of first refusal. Why in the world would this counsel need to refuse one of these cases? If the point of having an entity outside the chain of command is to promote uniformity and fairness, and by implication do justice and uphold the moral integrity of the institution, then why give the counsel an option to NOT do that? The only thing I can think is capacity. In order to maximize effectiveness and efficiency, such counsels can only take so many cases. Seems like a lame excuse, if that is in fact the excuse.


Second, the report that issued these recommendations was submitted in 2021. It took two years to find its way to the President's desk? I know bureaucracy is slow, but that seems awful for something of such significance. Can anyone shed light on that timeline?
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MSG Intermediate Care Technician
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Prior to my departure from Soto Cano in Honduras, mt BN Commander wanted me to give the entire BN a SHARP class.

So, I designed the class off the Foundation Course I received in March. This class was different in the manner that I used all the information available and tried to get people to see SHARP from the eyes and mentality of the victims. I used stats. I used personal experience of others, without using any identifiable information. Hell, I used my own personal experience. I even had a Hall of Shame where I showed and talked about Senior Leaders getting nailed for SA/SH.

I even went so far as to tell the entire BN that the SHARP program is failing because we, as Leaders, are failing the SHARP program by failing to hold accountable those that violate.

The Government and the Military can include all kinds of changes and all kinds of training, but until Senior Leaders get serious about punishing those that harass and assault, nothing will ever change.
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SSG Roger Ayscue
SSG Roger Ayscue
>1 y
The service should adopt a policy that you do not date within a unit.
If the service members stop seeing the unit as a place to meet a significant other this may go a long way to help remedy this. My wife was a Soldier the same time as I was, and her father was a field grade officer, the first question that he asked me when I talked to him was "Does she work for you" and then he asked, "Are you in the same unit" Both answers were no. His concern was that our relationship would take on an improper nature.
Dating within a unit leads to so very many problems.
There is an old saying that I cannot post here in its original form, but it has to do with doing something where you eat. Members of a unit need to see each other as just a fellow Soldier, and not a dating prospect. It is no different telling two enlisted soldiers that they cannot date, as telling an officer and enlisted person that they cannot.

Two Soldiers NOT in the same unit, I see no problem with, but too many assaults happen on deployment. If Soldiers are taught from day one that others in their units are off limits, then the change begins.
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MSG Intermediate Care Technician
MSG (Join to see)
>1 y
SSG Roger Ayscue making the dating within the same unit off limits will not stop SA/SH. While it is true that 78% of attackers are known to the victim, the known attackers are not always in the same unit. Not dating in the same unit would reduce (but not eliminate) preferential treatment. Too many assaults are happening, period, it doesn't matter the location. Nor do the harassers and assaulters care if you're in the same unit or not.
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SSG Roger Ayscue
SSG Roger Ayscue
>1 y
MSG (Join to see) - No, it may not stop it, but it would help, and I don't remember this being such a big problem before barracks were open to visits from the opposite gender. I was in the Army both before and after the Army relaxed the Male/Female barracks exclusion. It got way worse when the exclusion was removed.
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Maj Kim Patterson
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Edited >1 y ago
As a victim of MST, it took almost 40 years. The worst were the serial rapists but I see the culture has not changed. They say the words but no one follows through, The leaders most likely were guilty of sexually assaulting or harassing other service members themselves so it was safest to sweep it under the rug. I am thankful that many of us are finally getting acknowledged and rated for the damage the assault caused that made it hard to do our jobs, I had names and places, enough people finally are reporting so a pattern can be seen and an individual or unit can be identified. 2 years is a victory, Some of us weren’t aware of a way to report assaults at the time they occurred but our performance suffered. Speaking as a civilian sexual assault nurse examiner, I saw delays caused by under manning labs to follow up on the rape kits. They sat on the shelves collecting dust, last year, the DA found a serial rapist and 7 different nurses from different nights were called as witnesses, we have another case of serial rapist coming up soon. First, we feel disgusted, suicidal, violated, we have to relive the experience each time we are asked about it, not a day goes by I don’t relive mine.
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SGT Air Defense Radar Repairer
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MSG (Join to see) - I'm quite sure you can dig up a case or two but that number pales in comparison to sexual assaults committed by Males.
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MSG Intermediate Care Technician
MSG (Join to see)
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SGT (Join to see) be that as it may, there are still women who are aggressors in SA/SH. Not to mention you called for the castration/mutilation of every male in the military.
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SGT Air Defense Radar Repairer
SGT (Join to see)
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not to every male just those in her chain of command and maybe then the rest of the men in the military will stop ignoring the abuse of their fellow service members.
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MAJ Byron Oyler
MAJ Byron Oyler
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SGT (Join to see) - Actually the female on female assaults and abuse is pretty bad.
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CPT Senior Instructor
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I think the military is moving in the right direction with this. I don't believe a law or regulation will eliminate all misconduct. I do think that first line leaders should be the most invested in this. I have dealt with a couple investigations and I feel the Army got it right. The issue we have is when the wrong leaders are in charge and they ignore banter and accept misconduct. When I was a civilian I have received a few comments where I was really surprised. Now that I am back in the military I make very deliberate effort to make sure that line is never crossed. I also make sure that my subordinate leaders understand. I believe in the "not in my squad" concept. We have to take care of our own.
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CSM William Everroad
CSM William Everroad
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CPT (Join to see) agreed, but the issue becomes are our first line leaders mature enough to enforce the concepts learned? It is easy to say the right answer during SHARP training vignettes and another to enforce good conduct and discipline in situations where its needed.

We are promoting faster than ever and still failing to fill vacant FLL billets (and a lot of senior ones too).
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