Should SHARP be the #1 priority for the Army right now?

2015-05-05T23:03:51-04:00

So we are all very aware of SHARP, hence the 300 hours or more of training a year. However, What do you personally feel should be the Army's number one priority at this present time?

Take the survey below: If the response you wish to select is not there, then by all means place it in a comment. I am really interested as to what the masses think about this subject.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 5 at 2015 11:16 PM

2015-05-05T23:16:14-04:00

If we are to follow our leaders intent then yes. Background: in October 2014, SECARMY published his priorities listing. Sexual assault was at the top of that list.

Response by SSG John Bacon made May 5 at 2015 11:19 PM

2015-05-05T23:19:54-04:00

The army needs a better way of screening potential Soldiers and transitioning Members for Suicide prevention. We loose so many of our brothers and sisters to it every day.

Response by COL Charles Williams made May 5 at 2015 11:39 PM

2015-05-05T23:39:00-04:00

I can't/shouldn't vote for two reasons. 1st, I am retired, so my opinion is now dated and irrelevant. 2nd, Sexual Assaults are huge problem, that I dealt with as a MP, a Company and Battalion Commander, and finally for 37 months as a Garrison Commander as we rolled all these changes out. But, it is not the only problem. I think we need to also focus on the suicide issue as well. The other three pale in comparison.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2015 1:18 AM

2015-05-06T01:18:19-04:00

I am SHARP-VA, MRT, and EO. I get beat to DEATH on giving SHARP stuff and then MRT stuff and when they think of it then they want to know where we are on EO. Usually it is when we have an issue (I try to stay on it before hand, at least I did before I started getting ready to clear and handed it all over to others). I don't really see a change in the numbers. They are quick to say that the MRT program is a failure. Stupid stupid observation in my opinion, they are looking at it big picture and when you look at SHARP then you can call it a failure too, because big picture that is where the issues are. Small picture, local is where the numbers are different. (i.e. In my location, we don't have high suicide numbers, so MRT could be considered a success right? SHARP could be considered a success because SHARP cases are not huge) Anyway, all of this focus is on these programs because they are PUBLICITY. That is the bottom line. They give black eyes, if we are being honest, lets be honest. Our pay and benefits are something that people do not think about except for those that are affected by it.

Response by SFC Stephen King made May 6 at 2015 7:00 AM

2015-05-06T07:00:13-04:00

SHARP is important. Suicide to me is more important understanding it not training. The fact that we are all part of a team regardless of branch. The stigma of seeking help is still out there. We need to prevent suicides, for the military and for civilians, this means expanding access to care and making sure that people feel comfortable seeking it.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2015 9:58 AM

2015-05-06T09:58:08-04:00

We need to focus on retaining the right service members as this draw down comes to a close. That means getting rid of toxic and ineffective leaders as well as being honest and constructive in our evaluations. This shows boards periods of personal growth which may be a greater accomplishment than sustaining over time. We talk about growing leaders but where is the proof when the majority of leaders are receiving 1/1, 2/1, 1/2, 2/2. Threes do exist and still mean 'promote'.

Another part of retaining is pay and benefits. It will be fun to see the new Cyber Warriors (offensive and defensive) get trained up, receive a bonus and incentive pay, do their ADSO, and go forth to that six figure job outside of the service.

SHARP....we get statistics on how many assaults happen but you have to datamine the internet to see the results of punishment. More will report when they see the process working and we can get rid of the bad apples.

EO is the same as SHARP. We can get more results when people have more faith in the system (and each other).

Suicide - We've tried all the methods and nothing is changing. Is there an effective answer? If you have it you can patent it.

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2015 2:30 PM

2015-05-06T14:30:58-04:00

Suicide, SHARP, and EO are all things that are hurting us. Most units have been affected by all or most of them. Even if it's just a Soldier in the unit who knows someone who was affected. They give the Army, and the Military a big black eye.

I would love to spend more time on my benefits. I would love to know more about the draw down, and how it affects my unit, and me. But until the PR nightmare that the other problems create is dealt with I don't see it changing.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 1:56 PM

2015-05-07T13:56:32-04:00

It is important but there are other issues as well that shouldn't be supplanted by this.

Also in response to the sexual harassment/assault problem the army has gone back through recruiters, drill sergeants, sharp reps, victim advocates records and flagged many with type 1 and type 2 violations. Some of these violations existed prior to said soldier becoming recruiters, drill sergeants, etc and were waivered and or acknowledged that some issues existed.

Essentially resulting in soldiers that were allowed to pursue and serve honorably in these positions are now being told that they can't be trusted in those positions.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made May 7 at 2015 3:07 PM

2015-05-07T15:07:49-04:00

Option F: Tactical/Technical proficiency

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 3:36 PM

2015-05-07T15:36:02-04:00

Winning in Afghanistan.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 3:43 PM

2015-05-07T15:43:06-04:00

I think SHARP is important but we need to focus on being an effective fighting force.

Response by SSG Leonard Johnson made May 7 at 2015 3:44 PM

2015-05-07T15:44:07-04:00

Win wars...and tell politicians to go screw themselves when they intentionally want to hurt soldiers and veterans....that has been happening since 2008

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 4:47 PM

2015-05-07T16:47:19-04:00

I've seen what sexual harassment can do to a female solider/Vet. At the VA, a lot of the trauma patients have had sexual harassment or assaulted, or both. Besides the PTSD, now they have to face their other demons. I've helped a few out by gaining their trust in men and not feeling ashamed of something that wasn't their fault. It didn't happen overnight. It took months of coaching and friendliness towards them. Ive always looked at it like what if she was my daughter or wife. I really think SHARP is what all the military should concentrate on.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 5:05 PM

2015-05-07T17:05:57-04:00

What about the soldiers that have encounter injuries due to service that have been misdiagnosed, due to medical personal not taking the proper time with the service member. I hear it from veterans all the time, why didn't they catch this or that!

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 5:38 PM

2015-05-07T17:38:50-04:00

ROTC isn't exception to the dreaded SHARP training, but... I would say that no government program will ever stop sexual harassment/assault... not just in the military, but just about anywhere. It is the same thing as telling an idiot to stop stealing. You can't fix stupidity.

Yes, sexual assaults in the military seriously undermine the Army readiness and its Army values, but... It is ultimately up to each and every one of us to actively step in/intervene when there is a risky situation. That seems to be the only solution. Elimination of all sexual assaults would be ideal, but in reality, there will be bad apples in every apple tree.

A lot of times folks from Cadet Command come down to ROTC battalions and conduct post-SHARP training climate survey and the questions they ask is just so pointless... such a huge waste of our time to just stand around so early in the morning just so that these people can ask some stupid/vague/general questions that won't even help prevent any sexual assaults.

Honestly speaking, SHARP should be common sense. Sometimes it's hard for me to understand why things have gotten so bad to the point that government would have to create pointless programs that bombard the employees/members of the armed forces with hours of sexual assault prevention education programs. And especially in the military. It's just hard to believe so many people call themselves the members of the armed forces and do stupid things that is contrary to the values that the military upholds.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 7:05 PM

2015-05-07T19:05:03-04:00

Its very depressing to see our pay and benefits shrink and become more stringent every year. Have the demands of training or threats to our nation diminished at all? I didn't think so. when seasoned service members bring this point up the answer is always the same . " well you can always just get out sarnt" How can you say that to peoplethe majority of whom answered our nation's call when the war on terror first kicked Off. Sexual Assault, Equal Opportunity and Suicide are all critical focus points. None more important than the other. However we should really start looking at these issues from the top down. Every SHARP class I've sat through generally has lower enlisted and some Junior NCO's in the videos. ... I don't know about you guys but I did see that documentary " the silent war" sure were a lot of upper echelon individuals being indicated. Im sure I'm just supposed to ignore that. Why is it that the class six is always stocked and open nearly every day? you can find a greater variety of alcohol than any other item sold on any base exchange. That means you a greater selection of beer than soap.... kinda sends the wrong signal doesn't it. I mean we do know thar 90% of sexual assaults involve booze. We also know that there aren't enough medical resources available to support members who need it which contributes to depression which leads to suicides. .. in regards to EO I honestly think we might be a little too vigilant in some areas been a long time since I've seen a minority as SMA though just saying

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 7:22 PM

2015-05-07T19:22:20-04:00

I picked 'pay & benefits' because I feel that, with such a rapid draw down, that certain processes may inherently be screwing over Soldiers. Separating Soldiers is already an unpleasant task; I believe we should at least treat Soldiers with at least some dignity and respect during that process.

I was fortunate to be involved with the logistics surrounding the draw down of Iraq.

The intent was for this draw down to be a "responsible draw down", as it related to moving equipment/supplies out of Iraq.

...I strongly believe that the draw down of PERSONNEL also needs to be a "responsible draw down".

There will be difference of opinions here, but, one case I came across recently revolved around an AF officer who, via 2 x Non-select for promotion, was forced to involuntarily separate from the service.

Before being involuntarily separated, he had agreed to serve an additional 4 years in order to transfer his Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to his spouse. With every intent for him to serve 20 years, his wife proceeded to start utilizing the benefits--she actually used upwards of $24,000+ dollars before he was non-select the 2nd time, and forced to involuntarily separate.

Likewise, because he was unable to serve those 4 years--even though it was due to his involuntary separation--it was decided that he would have to pay back that $24,000, as an "overpayment" in benefits.

(Now, one could argue that he 'should have seen it coming', but with selection rates dropping, I would argue that even great Soldiers--with no derogatory information/bad evaluations--are being separated, as well....making it increasingly difficult to actually predict whether one will be selected or not. As far as I understand that particular case, that officer had no derogatory information in his file.)

I can't say whether some things are being done, deliberately by design to incur a cost savings....but, I do think we need to be very careful. Soldiers just bore the burden of war for a decade+....I think we at least owe it to them to give treat them with dignity and respect during the separation process.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 8:19 PM

2015-05-07T20:19:04-04:00

As we all know, sexual harassment is an issue in the Army. I have been in a units that seems as if we are doing SHARP traing every week for 6 hours, and is because someone on post was sexually harassed. As this is becoming an issue, I beleive that our standards as an Army as a whole is going down, specifically discipline. We are letting the wrong people in and kicking the right Soldiers out / or letting the right ones go to fast andeasy. this is not good for business. I have seen so many of my good buddies leave because the Army is not enforcing standards, discipline, regulation, values. They would rather become or risk becoming homeless on the outside than deal with the BS. Me, I stayed in hoping I can make a difference. The army wants to move more towards the way a fortune 500 company runs, sounds nice, maybe a few ideas can be brought over but the fact is, because of the militaries business (War) and other stuff, we can not run like those companies. I remember when i screwed up, i got my ass chewed off and the smoked the hell out of. im not saying bring that back peersay, but not everything needs to be put on paper. But discipline is not being taught and instilled in a Soldier in Basic or AIT anymore. Basic use to beworse thethan the unit, we looked forward to it. Now the Soldier comes to the company with a rude awakening because they are expecting the NCO to bow down to them and tend to their every need like the drill sergeants did (or whatever they are called now). Bringing back discipline wont solve all the problems in the Army, but I beleive it willbbe a big start.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 9:01 PM

2015-05-07T21:01:20-04:00

Personnel and equipment readiness

Actual training and maintenance of both personnel and equipment. Stop wasting valuable time on repeated "death by powerpoint" classes. They've all lost their effectiveness, because of over-training. There's a time and place for each subject... we just go way overboard, until nobody is listening anymore.

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made May 7 at 2015 9:10 PM

2015-05-07T21:10:50-04:00

It shouldn't even be in the top 10. Things like weapons training, field operations, close combat instruction, Small unit tactics, anti-terrorism training, close order drill etc etc etc. If someone commits a crime punish them quickly and to the extent the offense warrants.

If you have people that do not know that assault and/or harrasment is wrong my guess is classroom training will have little effect. I think the lack of progress demostrates that adeptly.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 9:24 PM

2015-05-07T21:24:37-04:00

Yes however the approach is fallible. Case in point: my NCOER is now having a senior eater bullet STOLEN for a simple check the block statement on whether I do or do not support and promote SHARP. Yes, there are turds in any organization of varying aptitude and verocity of their unprofessionalism. However the knee jerk reaction across the board referring to my/our ability to play nice with others and maintain an already demonstrated and well expected notion of basic human decency is foley.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 9:47 PM

2015-05-07T21:47:41-04:00

SHARP = B.S.

Response by LTC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 10:51 PM

2015-05-07T22:51:45-04:00

SHARP training and suicide prevention are a complete waste of time and prove the army is bending to political correctness and box checking. Has SHARP training and suicide prevention decreased harassment or suicides, no.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 8 at 2015 12:55 AM

2015-05-08T00:55:40-04:00

Tachtical and technical proficiency. PT and soldier skills. With our slang, jargon, and euphemisms the military is offensive and aggressive in nature. We are shaped this way ftom the begining of our enlistment. Should females be assaulted sexualy, or harrased, HELL NO. Should someone's sexual orientation define them as a soldier, HELL NO. Should any and every soldier meet and exceed the standards placed before them, HELL YES. Should all soldiers be held accountable for their actions and decisions, HELL YES. Kinder gentler get out of our way, let us kick ass and take names. Those who cannot meet the standard, fall in line, and take offense over b/s go back to society where you can be a soft indaviduals and get out of my military. The enemy is learning how to kill and destroy us, not sitting in a briefing learning the words he can say.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 8 at 2015 9:08 AM

2015-05-08T09:08:35-04:00

How about training...

Response by CH (MAJ) Private RallyPoint Member made May 8 at 2015 3:55 PM

2015-05-08T15:55:17-04:00

Constantly reiterating the military's position on sexual abuse is an effective way to remind potential predators of the consequences. Just reminding people that this kind of action will not be ignored averts many from making a bad choice. If all of this SHARP training we all have to endure prevents even one rape it makes it all worth it. If we were aware of an imminent assault we would do whatever we can to stop it from happening. I do not know what should be the number one priority but I do appreciate the importance SHARP as annoying as it may be. The victim is our comrade

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 8 at 2015 8:37 PM

2015-05-08T20:37:32-04:00

None of those should ever be the top priority of ANY military organization. It should be conducting or training to conduct war time missions. I shouldn't have to cancel mission essential training and counseling so that we can sit through another lecture because some service member did wrong. It's no wonder we are becoming a weaker force.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 9 at 2015 5:29 AM

2015-05-09T05:29:23-04:00

No, I don't agree that SHARP should be our focal point. Maybe how to mitigate needless spending in the Army should take it's place.

Response by 1SG Charles Hunter made May 9 at 2015 9:27 AM

2015-05-09T09:27:18-04:00

The Army's (and all military services) number one priority should be now and always combat readiness. Any activity or program that detracts from that goal is wasteful and counterproductive.

I have read that veterans (including serving service members) commit suicide at the rate of 22 per day. This issue certainly needs attention from all levels of leadership. Junior service members must be able to report aberrant behavior without fear of repercussions.

Pay and benefits are certainly important, and necessary to attract and retain the all volunteer force. People must be well compensated to put themselves in harms way.

Sexual harassment and sexual assault have long been a problem. Effective discipline toward offenders is imperative. One of the greatest problems is the credibility of allegations, particularly when alcohol is involved.

Equal opportunity programs are hardly a new thing. One would have expected some improvement over the last 40 years. Human nature will always be human nature.

The draw-down is, as usual, a political issue and very short-sighted. The military must ensure that a rapid response to external threats is possible. We've been caught flat-footed too often before: 1941, 1950, 2011.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 9 at 2015 8:16 PM

2015-05-09T20:16:07-04:00

I would prefer we focus on personnel and equipment readiness. That is what wins wars. All other initiatives should fall secondary to that. The last time I checked our rate of sexual harassment and assault is lower than that of the general populace. While I agree we need to continue to work on eliminating SHARP issues within our ranks, if we have a problem our society has an even bigger problem.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made May 9 at 2015 10:26 PM

2015-05-09T22:26:54-04:00

Job Proficiency

Response by CSM Christopher St. Cyr made May 10 at 2015 10:49 AM

2015-05-10T10:49:24-04:00

Training to fight our nation's enemy while learning to respect the differences of those we serve with by observing their abilities during tough training.

Response by CSM Carlson C. made May 12 at 2015 12:37 PM

2015-05-12T12:37:19-04:00

This is the thing. It can't be as cut and dry as you are framing the question. You can be the most cutting edge military and top notch training, but if there is constant sexual harassment and unfair treatment the foundation of the complete organization has been severely damaged. There must be a good balance to these problems faced by the military. Also a more proactive approach vs the reactionary measures must be taken. Instead of force feeding hundreds of hours lead by example and hold people to a standard and take sexual harassment and assault seriously

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made May 21 at 2015 11:08 PM

2015-05-21T23:08:03-04:00

NO...SHARP should never HAVE to be the #1 priority for the Army EVER! Military PROFESSIONALS should be just that...PROFESSIONALS!

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 20 at 2015 6:21 PM

2015-06-20T18:21:16-04:00

Winning wars.