To what degree do you feel Sexual Harassment & Sexual Assault degrade aspects of security in the Armed Forces / Department of Defense?

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 15:19:52 -0400

First off, I am not trying to insult anyone's intelligence or understate the emphasis this topic has had over the last two years or so.  I am conducting a study on the impact of sexual harassment and assault on the many dimensions of security in our Armed Forces.  Your response will assist me in gathering data from a series of five questions I will post over time.  Your answer for this first question can state any aspect of security, but I ask you to define what you believe are the leading causes and what you pose as solutions.<br>

Response by CW2 Jonathan Kantor made Apr 8 at 2014 3:21 PM

CW2 Jonathan Kantor — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 15:21:55 -0400

To what degree... immensely.  This is a massive problem in the Armed Forces and it degrades the unit morale, integrity, health of Soldiers, and a whole lot more.  Our security is compromised when our Soldiers are compromised.  I'm not sure what else to say about that.<br>

Response by CW2 Joseph Evans made Apr 8 at 2014 3:54 PM

CW2 Joseph Evans — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 15:54:44 -0400

Chief K has the right of it.<div><br></div><div>Even when the assault occurs across unit boundaries. Imagine a Combat arms unit where an assault occurs against a female Combat Support or Combat Service support. Now there are issues of equitable treatment that exceeds the ability of a LTC to handle. Perceptions of inappropriate handling of the issue now means DFAC, mechanic response time, medical aid or even intelligence support is now compromised. Mission readiness of supporting units has a direct impact on maneuver. I won't even mention the potential damage if a "wronged" Soldier feels that putting an entire PLT or company in harms way is justified to settle payback. </div><div>Another consideration is incidence of male on male sexual assault or harassment. The machismo that is incorporated into the "no homo" homo erotic games played among the Combat Arms closet cases also has a direct impact on sqad and plt reliability. Accidents happen man...</div>

Response by 1SG Anthony Bly (Retired) made Apr 9 at 2014 8:40 PM

1SG Anthony Bly (Retired) — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 20:40:07 -0400

Steve,

Great subject but I'm a bit confused by the question. To degrade security in the Armed Forces / DoD, I'm assuming you mean the degradation of the Armed Forces /DoD to provide security for our nation. In that case, a lot of great points have already been brought up already. I guess the bigger picture would be our enemies using this as an avenue to infect not only those currently serving but those potential recruits in our society. This isn't an Army problem, it's a problem in our society as our Soldiers are a product of our society. So, we do our best to change the minds of those already infected and devise a positive culture that doesn't tolerate this sort of behavior in our Army. At the same time, what sort of approaches or methods can be used in our society to reduce or prevent the sort of mentalities of the future recruits. Just a different way of looking at the getting at the root of the problem.

Response by SGM(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 9 at 2014 10:00 PM

SGM(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 22:00:26 -0400

Sexual assault and harassment affect the cohesion and trust
amongst Soldiers. Soldiers must have the
faith that the other Soldiers have their back at all times. Lose of this basic fundamental does hinder
the military forces from performing at their optimum. Trust in the leadership is paramount in having
Soldiers go the distant to the object whether combat or not. Females and males must have trust and faith
in senior leaders to have their best interest at heart. Every situation will not be perfect but every
attempt must be made to address these issues swiftly and justly. Leaders in the Army have the daunting task to
address this social issue that is seen not only in the services but colleges
and workplaces across this country. I do
not have a silver bullet solution.

Response by PO1 Glenn Boucher made Sep 16 at 2015 1:31 PM

PO1 Glenn Boucher — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 13:31:52 -0400

First its going to affect the trust level of the unit that is affected.
For example, one service member is sexually assaulted by another and they work in the same unit, there will be tension and trust will be affected because almost everyone will take a side on it and that is dividing the unit and destroying the trust and it reduces the effective security level of the unit.