ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The Army continues to search for ways to prevent and eliminate sexual harassment and assault in the ranks.

Its latest effort is a newly released Rand Corp. study that says understanding the factors behind sexual harassment and assault are key to prevention. The study, which was commissioned by the Army, calls for the service to continue working to improve unit and command climate and investigate the differences between installations and commands that experience higher rates of harassment and assault.

Efforts to prevent sexual assault and harassment in the Army have fallen short, but changes are being made on several fronts, a senior official said.

“We are just not where we need to be with the program,” said James Helis, director of the Army Resilience Directorate. The December release of an independent review of the climate at Fort Hood, Texas, “caused us to take a hard look in the mirror at ourselves and our program.”

The director of the Army Resilience Directorate will speak April 8 during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Thought Leaders webinar.

James Helis, who has been in the job since March 2019, will discuss the Army’s efforts to prevent sexual assault and harassment in the ranks. He also will talk about how the Army works to provide professional, compassionate and comprehensive care and support to members of the Army team when sexual harassment or assault incidents occur.

In its ongoing fight against sexual assault and sexual harassment in the ranks, the Pentagon is standing up an independent commission that will have 90 days to provide recommendations to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. 

Lynn Rosenthal, who served during the Obama administration as the first White House adviser on violence against women, will lead the commission, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Feb. 26. The commission, which will include members from inside and outside the military, will review DoD policies and processes, Kirby said.

Aided by statutes that strengthen the voice of sexual assault victims in the military judicial system, the Army is making progress in bringing cases to trial, the Army’s judge advocate general told Congress.

“Ten years ago, sexual assault offenses comprised 18% of Army trials. In 2018, 50% of trials in Army courtrooms were sexual assault trials. This is not a coincidence,” Lt. Gen. Charles N. Pede told the House Armed Services subcommittee on military personnel. 

Removing commanders from the military justice process could exacerbate the problem of sexual assault and harassment in the ranks, the Army’s former top lawyer recently told Congress.

The Army continues to focus on eradicating sexual harassment and assault from its ranks, and the service’s top leaders are calling on all soldiers to join the effort.

“We all have a responsibility to look out for one another—there can be no bystanders,” Army Secretary Mark T. Esper and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley wrote in a new message to the force.

The U.S. Military Academy will conduct a stand-down Feb. 25 as leaders look for ways to better combat sexual assault and sexual harassment on campus.

“This is our family, these are our sons and daughters,” West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams said during a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee. “We are doing a lot, but we have not done enough.”

During the stand-down, “there’ll be no classes, there’ll be no sports. The entire community will come together and revisit where we are,” Williams said.