Sexual Harassment In The Military
Specialist Edward J. Nofe
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 18th Military Police Brigade
Grafenwoehr, Germany
January 5, 2015

Joni Ernst is a well-respected United State Senator from Iowa. She has served more than 20 years in uniform. She is the first female combat veteran to serve in the Senate. She along with countless men and women in the military has been a victim of sexual harassment. The truth is nobody is immune from this problem certainly not when you still have reports ranging from inappropriate advances to sexual bribery. Sexual harassment is a form of gender discrimination that involves unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature between the same or opposite genders. Harassment differentiates from assault in the sense that harassment can be directly associated with your work setting. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination that erodes morale and negatively impacts unit cohesion. All individuals in the unit must be treated fairly and with mutual respect .The consequences of sexual harassment affects the individual in the workplace through stress, physical fitness, and reenlistment intentions. Sexual harassment affects the unit’s effectiveness, cohesion and goal realization. Sexual harassment is not limited to the workplace, but can also occur in the work related environment. That’s why the importance of maintaining a secure and sound command climate is essential in preventing the reoccurrence of such incidents. Based on my findings this essay aims to analyze that there’s a strong case to be made that the rate of sexual harassment reports are proliferating across all branches of the military and how the importance of having a positive command climate environment helps in solving this problem.

There needs to be a clear realization that despite all the drastic measures the military are willing to undergo to properly respond to the issue of sexual harassment, leaders are the ones tasked with carrying out these promises of change. That’s why success lies in how well our commanding officers and frontline leaders can foster and sustain a working environment free from hostility and intolerant of sexual deviance. A victim is more likely to be subjected to harassment when you have a command climate that condones or turns a blind eye to a predator in waiting. According to a report published by the Department of Defense (2014), claiming that alleged sexual harassment were predominately female enlisted members from the same unit as the alleged offender, with the majority holding the pay grades E-1 to E-4. The alleged offenders were predominantly male co-workers in pay grades from E-5 to E-9. This would seem to imply that there is blatant abuse of authority and misuse of rank to get victims to succumb to their intent. This might be a stemmed behavior from the idea that they are most likely going to get away with their actions because of insufficient evidence, bias towards their position, victim blaming, or pure negligence in the part of those in command. These are the types of atrocities that should be eliminated immediately through the reinforcement of well-balanced leadership involvement. In my unit I see a lot of ways leaders provide mentorship through focusing on setting standards on what is considered is acceptable behavior in the work place. They explain the potential sanctions to punish perpetrators and the ramifications to unit morale. They ensure that there is an open door policy for members to communicate their problems to higher officials. Considering that majority of harassment cases takes plan within the unit, military leaders must take necessary steps to eradicate sexist attitudes in order to change a culture that is fostering a permissive environment of harassment. They must ensure that sexually explicit and degrading material should not be found within their unit to reduce the risk of offense. Leaders must ensure their junior enlisted soldiers feel protected and that there would be no judgment so as to not hinder them from reporting. Most of the time victims feel like they are a under microscope if they were to come forward with being harassed. The idea that they will be blamed or that their will be retaillation for telling the truth is a mentality that must be stopped. Being sexually harassed is traumatic enough but having the courage to stand up to the culprit is something that should be admired and encouraged by leaders. Each case must be treated with proper amount of attention, seriousness, and sensitivity to assure the victim that there are being treated with respect, dignity, and fairness. This can only come from a surrounding that reinforces those values. Leaders play pivotal role in changing the perception of those around them.

The rise of sexual harassment is in direct correlation with the quality of training and information dissemination that is taking place within that unit. There is no denying that each command is different and diverse in nature. That’s why culture specific content is important because there might be a more effective approach in relaying the message in a way that is both relatable and understandable for the participants. Soldiers must understand what is sexual harassment, ways of recognizing it, means to prevent , and the proper procedures of reporting. This will avoid any confusion that the harasser might not know their conduct is offensive. Some of the practices that I’ve seen my unit implement has been conducting interactive group discussions, situational vignettes, role play, and emphasis on how to receive, handle, and resolve sexual harassment disputes. Courses should teach soldiers about intervention, victim empathy, consent, acceptable behavior, and healthy relationships. Sexual Harassment is a predecessor to assault in most situations. The elimination of sexual harassment within a unit begins with a policy of aggressive and progressive training to identify and prevent inappropriate conduct. The quality and effectiveness of this training should be carefully be assessed by leaders and should be a core concern for the unit. Prevention through means of education is pre-emptive measure that is both essential and useful. A solid teaching program can include everyone in the fight to stop harassment.

Although the military has made strides in improving the current condition where accountability is more likely to be held and justice is served for these victims. There is an overwhelming response from men and women who feel they are able to formally come forward and file a complaint. That’s why you’re seeing a rapid increase in the number of sexual harassment cases. According to Pentagon officials (2014), released a report that says just under 1,400 cases of sexual harassment occurred in the military on 2013. Of those number of cases reported, 59 percent were substantiated, according to the report. I think for the most part this is a sign of substantial improvement that people are encouraged to report now more than ever. There’s a benefit in knowing what happened to the victim as opposed to not having disclosed that information and for that service member not to get the assistance he or she needs. This helps in changing the perception that nobody wants to come forward out of fear and is creating solidarity amongst victims. That’s why I believe that the number of sexual harassment cases will steadily grow over time not necessarily because there are more attacks but because more victims are trusting in the military system of justice set in place and that comes.

The military prides itself as an institution of leadership and integrity. Everyday service members can and do conduct themselves with the high degree of professionalism that we have come to expect of our nation’s military forces. Sexual harassment is completely against the values of the military. It destroys teamwork and negatively affects combat preparedness. Everyone has a part to play and something to contribute. I believe that everyone is aware that this is a massive issue that requires a complex solution. The rise of sexual Harassment is a predecessor to sexual assault. I believe that the military is moving towards advocating for continuous evaluations and revisions of policies that has influence over the behavior on military installations and in units. Until everyone understands their role in preventing this crime and everyone is putting forth considerable effort then the fight still continues.

References
Cooper, H. (2014, May 1). Pentagon Study Finds 50% Increase in Reports of Military
Sexual Assaults. Retrieved January 5, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/02/us/military-sex-assault-report.html?_r=1

United States Department of Defense. (2014, May 15). Retrieved January 5, 2015, from http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=122270 Ernst, a Combat Vet, Says Sexual Assault cases Should Be Taken Outside Chain of Command.
(n.d.). Retrieved January 5, 2015, from http://time.com/3119176/ernst-says-she-was-sexually-harassed-in-the-military/