Enclosure 1 Department of the Army Report

Enclosure 1: Department of the Army

SECRETARY OF THE ARMY WASHINGTON

INFO MEMO

FOR: SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

DepSec Action_ _ _ _ __

J,/fl.ojJ.b ~~ ~ FROM: RyanD.McCarthy

SUBJECT: Fiscal Year 2019 Sexual Assault Report

? Despite concerted efforts to prevent sexual assault, sexual harassment, and associated retaliatory behaviors, in fiscal year 2019 (FY19), the Army continued to see a high rate of reported sexual assaults: 5.5 reports of sexual assault per 1,000 Soldiers, the same rate of reporting as FYI 8. The sustained high rate of reporting may be an indicator of increased victim confidence in their chain of command, victim advocacy and response services, and Army criminal investigation offices; however, more work needs to be done.

? The attached sexual assault report (TAB A) highlights attributes of the Army's commitment to create and maintain a climate of trust where Soldiers live the Army Values, thereby reducing incidents of sexual harassment and assault. For FY19, these highlights include:

a. Implementing new and improved primary prevention lessons across the full range of learning activities for Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program professionals attending the Army SHARP Academy.

b. Maintaining a professionally trained cadre of sexual assault response coordinators and victim advocates as critical resources who enable coordination between commanders and other agencies to ensure the best possible response to victims.

c. Hiring 15 additional highly trained and experienced sexual assault investigators.

d. Implementing a comprehensive military justice redesign to ensure the most effective allocation ofjudge advocates to both special victim and general crimes cases.

e. Implementing an oversight plan to facilitate the assessment of the SHARP program.

? The Army's actions and future plans for a comprehensive sexual assault prevention strategy focus on: (1) leaders creating and maintaining positive command climates; and (2) developing operationalized plans for 20 strategic aims in support of the Army's comprehensive sexual assault prevention plan of action.

COORDINATION: NONE

Attachments: As stated

Prepared by: Dr. James A. Helis, 703-571-0599

Fiscal Year 2019

LOYALTY DUTY RESPECT SELFLESS SERVICE HONOR INTEGRITY PERSONAL COURAGE

preventsexualassault.army.mil DoD Safe Helpline: 1-877-995-5247

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary ..................................................................................... 1 1. Goal 1 - Prevention ..................................................................................................... 5 2. Goal 2 - Victim Assistance and Advocacy ........................................................ 8 3. Goal 3 - Investigation ................................................................................................... 12 4. Goal 4 - Accountability ................................................................................. 15 5. Goal 5 - Assessment .................................................................................................... 19 6. Core Functions: Communication and Policy ...................................................... 22 7. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Requirements .................................. 24 8. Analytics Discussion .................................................................................... 27

Sexual Assault Data Spreadsheets 1. Army Sexual Assault Unrestricted Report Data ................................................. 37 2. Army Sexual Assault Restricted Report Data .................................................... 46 3. Support Services for Victims of Sexual Assault .......................................................... 48 4. Combat Areas of Interest (CAI) Unrestricted Report Data .......................................... 51 5. CAI Restricted Report Data .......................................................................... 58 6. Support Services for Victims of Sexual Assault in CAI ........................................ 60 7. Unrestricted Report Sexual Assault Case Synopses .................................................. 63

Appendix A: Glossary of Acronyms ......................................................... A-1

Executive Summary: Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military (U.S. ARMY)

The U.S. Army is committed to enhancing readiness by preventing sexual assault,

sexual harassment, and associated retaliatory behaviors and by providing comprehensive

response capabilities through its Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention

(SHARP) program. To accomplish this commitment, Army leaders must establish a

culture of dignity and respect that does not tolerate behaviors and attitudes that lead to

sexual misconduct and in which victims feel safe to report without fear of retaliation. The

vast majority of Soldiers serve honorably, meeting the standards embodied in the Army

Values. However, it is the unacceptable actions of a few that jeopardize unit readiness

and erode the trust and confidence that the American people have in our Army. Soldiers

who commit the crime of sexual assault, or fail to intervene and stop an assault, violate

the Nation's trust and the trust of their fellow Soldiers. To retain the trust and confidence

of the Nation, the Army embeds its efforts in a SHARP program that combines initiatives

to prevent and respond to incidents of sexual assault, sexual

"We will reverse the

harassment, and retaliation.

negative trends in suicide, sexual assault, and

sexual harassment.... To do this, we have to

change our Army culture to become better

In fiscal year 2019 (FY19), the Army continued to see a high rate of sexual assault reports: 5.5 reports of sexual assault per 1,000 Soldiers, unchanged from FY18, and the highest reporting rate ever recorded. The sustained high rate in the number of reports may be a positive indicator of victim

teammates".

confidence in their chain of command, victim advocacy and

Ryan D. McCarthy 24th Secretary of the Army

response services, Army criminal investigation offices, and appropriate accountability for offenders. However, results of

the most recent Department of Defense (DoD) Workplace and

Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members (WGRA) showed an increase in the

estimated prevalence of sexual assault to 6,500 Army Soldiers in 2018, compared to

5,200 estimated in 2016. This increase is very troubling and shows that the Army's sexual

assault prevention strategies have not achieved their intended results. During FY19, the

Army re-examined these strategies in an effort to reduce prevalence and prevent sexual

assault.

This report details the operational initiatives of the Army's SHARP program and the Army's progress in preventing and responding to the crimes of sexual assault. Highlights of the Army's FY19 initiatives and progress include:

? Implemented new and improved primary prevention lessons across the full range of learning activities for SHARP professionals attending the Army SHARP Academy.

? Maintained a professionally trained cadre of sexual assault response coordinators (SARCs) and victim advocates (VAs) as critical resources who enable coordination between commanders and other agencies to ensure the best possible response to victims.

? Hired 15 additional highly trained and experienced sexual assault investigators to lead sexual assault investigative teams.

? Implemented a comprehensive military justice redesign to ensure the most effective allocation of judge advocate resources to both special-victim and general-crimes cases.

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? Implemented a strategic oversight plan to facilitate the assessment of the SHARP program.

Since its inception in 2009, the Army's SHARP program focused its efforts on addressing specific goals which align with the five goals of the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Strategic Plan, 2017-2021:

Goal 1 - Prevention of sexual assault.

Goal 2 - Assistance to, and advocacy for, victims of sexual assault.

Goal 3 - Competent and sensitive investigations of sexual assault.

Goal 4 - Accountability for the alleged perpetrators of sexual assault.

Goal 5 - Effective assessment of the SHARP program.

In addressing Goal 1 (Prevention) during FY19, the Army developed a "U.S. Army

Strategy for the Prevention of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment." This new strategy

broadens prevention aims beyond the individual level to include relationships,

organizational climate, and Army culture. The strategy, developed in parallel with the DoD

"Our Army's people are our greatest strength..... We must take care of our

people and treat each

Prevention Plan of Action (PPoA), also focuses on leaders and their role in establishing and maintaining expectations and attitudes to support positive behaviors and healthy relationships.

other with dignity and

The Army is dedicated to victim care and response through

respect".

Goal 2 (Victim Assistance and Advocacy). Army SARCs and

General James C. McConville

40th Chief of Staff of the Army

VAs receive comprehensive training through a 2-week SHARP Foundation Course (conducted locally for collateral duty personnel) or a 6-week SARC/VA Career Course (for full-time

personnel) through the Army SHARP Academy at Fort

Leavenworth, KS. The Army also ensures that victims of sexual assault receive quality

medical care from multidisciplinary sexual assault medical management teams located at

Army military treatment facilities (MTFs). The U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM)

provides at least one sexual assault medical forensic examiner (SAMFE) at every Army

MTF equipped with an emergency room.

The Army addresses Goal 3 (Investigation) with innovative techniques and state-of-the art resources to ensure the thoroughness of sexual assault investigations. The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) joins with prosecutors, victim witness liaisons, SARCs, VAs, and other sexual assault responders to form special victim capability teams at Army installations worldwide. These teams train in the unique aspects of investigating and prosecuting sexual assault cases. The U.S. Army Military Police School continues to increase the Army's number of certified agents through an acclaimed sexual assault investigative training program.

Highlights of efforts in Goal 4 (Accountability) during FY19 include a comprehensive redesign of military justice to strengthen the Army's capacity to prosecute all types of cases at home station, deployed, or in an austere environment. Additionally in FY19, the Army fully implemented a regional special victims' counsel (SVC) program, expanded the special victims' prosecutor (SVP) program, enhanced coordination between military justice and law enforcement databases, and established a defense litigation program. .

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The objective of Goal 5 (Assessment) is to measure, analyze, and assess the

effectiveness of the Army's efforts related to sexual assault prevention and response. The

Army collects information from multiple sources to determine the effect of its actions and

initiatives on mitigating and combating sexual assault. For FY19, the Army continued to

provide measures of effectiveness to Army commands and installations in support of their

mitigation action plans to counter sexual assault vulnerabilities identified in their

organizations. In addition, the Army initiated a force-wide staff assistance visit (SAV)

"We've got a lot of work to do... I want you to think, `This is my squad. What

program designed to capture qualitative data to complement the quantitative data collected by organizational inspections.

Leaders at all levels must take an active role in the SHARP

are the positive aspects I program to ensure that the Army achieves these five stated

can reinforce?' ".

goals. Leaders must establish command climates that

Michael A. Grinston 16th Sergeant Major of the

Army

prevent the crime of sexual assault, take all allegations of sexual assault seriously, ensure fair and impartial investigations, treat victims with dignity and respect, and

ensure that victims can report without fear of retaliation, while

taking appropriate action against alleged offenders. Significant elements of the Army

SHARP program include:

? A senior commander at each Army installation who has overall responsibility for SHARP program implementation and execution. As a critical element of their program execution, these leaders must conduct a monthly sexual assault review board (SARB) to provide procedural guidance and feedback on program implementation.

? Command SHARP program managers who assist commanders in executing their SHARP program and integrating sexual assault response efforts (legal, law enforcement, chaplain, and medical) above the brigade level.

? SARCs and VAs who are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week (24/7) to interact with victims of sexual assault and other response agencies to provide support in garrison and deployed environments. These SARCs and VAs also support commanders by implementing the SHARP program, conducting unit training, and assisting with command climate surveys to monitor prevention efforts.

The increase in the number of reports of sexual assault is not necessarily the result of more incidents of sexual assault, but may be a reflection of victim's confidence in their chain of command and the continued emphasis placed on sexual assault prevention and response by Army leaders. The most recent Department of the Army Inspector General (DAIG) report of the SHARP program cited that nearly 90 percent of all Soldiers believe their leaders "enforce SHARP standards" and "would not tolerate a hostile climate." To sustain this progress, the Army continues to work to close the gap between prevalence and reporting.

Indicators of progress are a credit to committed Army leadership and the sustained resourcing of the SHARP program. The Army's actions in FY19 demonstrate a continued commitment to strong and compassionate responses to sexual assault. Each case is troubling and the Army fully investigates every alleged misconduct, follows every lead, provides support to victims, and takes available and appropriate action to hold individuals

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accountable. Still, the Army recognizes there is more work to do, especially in efforts to prevent sexual assaults.

This report complies with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD (P&R)) memorandum, dated September 23, 2019, Subject: Data Call for the Fiscal Year 2019 Department of Defense Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military. This report contains:

? Details of Army actions in support of the five goals contained in the DoD SAPR Strategic Plan 2017-2021, and the DoD Prevention Plan of Action 2019-2013.

? Data analysis of the Army's 2,551 unrestricted reports and the 668 restricted reports of sexual assault reported during FY19.

? A profile and brief synopsis of each sexual assault case in which there was a disposition decision in FY19.

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