Sexual Harassment in the Army Essay

How sexual harassment can impact Army operations

As an American organization, the armed forces face many of the same distinct challenges that are prevalent within society overall. Issues related to leadership diversity, wages, benefits, and sexual harassment are all prevalent within the military. The United States armed forces is a collection of distinguished and honorable personnel. The constituents within each unit vary regarding socio-economic backgrounds, race, religion, and culture. It is this diversity that provides a competitive advantage for our country as it relates to defending its territory. The ability to leverage and utilize a diverse skill set allows innovative ideas to rise to the forefront. This is particularly important as cyber security, chemical, and nuclear threats become more prevalent. Although the military has expanding its diversity initiative in recent years, a large proportion of the military is comprised of men. According to the Defense Department, women now make up 20 percent of the Air Force, 19 percent of the Navy, 15 percent of the Army and almost 9 percent of the Marine Corp. As a result, a male dominated environment could potentially lead to sexual harassment, both intentional and unintentional. As more women enter the armed forces, it is therefore imperative to properly train individuals on the implications of sexual harassment. A unit must act in a cohesive fashion. The military is very coordinated and therefore required the attention of all members involved. As more women enter the military, all individuals must be mindful of how sexual harassment can impact the mental psyche of an individual. This is important as sexual harassment can directly and indirectly impact military readiness. For example, a victim of sexual harassment may be unable to perform a mission critical task due to prior incidents. This can ultimately impact the success of the job and at an extreme level, cost the lives of others. A properly training protocol, plan and remediation plan is therefore needed to mitigate the negative consequences of sexual harassment in the military (Department…

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…support on-going efforts to continually lower the occurrence of sexual harassment. Here, the military must prevention infrastructure that is both diversified and effective. Here the military will first have policies, that will be overseen by leadership as discussed in the opening paragraph. Here, the military will need to used directives, strategic guidance, and unit level policies and procedures to clearly articulate its stance towards sexual harassment. Next, the infrastructure should include programs designed to train, educate, and development all members within the military, including leadership. This training will include new member orientations along with intervention skills training. After the program infrastructure is in place, the military should then bolster its human resources infrastructure. This is critical as allows trained professions to police and discipline those who have engaged in sexual harassment. It also, allows victims, to have an adequate department to voice their concerns without fear of punishment. With these elements securely in place the military can properly create an environment that supports the United States Army's Sexual…