A Short Review of Sharp Program and The Role of Army Leaders

Let’s start off with the bad, what the SHARP program fails at. In 2017 the Army reported an increase in sexual harassment incidents by 8.6% from 2016, the highest it has ever been. The Army and TRADOC introduced the SHARP program in late 2014 with the first class starting on October 6th that year. Several years later and the Army still has an increase in reports every year even with the constant classes and briefs we receive that define what sexual assault and sexual harassment is and what not to do. The Army says that they are fully dedicated to eliminating sexual harassment yet we only receive a power point saying what it is considered and what not to do.

Army leaders are obligated to create a safe and trusting environment that prevents potential cases of sexual offenses and encourages all officers to report any cases without the fear of reprisal. As a result, the leaders need to be highly competent and have a strong personality to establish a command environment that promotes dignity and respect. In occasions where sexual offenses happen in the Army, it compromises the force readiness and capacity to fulfill their overall missions successfully. As a result, the implementation of the “This is My Squad” initiative is significant since it empowers the junior leaders to minimize sexual offenses by creating unified units based on mutual trust. Army leaders can enforce different measures to tackle disparities within the force by implementing the “This is My Squad” initiative. This initiative will strengthen the Army’s professional dedication to eradicating sexual offenses at the lowest levels.

Junior leaders in the Army can strengthen the Army’s commitment to combat sexual offence through the creation of a healthy command climate where all officers are treated with dignity and respect. The introduction of the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program has been effective in enabling the leaders to promote the influential command culture and combat sexual assaults. Currently, the Army has maintained a consistent approach to educate soldiers and end sexual offenses, but the approach has failed to address the social norms that continue a culture promoting the violations. As a result, the approach can be improved by providing education and training on the SHARP initiative to create an environment of prevention and provide victim support to enhance all individuals' safety and well-being. The soldiers also have a significant role in reporting any assault activities and contributing to creating a safe environment. Altogether, leaders need to enforce standards that ensure a healthy command climate and ensure all team members are skilled in problem identification and proactive interventions to reduce all types of misconduct.

Overall, Army leaders have a key role in managing the sexual offense issues by implementing the “This is my Squad” initiative. The program is vital in strengthening the Army’s professional dedication to eradicate sexual offenses at the lowest levels. Although the sexual offenses issue has not been completely mitigated, the initiative has created a compelling culture and environment for all service members by ensuring zero tolerance for sexual harassment in the forces.