Army Sharp Program: The Role of Sexual Harassment and Assault in Army

The purpose of this essay is to outline why sexual harassment and sexual assault still take place in the Army. Many people look at sexual harassment assault response prevention (SHARP) at the lowest level. What I mean by that is they only focus on the big-ticket offenses when there is so much more to it that gets overlooked time and time again. Army SHARP program is something that is joked around with too much. It is also something many people struggle to take seriously among all ranks. The Army has implemented a multitude of ways to counteract SHARP incidents, but it still occurs day to day and goes unnoticed.

Sexual assault and harassment still occur in the Army for several reasons. One of those reasons is because the biggest causes of SHARP related incidents stem from alcohol usage. A report from USA Today states, “from 2016 to 2018, alcohol was involved in 62% of the total assaults.” which to most sounds like an unbelievable percentage. Not to mention, the vast majority of Soldiers already have a misconception of what falls under the category of a SHARP related incident. Once a variable such as alcohol enters the situation, it is a recipe for disaster.

The current approach to SHARP training is that all Army personnel are required training twice a year, according to Army Regulation 600-20 Ch. 7. I feel as if we did quarterly training and gave the statistics or went into greater detail, we could mitigate some of these issues. Currently, from my experiences of these semiannual SHARP classes, they are rushed through and barely skim the surface of what it truly entails. Sexual assault and harassment are an ongoing problem that needs to come to end in the military. The start is to educate our Soldiers on the consequences properly and the damage it can do to a person.

Many people wonder if there will ever be an end to sexual harassment or assault in the military. I feel that the issue will never come to a complete end because it has been an ongoing problem for decades in and outside the military. SHARP is more than just an Army Regulation or a class you are required to take twice a year. It is something that can affect a person for the rest of their life and is no laughing matter. Leaders at all levels need to put more significant stress on what is right and what is wrong. The vast majority of times, they do not want to step in because they do not know.

SHARP is one of the misinterpreted subjects in today’s military when it should be the most well-known. Sexual assault and harassment need to be as prominent as any Army Regulation. It is an ongoing problem in today’s society and will never be the right answer. Leaders must set the example and make sure that their Soldiers know all the proper information on SHARP. Once that happens, I believe that the ongoing problem we today could diminish drastically.

Works Cited

1. Army Publishing Directorate. (2019). Army Regulation 600-20: Army Command Policy. Retrieved from https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN8701_AR600-20_FINAL.pdf
2. Department of Defense. (2020). Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military: Fiscal Year 2019. Retrieved from https://sapr.mil/public/docs/reports/FY19_Annual/FY19_DoD_SAPRO_Annual_Report_on_Sexual_Assault.pdf
3. Department of Defense. (2021). Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute: Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP). Retrieved from https://www.deomi.org/sharp/
4. Fisher, B. S., Cullen, F. T., & Turner, M. G. (2000). The sexual victimization of college women. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.
5. Griffin, M. (2013). Engaging men in sexual assault prevention. Journal of American College Health, 61(4), 237-239. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2013.801869
6. Holmes, R. M., & O'Reilly, M. T. (2018). Sexual harassment, assault, and maltreatment in the military: A review and social ecological framework. Journal of Sex Research, 55(4-5), 480-501. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2017.1381425
7. Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity. (2021). Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP). U.S. Army. Retrieved from https://www.army.mil/sharp/
8. Pape-Blabolil, J. J., & Fish, J. N. (2016). Campus climate and the experiences of LGBT students: Implications for sexual assault prevention and response on campus. Journal of College Student Development, 57(7), 852-867. doi: 10.1353/csd.2016.0082
9. Peterson, Z. D., Voller, E. K., Polusny, M. A., & Murdoch, M. (2011). Prevalence and consequences of adult sexual assault of men: Review of empirical findings and state of the literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(1), 1-24. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2010.09.004
10. US Army SHARP Academy. (2020). Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Training Resources. Retrieved from https://www.sexualassault.army.mil/index.cfm/training-resources