Army Sharp

Army Sharp

Army Values

                The American Army, as the United States’ land force, endorses national values while defending the interests of the Americans. Since the beginning of the American Army in 1775, it has strived to instill values within members of the American Army profession. Guidance from military and civil authority leaders, whether based upon the response to ethical failures or general principles, has tried to influence both collective and individual values within the American Army. This has been accomplished through the propagation of codes, doctrine, laws, and regulations that shape the identity and professionalism of the Army.

Commencing in 1981 and elucidated in 2012, the doctrines of the Army recognized that the ethics of the Army is informed by Army values, law, beliefs expressed in creeds and codes, and is entrenched within our exclusive culture of trust instilled in the Army. The ethical principle of ethics and values of the American Army intrinsic within it have continuously been in existence and been a point of honor and discussion among members of the Army profession. Over time, the Army has continually articulated individual and institutional values of Army professionals. Additionally, they have continuously reviewed the existing operational values in the Army profession to ensure that the profession maintains its values.

There are seven core values in the Army profession. These include loyalty, respect, service, integrity, duty, selflessness, honor, and personal gauge (Frost, 2009). These values are the foundation to be instructed by all Army personnel upon entry into the United States Army. Through these values, the profession stimulates trust that makes soldiers reliable in battle (Frost, 2009). The Army values set standards for every United States soldier and define what it means to be a member of the United States Army. These Army values foster a given culture, philosophy, ideas, and leadership styles that forge the American Army to be best across the globe and never fail in defending our borders since our independence. While the Army mission, vision, equipment, and doctrine may continue to evolve, Army values will remain constant and timeless.

Embracing an Environment of Dignity and Respect

                Dignity and respect are not only the absenteeism of harassment and discrimination but also create a culture of civility within an organization when applied consistently and consciously. Army regulation 600-20 argues that there is no unquestionable link between the treatment of the American soldiers and the performance of the American soldiers towards their duties (Frost, 2009). Human relation drill affects people and unit readiness by training soldiers and commanders to treat each other with respect and dignity to achieve more significant commitment, better performance, and better morale.

A well trained, well informed, proactive nation like the United States should ensure that its soldiers understand not only how to treat each other with dignity and respect but must also understand why they have to treat each other with dignity and respect. Training, education, and awareness are critical because of their socialization and the culture they originate from before they became part of the Army (Frost, 2009). Individuals may fail to recognize their bad behaviors and thus the need to train them on dignity and respect in relation to the Army. Additionally, it is essential to make individuals Army personnel understand why they should maintain dignity and respect at all times.

SHARP and its Impact

                The Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Program refers to the United States’ Army combined proactive determination towards ending sexual assault and sexual harassment within our ranks. Sexual assault and sexual harassment have no place in the American Army, and if an individual has been a victim of sexual assault and harassment, they should know that they have a voice and rights (Skopp, Roggenkamp, Hoyt, Major, & Williams, 2019).

                The SHARP Program impacts the Army in several ways. It determines the vision and strategy for sexual assault response and Prevention. It establishes the policies critical for the eradication of sexual assault and harassment in the Army (Skopp, Roggenkamp, Hoyt, Major, & Williams, 2019). This is done through setting and enforcing standards of conduct, defining expectations and boundaries for behaviors, promoting equity and fairness, and determining priorities. The program further shapes the culture of the American Army by providing oversight for sexual assault and harassment reporting, response to reporting, and accountability of offenders. The program impacts the victim’s lives as well as the life of the accused by how they handle accelerated transfer requests, make staffing decisions, resource the program, and ensure confidentiality and safety of the reporting system.

Key Concepts of the SHARP Program

                Key concepts of the program include: animated vignettes that were utilized to offer visual examples of bad and proper response to The SHARP Program, virtual human instructor that were utilized to give upfront instructions on different concepts and practice exercises where students are given the platform to apply their knowledge in real life scenarios (Skopp, Roggenkamp, Hoyt, Major, & Williams, 2019).

Reducing the Risks of Sexual Assault in the Army

                To reduce the risk of sexual assault and harassment in the Army, enhanced efforts must be made in the selection of recruits to ensure those joining the Army are of high character. This process ensures that the selected Army men and women are compatible with the core values of the American Army. The military department in collaboration with the DoD Accession Policy Directorate, DoD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, Equity and Inclusion, Office of Diversity, and Office of People Analytics shall lead a group that will be tasked with developing a plan to implement measures and improve assessment of character of all applicants in the military during selection (Skopp, Roggenkamp, Hoyt, Major, & Williams, 2019). This will help select only individuals with the right character that suits the Army’s core values.

Additionally, the military chiefs and the chief of the National Guard Bureau will help reduce the risk of sexual assault and harassment in the Army by promoting the unity of effort throughout the Armed forced. The military chiefs and the chief of the National Guard Bureau further air the awareness and Prevention of sexual assault and harassment to increase recognition and knowledge among the Army regarding sexual assault and harassment (Skopp, Roggenkamp, Hoyt, Major, & Williams, 2019). This calls members of the Army to action towards working harder to reduce or eliminate sexual assault and harassment within the Armed forces.

Reporting and Response Resources

          All sexual complaints must be filed within sixty days of the sexual incident. All sexual complaints in the Army made after sixty days may be pursued at the discretion of the commander. All complaints must be acted upon within the first three calendar days expect those cases that were filed by the I.G. the investigating officer of the commander appointed by the commander has a total of fourteen calendar days to investigate the investigations brought forward. The complainant has a total of seven calendar days to appeal to the next available higher commander if dissatisfied by the results of the investigations done. Thirty to forty days after the final decision of the complaint is reached, an assessment is done by the Equal Opportunity Advisor to regulate the effectiveness of corrective actions taken and detect the incidence of reprisal that may occur (Skopp, Roggenkamp, Hoyt, Major, & Williams, 2019).

References

Frost, M. B. (2009). Evolving Army Leader Training: Adapting for GWOT Experienced Junior Leaders. leadership journal, 3(7). doi:10.21236/ada498151

Skopp, N. A., Roggenkamp, H., Hoyt, T. V., Major, H. M., & Williams, T. J. (2019). Army Sexual Harassment/Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Program (SHARP) Tiger Team: A Model to Inform Prevention. Military Behavioral Health, 1-10. doi:10.1080/21635781.2019.1670763