Sexual assault in the U.S. military

Carter announced that all branches of the military must open all combat roles to women within one year. This brings new urgency to the issue of rampant sexual assault and harassment in the U.S. military. Roughly 19,000 U.S. servicemen and servicewomen were sexually assaulted or raped last year while serving their country - that is approximately 52 cases per day. Their assailants by-and-large were other service members. Although roughly 80% of cases go unreported, those who do report often face retaliation from their units or commanding officers. Of those who report, only 8% of sexual assault accusations reach a court-marital hearing, and only 5% result in conviction. These men and women who survive…

Military sexual assault is a pervasive problem throughout the military, despite numerous initiatives to end it. While the military is starting to see an increase in sexual assault reporting, there’s still a fraction of men and women who choose not to report (Groves, 2013). Sexual assault is alarmingly common in the U.S. military, and no one dares to speak up about it. Statistics report that thirty-eight service members are sexually assaulted a day and not enough has been done to address this…

Sexual assault is a violent crime that is rarely reported by the victim for varies reasons, one being the stigmatization that comes with it. Many victims of sexual assault in our society are seen as asking for it, or as being the one to blame for it occurring. In recent years there has been more talk about military rape, and sexual harassment toward female military personnel. Do to the underreporting of sexual assault, and harassment the exact number of victim is unknown. As Bostock et al.…

The history of sexual assault in the Air Force did not begin when women were allowed in the military or when women started working alongside men. Cases of male on male assault have been traced back to the beginning of the United States Army and United States Marine Corps in 1775. Many cases never go reported and many stories have been forced to be kept a secret because of the rank and power of the alleged perpetrators. Sexual assault and harassment has always been a military issue; it was…

Issue of Sexual Assault in the Military In 2013 there were 28,700 military members that were sexually assaulted (Cernak). It is one of the largest issues in the United States military and it is being handled very poorly. All of the militaries time and money being out towards sexual assault are being used on repetitive training that is obviously not working because the numbers of sexual assaults going the wrong direction every year. Because of this training, victims know the options available to…

Rape in the Military Rape is a type of sexual assault where the assailant forces sexual intercourse on a victim without consent. When a person thinks of rape in the military they may think of the enemy kidnapping soldiers and raping them. But this is not the case, the very soldiers that risks their lives to protect us get raped by a fellow soldiers within the military. Many people lack awareness about this very topic because the victims have fear in reporting it. If people knew about the…

Natural thirst for conquest and the pride of defending one’s nation is often the encouragement most individuals have before enlisting in the military. The consequences of a war are vague or left unstated, but enlistees generally know the dangerous aspects surrounding it. By signing an agreement, citizens hand over their life to the military. Their safety is now dependent primarily upon military officials and each respected branch. Soldiers often experience traumatic events within their time in…

of honor, dignity, and respect, has faced cases of misconduct that has affected the image of the military forces. Sexual assault and sexual harassment have been happening in every service, at all levels, in a different kind of units, and affect both women and men. Department of Defense (DOD) defines it as “intentional contact, characterized by the use of force, threats, intimidation, abuse of authority, or when the victim does not or cannot consent. The term includes a broad category of sexual…

I have struggled in the past to perceive the correct tone and organization in my writing. That was my main focus from my first paper, the synthesis essay, to my last paper, the RBAA essay. My synthesis essay, “World Plagues,” analyzed essays about plagues during two very different time periods. “World Plagues” explained the different recourses that were available and how people handled the epidemics differently during each time period. My RBAA essay, “The Issue of Sexual Assault in the…

Hands on the Sword: Civil-Military Relations From the outset, U.S. civil-military relations have constituted an agreement between the American people, the civilian government, and the armed forces. According to Frank G. Hoffman (2008), it is the civil hand that determines when to draw the sword from its scabbard and provides the policy to guide its use. Hoffman further explains that it is the military that sharpens the sword and wields it in combat (2008). Given this relationship, it is…