SHARP’s Battle: Confronting Power Dynamics & Army’s Path Forward.

Addressing the Devastating Impact

A study conducted in 2018 concluded that at least 12,927 service women and 7,546 servicemen had a sexual assault experience in the past 12 months (pdhealth.mil). Sexual assault can lead to problems such as depression, anxiety, suicidal behavior, and alcohol abuse, among many others. The United States Army’s Sharp program, or Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention, is specifically designed to handle any and all matters in regard to the prevention of sexual harassment and assault with an overall goal to end it altogether.

Sexual harassment and sexual assault have been a never-ending, major issue within the ranks of the United States Army. It will continue to be a problem unless we create more accurate and appropriate measures to rid ourselves of this cancer that destroys not only careers but also the lives of innocent men and women who should have greater threats to worry about outside our nation’s borders.

The Power Dynamics and Cultural Impact Behind Sexual Assault in the Military

The reason sexual assault occurs is unclear; however, we have concluded that it is a symptom of a society in which there is an uneven distribution of power between women, men, and children. Sexual assault is completely about power (secasa.com). This means that men like to assert their dominance through verbal and physical violence. The Army is living proof that the way we train and the culture that we bare has a negative impact on SHARP’s goals of eliminating sexual assault and sexual harassment. The men and women that join our country’s military have to be tough, rough, and at times very violent in order to accomplish the Army’s mission. We must be ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

Eradicating Sexual Harassment and Assault

Sharp is quite literally fighting a never-ending battle. The only way to truly rid our country’s military of sexual harassment and sexual assault would be to rid the United States Army of any forms of violence itself. Non-productive violence, such as sexual harassment and sexual assault, will constantly be an issue in today’s military because, above all, it is not only an Army issue but a moral issue as it is in today’s society. Violence and a thirst for power, a primitive nature deep within the human race that has harassed our world’s history for generations.

Navigating the Struggle: Overcoming Instincts for a Better Future

How do we prevent something that comes so naturally to our human nature? This sounds like an impossible task, but we must fight on, through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall because I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight.

References:

1. pdhealth.mil. (2018). Title of the Study on Sexual Assaults in the Military. Retrieved from http://www.pdhealth.mil/study-on-sexual-assaults
2. Secasa.com. Understanding the Power Dynamics in Sexual Assault. Retrieved from http://www.secasa.com/power-dynamics-article