Washington – Pentagon officials are calling for sweeping changes in the handling of sexual-assault crimes, acknowledging that commanders have handled cases poorly and that no uniform guidelines exist to safeguard military victims.
But a Pentagon task force report on military sexual assault contains few concrete proposals for reform, instead recommending military officials convene more panels and advisers for additional study of the problems. The report followed three months of research.
A list of nine proposals was included in a report released Thursday night by a Pentagon sexual-assault task force, based on an investigation ordered by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in February.
Though many recommendations lacked details, defense officials proposed creating a new office within the secretary’s office to advise Rumsfeld on sexual-assault issues. Defense leaders also propose creating “sexual-assault response teams” to better protect victims. Such teams would include victim advocates, who would provide legal and safety assistance to women.
Saying commanders have not treated victims properly, Ellen Embrey, who headed up the eight-member task force, also called for better training for commanders.
“We found that commanders, although concerned, were not educated or trained or sensitive to the needs of sexual-assault victims,” Embrey said. “They need better tools, guidelines and training.”
The report was highly anticipated by members of Congress and victim-rights organizations who have repeatedly urged the Pentagon in recent months to reform practices for handling abuse cases. Rumsfeld formed the investigative panel after The Denver Post reported that dozens of female troops were returning from the war zone seeking counseling at civilian crisis centers, saying they were assaulted by fellow soldiers. More than 100 soldiers reported assaults, complaining of flawed investigations, shoddy medical treatment and leniency for the accused attackers.
Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., was among the few lawmakers on Capitol Hill to comment Thursday night on the report, saying its findings fell short of substantive reforms.
“This document is just the most recent in a long line of reports from the Pentagon acknowledging the problem of sexual assault in the military and recognizing that procedures to deal with it are inconsistent and inadequate,” Slaughter said. “What we need now are real action and real reforms.”
Slaughter said she would lead fellow lawmakers in a bid for comprehensive legislative reform but declined to give examples.
In preparing its report, the task force analyzed sexual-assault incidence and demographic data; assessed current policies and programs; and visited 21 military locations at home and abroad, according to a Pentagon statement.
“Our goal was to be honest in our approach and open-minded about opportunities to make a difference,” Embrey said.
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Among the task-force findings were conclusions that Pentagon policies and standards focus on sexual harassment, not sexual assault; the military services’ policies are not uniform and therefore don’t provide effective prevention and response; commanders lack guidance and resources; and efforts to hold offenders accountable are not always recognized because privacy concerns prevent disclosure of case details.
In a Pentagon briefing for reporters in Washington, Embrey, accompanied by Undersecretary David Chu, at times defended the military’s sexual-assault problems as being no worse than those in the civilian world.
Chu repeatedly referred to “misperceptions” of the military’s handling of sex offenses, saying the military system fiercely guards the privacy of its employees. That means vital details of cases are never revealed.
Asked whether he considered Army commanders’ widespread use of administrative discipline, instead of criminal proceedings, in sex-offense cases a problem, Chu sharply responded that some news reports have “created a serious misimpression. … There is this view that we don’t actually prosecute. We do prosecute.”
Still, the task-force report noted that commanders often interfere in sex-assault cases before formal criminal investigations can take place, actions that result in “tainting potential evidence or testimony.”
Chu told reporters that a summit of commanders would be held in coming weeks to decide how the task force’s recommendations would be implemented. In addition, an advisory council would be impaneled, but the identities of the advisers were not disclosed.
Among the details not provided by the report was how the Defense Department would address its shortage of victim advocates. While the report called for more advocates, no numbers were divulged.
“We found that victim advocates, currently only available in the Navy and Marine Corps, do make a difference in being responsive to the victim needs, but there aren’t enough of them,” Embrey said.
Staff writer Miles Moffeit can be reached at 303-820-1415 or mmoffeit@denverpost.com .
