WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The updated strategy is needed, Carter explained, because far too many US military personnel that report sex crimes have perceived some type of retaliation associated with doing so.
“[The Defense Department] will establish a comprehensive strategy to prevent retaliation against service members who report or intervene on behalf of the victim in instances of sexual assault or other crimes,” Carter said.
All Secretaries of US military departments are to collaborate with the Department of Personnel and Readiness, Carter said, along with the Inspector General’s office, on developing strategies to protect whistleblowers of sex crimes that need to be submitted by September 1, 2015.
Carter also directed the implementation of measures to improve the military’s organizational culture to better address the linkages between sexual harassment and sexual assault.
According to the report, an estimated 18,900 US military personnel, including 10,400 men and 8,500 women, experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact in 2014, ranging from unwanted touching to rape, which is down from an estimated 26,600 members in 2012.
Overall, 4.3 percent of active duty women and less than one percent of active duty men experienced unwanted sexual contact in 2014, the report found.
On March 19, the US Government Accountability Office said the US military must undergo a culture change to combat sexual assaults among male and female service members.
