A House Democrat has asked the U.S. military’s top enlisted leaders what they were doing about sexual assault in the military, after an annual report showed that the problem is getting worse. She made clear that she was not pleased with their answer.
“No disrespect, but that’s an unsatisfying answer,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) told Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea at an oversight hearing of the House subcommittee on military construction and veterans affairs.
Schultz asked the question during a discussion on Feb. 28 of how pay, housing, and health care issues were affecting the morale, recruitment, and retention of military personnel.
Reports of sexual assaults in the military increased by 13 percent in fiscal 2021, according to an annual report released in September 2022.
The report shows that 8.4 percent of active-duty women and 1.5 percent of active-duty men reported some form of unwanted sexual contact during fiscal 2021. Although the number of reports of sexual assaults increased, the number who came forward to report assault had decreased, the report states.
Schultz asked Honea what he was doing to solve the problem, which she said was “only getting worse.”
Honea agreed that the problem is worsening, but he said Navy leadership was working to implement programs and strategies formulated by the Department of Defense. He said that while he has only been in office a short while, he is familiar with the issue, having dealt with it throughout his naval career.
Honea said he is committed to ensuring a safe and secure working environment for all sailors. Schultz was not happy with Honea’s answer.
“You’re not giving me any specifics,” she said.
Schultz then directed her question to Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass, who said the Air Force is working to build a culture in which sexual assault and harassment are unacceptable.
“We are continuously, as all services do, outlining to our folks that this is not okay,” Bass said.
Bass told Schultz that the Air Force begins training its personnel on the issue in basic training, and the policies against sexual harassment and assault are reinforced throughout a member’s enlistment. In addition, the Air Force has implemented policies to make it easier to report incidents when they occur.
When the report was released, the DOD released a statement vowing to deal with the issue. This included the establishment of an independent review commission to study the problem and make recommendations. According to the statement, the commission came up with more than 80 recommendations that each military branch is currently implementing.
