Sec. 530B. Implementation of recommendations of the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military
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In this section, the term IRC report means the 2021 report entitled, Hard Truths and the Duty to Change: Recommendations from the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military . The Secretary of Defense shall implement the following recommendations included in Line of Effort 2: Prevention of section III of the IRC report: 2.1 Equip all leaders with prevention competencies and evaluate their performance. 2.1 a The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)) should define the competencies leaders must have to oversee prevention. 2.1 b The Services and the National Guard Bureau
(NGB)should develop and hold leaders appropriately accountable for prevention. 2.1 c The Services and the NGB should equip all leaders to develop and deliver informed prevention messages in formal and informal settings. 2.2 Establish a dedicated primary prevention workforce 2.2 a USD(P&R) should develop a model for a dedicated and capable prevention workforce. 2.2 b USD(P&R) should develop a professional credential for the prevention workforce. 2.2 c The Services should determine the optimum full-time prevention workforce, and equip all echelons of active duty, reserve, and guard organizations. 2.3 Implement community-level prevention strategies unique to Service members’ environments. 2.3 a The Services and the NGB should resource and implement prevention strategies at organizational and community levels. 2.3 b USD(P&R) should identify a non-clinical OSD-level Office of Primary Responsibility for alcohol policy and develop relevant policy guidance and oversight. 2.4 Modernize prevention education and skill-building to reflect today’s generation of Service members. 2.5 Identify and actively support Service members with the most effective prevention interventions. 2.5 a The Services and the NGB should institute a pilot program to link Service members with resources and support. 2.5 b The Services and the NGB should employ virtual platforms to provide support to all Service members. 2.6 Create a state-of-the-art DoD prevention research capability. 2.6 a DoD should establish a dedicated research center for the primary prevention of interpersonal and self-directed violence. 2.6 b USD(P&R), the Services, and the NGB should continually review and update all policies that unnecessarily restrict data collection on important populations of Service members. 2.6 c The Secretary of Defense should immediately authorize operational testing of the Air Force Compatibility Assessment with a cross-Service pre-accession sample, allowing for important research and intervention development. 2.6 d The USD(P&R) should commission research on gender and masculinities to develop effective social marketing strategies to facilitate primary prevention efforts. 2.7 Establish a comprehensive National Guard primary prevention strategy. 2.7 a The NGB should develop Army National and Air National Guard prevention strategies aligned with DoD’s Prevention Plan of Action, based on the National Guard’s unique construct and missions. 2.7 b USD(P&R) should submit a legislative proposal providing authorization and funding for the NGB to conduct recurring National Guard unit inspections and staff assistance visits for prevention oversight and assistance. 2.8 USD(P&R) should update the Department’s prevention strategy, including the DoD Prevention Plan of Action, to incorporate approved IRC recommendations. The Secretary of Defense shall implement the following recommendations included in Line of Effort 3: Climate and Culture of section III of the IRC report: 3.1 USD(P&R) should codify in policy and direct the development and implementation of metrics related to sexual harassment and sexual assault as part of readiness tracking and reporting. 3.2 USD(P&R) should direct the Services to educate the force about sexual harassment and sexual assault within the context of the Services’ core values. 3.3 DoD must execute on the principle that addressing sexual harassment and sexual assault in the 21st century requires engaging with the cyber domain. 3.3 a Collect data to measure the problem of cyberharassment (and related harms). 3.3 b Educate leaders on cyberharassment and technology-facilitated sexual harassment and sexual assault. 3.3 c Hold Service members appropriately accountable who engage in cyberharassment and other forms of technology-facilitated sexual harassment and sexual assault. 3.4 DoD should ensure that there is an internal focus on preventing sexual harm and gender-based violence across the force in implementing the 2017 National Women, Peace, and Security
(WPS)Act. 3.4 a Elevate and standardize the gender advisor workforce. 3.4 b Use qualitative data as part of indicators for Defense Objective One of the WPS Strategic Framework. 3.4 c Integrate a gender analysis into the military’s planning & operational frameworks. 3.4 d Review and revise Professional Military Education
(PME)and DoD schoolhouse curricula to mainstream WPS priorities. 3.4 e Congress should support DoD’s inclusion of Personnel & Readiness in WPS implementation and codify in legislation. 3.5 Use qualitative data to select, develop, and evaluate the right leaders for command positions. 3.5 a Use qualitative data to select and develop the right leaders. 3.5 b Include a meaningful narrative section in performance evaluations for officers and NCOs. 3.6 Building a climate for the reduction of sexual harassment and sexual assault as a fundamental leader development requirement. 3.7 USD(P&R) should undertake a series of enhancements to the climate survey process to ensure that timely, actionable data can be used to improve unit climate on sexual harassment and assault. 3.7 a USD(P&R) should develop a standardized pulse survey tool that would enable unit-level commanders to collect real-time climate data on sexual harassment and sexual assault from Service members in their units between required administrations of the Defense Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS). 3.7 b The Secretary of Defense should direct the Services to develop a formal system to share climate survey data at the unit level and initiate and evaluate corrective action plans. 3.7 c USD(P&R) should accelerate efforts to develop a validated Climate Benchmark to measure healthy and unhealthy climate at the unit level. 3.7 d The Secretary of Defense should assess whether current DoD policies, relevant components, and the Service-level Equal Opportunity workforce have the capacity to help commanders resolve climate issues. 3.8 The Services should publish the nature and results of all disciplinary actions related to sexual misconduct and disseminate this information to troops periodically. The Secretary of Defense shall implement the following recommendations included in Line of Effort 4: Victim Care and Support of section III of the IRC report: 4.1 Optimize the victim care and support workforce. 4.1 a Move SARCs and SAPR VAs from the command reporting structure. 4.1 b Eliminate collateral duty for SARCs and SAPR VAs, with exceptions for ships, submarines, and isolated installations. 4.1 c Explore the co-location of SAPR and SHARP with other special victim services, such as FAP, to improve coordination, collaboration, and consistency in victim support. 4.1 d Train Independent Duty Corpsmen to be Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examiners so patient care and evidence collection can be provided in deployed and isolated environments. 4.2 Expand victim service options to meet the needs of all survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment. 4.2 a Increase access to and visibility of civilian community-based care. 4.2 b Authorize Service members to access the full spectrum of VA services for conditions related to military sexual assault and sexual harassment confidentially, and without a referral. 4.2 c Expand access to CATCH to include victims of sexual harassment and enable Service members to self-service access to CATCH. 4.2 d Create survivor-led peer support programs that allow for in-person, virtual, and telephone interaction. 4.2 e Amplify victims’ rights and services in the post-trial period. 4.3 Center the survivor to facilitate healing and restoration. 4.3 a Implement the No Wrong Door approach to sexual harassment, sexual assault, and domestic abuse across the Services and NGB. 4.3 b Institute a Commander’s Package from the SAPR VA with recommendations for victim care and support. 4.3 c Allow survivors flexibility to take non-chargeable time off for seeking services or time for recovery from sexual assault. 4.3 d Increase victim agency and control of the response process by: maximizing adherence to survivor preference on reporting status, and centering survivor preferences in expedited transfers. 4.3 e Study the methods our allies have used to make amends to survivors, including restorative engagement to acknowledge harm, and potential victim compensation. 4.4 Re-envision training and research to improve victim care and support. 4.4 a Establish a Defense Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Center of Excellence that administers a core curriculum of trauma and response trainings for all SAPR VAs and SARCs, chaplains, and other response personnel. 4.4 b Develop training to build the capacity of SARCs and SAPR VAs to provide culturally competent care to Service members from communities of color, LGBTQ+ Service members, religious minorities, and men. 4.4 c Revise and update training modules on appropriate response to sexual assault and sexual harassment in PME for officers and NCOs. 4.4 d Use an action research model to identify root problems, test interventions, and create best practices with survivors’ input.