Implementation of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Programs Is Hindered by Inconsistent Support, Training That Is Not Consistently Effective, and Limitations on Access to Mental Health Services

DOD has taken positive steps to respond to congressional direction by  establishing policies and a program to prevent, respond to, and resolve  reported sexual assault incidents involving servicemembers and the Coast  Guard, on its own initiative, has taken similar steps; however, DOD’s  guidance may not address some important issues. Specific steps that DOD has taken  include:    establishing a standardized departmentwide definition of sexual assault;    establishing a confidential option to report sexual assault incidents,  known as restricted reporting;    establishing a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office to serve as  the single point of accountability for sexual assault prevention and  response;  requiring the military services to develop and implement their own  policies and programs, based on DOD’s policy, to prevent, respond to, and  resolve sexual assault incidents;    establishing training requirements for all servicemembers on preventing  and responding to sexual assault; and  reporting data on sexual assault incidents to Congress annually. During the course of our review we found that concerns  over a shortage of mental health providers persist. Survey Data Suggest That Occurrences of Sexual Assault May Exceed Rates Reported

We found, based on responses to our nongeneralizable survey and a 2006  DOD survey, the most recent available, that occurrences of sexual assault  may be exceeding the rates being reported, suggesting that DOD and the  Coast Guard have only limited visibility over the incidence of these  occurrences. Of the 103 servicemembers who responded to our survey indicating that  they had been sexually assaulted within the preceding 12 months, 52  indicated that they did not report the sexual assault incident. Commonly cited reasons by survey respondents at the  installations we visited included: (1) the belief that nothing would be done;  (2) fear of ostracism, harassment, or ridicule by peers; and (3) the belief  that their peers would gossip about the incident. For example:    A junior enlisted female observed that in her opinion servicemembers will  be more likely to report an incident anonymously, commenting “I’m glad  the  options are there.”
A female senior officer commented that “giving the victim a choice of  making a  or  report is a positive change and  allows that person the level of privacy they require.”
A male senior officer observed that as awareness of SARCs increases,  there has been a corresponding increase in reporting, commenting that he  believes “word is getting out and reports are beginning to filter in, troops  seem to be gaining confidence to report incidents.”

	DOD and the Coast Guard Have Established Some Mechanisms for Overseeing Reports of Sexual Assault, but Lack an Oversight Framework, and DOD Lacks Key Information from the Services

While DOD and the Coast Guard have established some mechanisms for  overseeing reports of sexual assaults involving servicemembers, they lack  an oversight framework, and DOD lacks key information from the services  needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the department’s sexual assault  prevention and response program. Without an  oversight framework, as well as more complete data, decision makers in  DOD, the Coast Guard, and Congress lack information they need to  evaluate and oversee the programs. For example, they  have found that some servicemembers may not be aware of the reporting  options and, in the past, some commands had not supported the program. Like DOD, the Coast Guard has not developed an oversight  framework that includes clear objectives, milestones, performance  measures, and criteria for measuring progress, nor has the Coast Guard  developed performance measures to assess its program. However, DOD does not include these  data in its annual report and the Coast Guard does not provide these  incident data to Congress because neither is required to do so. As a result,  Congress does not have visibility over the extent to which sexual assaults  involving Coast Guard members occur. Congressionally Directed Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services Has Not Yet Begun Its Review

To provide further oversight of DOD’s sexual assault prevention and  response program, the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization  Act for Fiscal Year 2005 required the Defense Task Force on Sexual  Assault in the Military Services to conduct an examination of matters  relating to sexual assault in cases in which members of the Armed Forces  are either victims or offenders. However, as of  July 2008 this task force has yet to begun its review. 3. 3.
Why GAO Did This Study

In 2004, Congress directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish a comprehensive policy to prevent and respond to sexual assaults involving servicemembers. Though not required to do so, the Coast Guard has established a similar policy. In response to congressional requests and Senate Report No. 110-77, GAO evaluated the extent to which DOD and the Coast Guard (1) have developed and implemented policies and programs to prevent, respond to, and resolve sexual assault incidents involving servicemembers; (2) have visibility over reports of sexual assault involving servicemembers; and (3) exercise oversight over reports of sexual assault involving servicemembers. To conduct this review, GAO reviewed legislative requirements and DOD and Coast Guard guidance; analyzed sexual assault incident data; and obtained through surveys and interviews the perspective on sexual assault matters of more than 3,900 servicemembers.

What GAO Found

DOD and the Coast Guard have established polices and programs to prevent, respond to, and resolve reported sexual assault incidents involving servicemembers; however, implementation of the programs is hindered by several factors. GAO found that (1) DOD's guidance may not adequately address some important issues, such as how to implement its program in deployed and joint environments; (2) most, but not all, commanders support the programs; (3) required sexual assault prevention and response training is not consistently effective; and (4) factors such as a DOD-reported shortage of mental health care providers affect whether servicemembers who are victims of sexual assault can or do access mental health services. Left unchecked, these challenges can discourage or prevent some servicemembers from using the programs when needed. GAO found, based on responses to its nongeneralizable survey administered to 3,750 servicemembers stationed at military installations in the United States and overseas and a 2006 DOD survey, the most recent available, that occurrences of sexual assault may be exceeding the rates being reported, suggesting that DOD and the Coast Guard have only limited visibility over the incidence of these occurrences. At the 14 installations where GAO administered its survey, 103 servicemembers indicated that they had been sexually assaulted within the preceding 12 months. Of these, 52 servicemembers indicated that they did not report the sexual assault. GAO also found that factors that discourage servicemembers from reporting a sexual assault include the belief that nothing would be done; fear of ostracism, harassment, or ridicule; and concern that peers would gossip. Although DOD has established some mechanisms for overseeing reports of sexual assault, and the Coast Guard is beginning to do so, neither has developed an oversight framework--including clear objectives, milestones, performance measures, and criteria for measuring progress--to guide its efforts. In compliance with statutory requirements, DOD reports data on sexual assault incidents involving servicemembers to Congress annually. However, DOD's report does not include some data that would aid congressional oversight, such as why some sexual assaults could not be substantiated following an investigation. Further, the military services have not provided data that would facilitate oversight and enable DOD to conduct trend analyses. While the Coast Guard voluntarily provides data to DOD for inclusion in its report, this information is not provided to Congress because there is no requirement to do so. To provide further oversight of DOD's programs, Congress, in 2004, directed the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services to conduct an examination of matters relating to sexual assault in the Armed Forces. However, as of July 2008, the task force had not yet begun its review. Without an oversight framework, as well as more complete data, decision makers in DOD, the Coast Guard, and Congress lack information they need to evaluate the effectiveness of the programs.