Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued his first directive since being confirmed on Friday, tackling the Defense Department’s programs regarding sexual assault in the military.
In a Saturday night memo, Austin wrote that the military cannot operate successfully if “we also have to battle enemies within the ranks,” according to the Military Times.
Austin’s memo comes after Biden ordered a 90-day commission to “pursue solutions to sexual assault in the military.” Though Austin said the department “will aggressively support that effort,” his directive is meant to accelerate the process, writing that he does not “want to wait 90 days to take action.”
The memo orders senior leaders to present “a summary of the sexual assault harassment and accountability measures” taken “that show promise, as well as a frank, data-driven assessment of those which do not.”
“Include in your report the consideration of novel approaches to any of these areas,” Austin wrote. “We must not be afraid to get creative.”
Austin promised during his Senate confirmation hearing to address sexual assault and harassment in the military as reports of sexual assault have been on the rise since 2006, jumping 13% in 2018 and another 3% in 2019, with data for 2020 not yet available, according to the Associated Press.
“You do agree that we can’t keep doing the same thing that we’ve been doing for the past decade?” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, asked during his hearing. “Do I have your commitment to be relentless on this issue until we can end the scourge of sexual violence in the military?”
Austin responded, “This starts with me, and you can count on me getting after this on Day One.”
Last year, acting director of the Pentagon’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office Nate Galbreath said that he was “cautiously optimistic” that 2019’s lower increase indicated that 2020 would see a reduction in cases, though he cautioned that many assaults go unreported. Galbreath added that defense officials rolled out a new program last year to identify and remove serial offenders.
