SHARP
Major Changes to
SHARP program
The Associated Press reported on December 19 that the recently passed comprehensive defense bill would seriously
alter the way the military handles sexual assaults. The bill will crack down on sexual assault in the military and add
protections for victims. Insisting that sexual assault in the military had cost the services the trust and respect of the
American people, as well as the nation’s men and women in uniform, the sweeping changes to the UCMJ are to
include the following:
*strip military commanders of their ability to overturn jury convictions
*require a civilian review if a commander declines to prosecute a case
*require any individual convicted of sexual assault face a dishonorable discharge
*provide victims with legal counsel
*eliminate the statue of limitations for courts-martial in rape and sexual assault cases
*criminalize retaliation against victims who report a sexual assault
*change the Article 32 proceedings to limit intrusive questioning of victims
Soldiers can expect policies addressing these changes soon, but Congressional hearings and these law changes will
mean that soldiers and our civilian partners must be aware of our surroundings, fearlessly proactive in our intervention to protect fellow soldiers and relentless in our prosecution of sexual predators. American families have entrusted
their most precious resource, their young sons and daughters, to our Army. We should not wait for our civilian superiors to tell us what to do. We must own this problem, we must track down criminals hiding in our ranks and we
must eradicate this scourge from our Armed Forces.
Soldiers with Multinational Battle Group-East
participate in the quarterly SHARP training
at the South Town Gym on Camp Bondsteel
Dec. 27. Instead of using PowerPoint slides,
SHARP representatives created an interactive
Jeopardy style game as a training aid. Soldiers
were divided into two teams and participated
in a friendly competition, answering various
SHARP related questions. Unit Victim Advocates also reached out to the crowd, asking
them to answer questions. If a question was not
answered correctly, SHARP representatives
took the time to review the material with the
soldiers. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Samantha
Parks, 4th Public Affairs Detachment)
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