Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness

Escape Room Reveals Methods for Preventing Sexual Assault

04/26/2022
Soldiers and Civilians at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif. discovered how they might intervene to prevent sexual harassment and sexual assault after embarking on a journey through an elaborate, interactive setting, called the “Escape Room”. The program was hosted by the post’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program. The room presented true-to-life settings in which volunteer participants were required to solve clues that revealed the events, thought processes, and the ultimate outcome for an imaginary sexual assault victim.

U.S. Army Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll Community Joins to Honor Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

04/26/2022
Members of the U.S. Army Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll command team met at USAG-KA command headquarters in the Republic of the Marshall Islands for the signing of a proclamation in honor Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM). The signing kicked off a month-long series of SAAPM events for the community coordinated with assistance from USAG-KA Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention advocate Sgt. 1st Class Effie Banks.

BDAACH Nurse Shares Strategies to Make Units Safer from Sexual Violence

04/25/2022
In support of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, the 549th Hospital Center and Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, held an essay contest and asked Soldiers what they can and will do to make the unit a safer place from sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Army Initiatives Focus on Prevention; Caring for Victims

04/22/2022
To better prevent sexual assault and other harmful behaviors, the Army will form a new, Integrated Prevention Workforce and revamp its Sexual Harassment/Assault Response Program (SHARP). A Secretary of Defense Independent Review Commission on sexual assault in the military showed that the department lacked a central sexual assault prevention capability. “Among their key findings were that our efforts have primarily been focused in the sexual assault response area,” said James Helis, Army Resilience Directorate director. “And we needed to move to true prevention.”

3rd Combat Aviation Brigade Continues SAAPM Observances

04/20/2022
The 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, continues their observance of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) with a 5K run at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

HRC Takes to the Bowling Lanes to ‘Strike Out Sexual Assault’

04/19/2022
Army Human Resources Command (HRC) Soldiers and civilians bowled at Fort Knox, Ky. for a good cause to help heighten awareness about sexual violence, prevention measures and support programs for survivors. The event, coined “Strike out Sexual Assault,” was added to the command’s Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month observance this year in an effort to reach more men, who historically are less likely to come forward and report sexual assaults committed against them.

Medical-CDID Sharpen Your Awareness SHARP Potluck Social

04/15/2022
The Medical Capability Development Integration Directorate (CDID) and Fielded Force Integration Directorate hosted a Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program (SHARP) Awareness Potluck Social event at the Medical CDID pavilion, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Lethal Means Safety is Key to Suicide Prevention

04/13/2022
A focus on lethal means safety is one centerpiece in the Department of Defense's suicide prevention efforts. Lethal means are objects (e.g., firearms, medications, sharp objects) that can be used to engage in suicidal behavior. Safety measures that secure lethal means include safe storage options such as cable locks, locked safes, and medication lockboxes. Safe storage of lethal means is an evidence-based part of a comprehensive suicide prevention strategy; it also includes safe prescribing practices of medications and safety counseling to reduce the risk of suicide by limiting access to all lethal means.

DOD Launches STEP FORWARD Campaign During National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

04/11/2022
As part of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, the Department of Defense launches its STEP FORWARD campaign. This year’s theme, “STEP FORWARD. Prevent. Report. Advocate,” is a call to action for everyone in the Department to do their part to prevent sexual assault and encourage greater assistance seeking support. Make it your business to encourage acts that help prevent sexual assault, increase reporting, and advocate for a safer, respectful workplace.

HRC Recognizes SHARP Month with Proclamation Signing

04/11/2022
Major Gen. Thomas Drew, Commanding General, U.S. Army Human Resources Command (HRC) at Fort Knox, Ky., kicked off the command’s annual observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Prevention Month by signing HRC’s SAAPM proclamation. The proclamation commits the unit’s leadership and personnel to eliminating sexual violence in the Army’s formations and supporting survivors.

Canine Companion Brings Compassion to Survivors of MST

04/11/2022
Man’s best friend is helping survivors of sexual trauma get through the healing and recovery process. This past March the Cyber Protection Brigade Civilian Victim Advocate, Mrs. Wendy King, began using her dog, Rosie, in a therapeutic role. Service dogs originally trained to aid wounded Veterans have gained popularity in the United States over the course of the past century. They are used in hospitals, are provided for individuals with disabilities to provide physical assistance and emotional support but not for Military Sexual Trauma (MST). According to Sprools, therapy dogs like Rosie can provide emotional support as well as many practical forms of assistance to survivors of sexual abuse.

Fusion Directorates Open Their Doors in Time for Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

04/08/2022
After six months of preparation, the doors are officially opening at six Fusion Directorates across the Army. In October of 2021, the People First Task Force launched the Fusion Directorate pilot program as part of the planned redesign of its Sexual Harassment/Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Program. Fort Bragg, N.C., Fort Irwin, Calif., Fort Riley, Kan., and Fort Sill, Okla., Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. are all participating in this one-year pilot of a new concept designed to care for, protect and empower victims. Throughout the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, pilot locations are holding opening ceremonies to mark the occasion. The Fusion Directorates will offer an additional mechanism to report sexual harassment and sexual assault and will provide centrally coordinated medical, investigative, legal, and support services independent of a victim’s immediate command.

Ansbach Units and Families Compete During the First-Ever “Resiliency Games”

04/07/2022
The Resiliency Games have landed at Ansbach, Germany with the “Resiliency Run” serving as the kick-off event. The games are a series of events that will test unit resiliency, bringing the Ansbach military community together in a friendly but intense competition. From April to July members will have the opportunity to participate and gain points for their team.

Defense Official Says Preventing Sexual Assault, Harassment is a DOD Priority

04/06/2022
Speaking virtually, via prerecorded remarks, at the National Discussion on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment at America's Colleges, Universities and Service Academies, the Deputy Defense Secretary, Kathleen H. Hicks said, "At the Department of Defense, combating sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military is a high priority for [Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III] and me. Doing so not only ensures that our service members serve in a healthy organizational climate -- which bolsters our readiness — but it is also the right thing to do."

Defense Officials Testify About DOD's Suicide Prevention Efforts

04/06/2022
Defense Department officials testified before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee about suicide prevention measures the department is taking. Karin A. Orvis, Director of DOD's Defense Suicide Prevention Office told lawmakers that the department uses the suicide prevention practices shown to be the most effective by the broader scientific community, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She also said the Department is using improved training and research methodology in its suicide prevention efforts.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month

04/06/2022
Alcohol Awareness Month is a public health program organized in April 1987, that has become a national movement to draw more attention to the causes and effects of alcoholism, as well as how to help Families and communities deal with drinking problems. The month provides an opportunity for Army substance abuse experts, public health advocates and leaders to increase their efforts to reach people who may not fully appreciate the dangers of unhealthy alcohol consumption.

U.S. Army SHARP Academy Fields Fusion Team Pilot Course

04/06/2022
The Army Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Academy conducted a pilot training workshop for 10 Sexual Harassment/Sexual Assault Fusion Directors and Deputy Directors at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. to inform and educate the newest leaders in the Army’s fight to eliminate these corrosive behaviors from our Army. The new course, which the Army SHARP Academy designed, developed and executed, is a response to an Army Execution Order that established a new pilot program to stand up Fusion Directorates at key locations across the Army. The course itself is part of the Fusion Directorate pilot, and the lessons learned from this initial iteration of training and the implementation of the new fusion approach to victim care will inform future training curriculum.

New Center Focuses on Providing Services to Victims of Sexual Assault, Harassment

04/05/2022
The Fires Center of Excellence hosted an open house for the SHARP Resource Center and Fusion Directorate April 4. The event also marked the start of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Fort Sill is one of six installations participating in the one-year trial of the Army pilot program — and the only Training and Doctrine Command installation — to redesign SHARP to be more victim-centered with the fusion directorate. The fusion directorate offers a synchronization of investigative, legal and advocacy services in a central location outside of a unit footprint, in an effort to provide privacy for the victims.

SHARP Fusion Directorate Improves Victim Support, Focuses on Prevention

04/01/2022
U.S. Army Hawaii stood up a new directorate as part of the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program that focuses on a victim-centric model of care and support for survivors of sexual assault and emphasizes prevention by providing comprehensive training and resources for units and their leaders. The Fusion Directorate located on Schofield Barracks is a significant change being implemented as a pilot program at select locations across the Army to address unacceptable behaviors among Soldiers and Army Families.