Sexual Assault Information from Commissioned Female (AF)ROTC Officers

[Galaxy]

Hello,

I'm a female interested in joining either the ROTC or AFROTC, but have been hesitant recently after reading about the high rates of sexual assault and rape that happen on military bases. Due to this, I was hoping if anyone (preferably female, as that’s who this question is regarding) who went through either of these programs could shed some light on their experiences.

Thank you greatly,

Galaxy

(edit : Guys, I’m not looking to have some bullshit debate over this. Whether or not you yourself believe it, there is a known issue with gender-based assault in the military, and statistically speaking, there’s a very good chance you’re going to get assaulted (as the rate is above half). I’m not looking for your opinions, as while I’m aware of very unfair male assault, it is different for women. I’m very SIMPLY looking for a woman’s experience on these issues. And frankly, I don’t see why some of you feel like you know everything about something you may not even have to worry about. So please, leave the space open for what I’m actually looking for: a woman’s experience. Not a debate).

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Hello,

I'm a female interested in joining either the ROTC or AFROTC, but have been hesitant recently after reading about the incredibly high rates of sexual assault and rape that happen on military bases and through military programs. Due to this, I was hoping if anyone who went through either of these programs could shed some light on their experiences.

Thank you greatly,

Galaxy

I caution your use of the word “high” and claim the military has incredibly high rates of sexual assault/harassment.

I would also (kindly) recommend researching other fields outside of the military before tying the military as “incredibly high”.

First article link:

These are the industries with the most reported sexual harassment claims

Most just don’t make the headlines.

www.vox.com

With that said, does sexual assault happen in the military? Unfortunately so, with many cases becoming high visibility due to the scope of the profession involved (the police industry is tied to this). However, the military takes any case or accusation highly and has made efforts in recent years to both prevent and handle cases.

It’s impossible to 100% prevent any sort of sexual assault, rape, etc. and that includes inside and outside of military.

 

[CallumJohn]

I caution your use of the word “high” and claim the military has incredibly high rates of sexual assault/harassment.

I would also (kindly) recommend researching other fields outside of the military before tying the military as “incredibly high”.

First article link:

These are the industries with the most reported sexual harassment claims

Most just don’t make the headlines.

www.vox.com

With that said, does sexual assault happen in the military? Unfortunately so, with many cases becoming high visibility due to the scope of the profession involved (the police industry is tied to this). However, the military takes any case or accusation highly and has made efforts in recent years to both prevent and handle cases.

It’s impossible to 100% prevent any sort of sexual assault, rape, etc. and that includes inside and outside of military.

I'd say lots of claims rather than lots of offenses. Dunno how accurate is but I've heard stories from buddies in the infantry on how "Barracks bunnies" go down on every dude on base then report everyone for "Sexual assault" or "Sexual harassment" for a free promotion. Regardless though sexual assault is definitely an issue the military needs to deal with.

 

[KODAK]

We (the DoD) are a reflection of the society we serve. Are there terrible people that wear the cloth of our nation? Unfortunately yes. They are found out and held to account. But, thankfully, I have never felt that around me and were I to do so I have faith that the system would deal with them appropriately. Not to go down a rabbit hole on such a particularly serious subject, but in recent years I think it’s more possible that we have punished too broadly versus hiding bad apples from the punishment they rightly deserve..

 

[cfam]

I'd say lots of claims rather than lots of offenses. Dunno how accurate is but I've heard stories from buddies in the infantry on how "Barracks bunnies" go down on every dude on base then report everyone for "Sexual assault" or "Sexual harassment" for a free promotion. Regardless though sexual assault is definitely an issue the military needs to deal with.

This isn’t an area that you have any expertise in whatsoever, and that comment was completely unhelpful, especially since the OP was asking about American officer commissioning programs, not your buddies’ experience in the Australian military. Your buddies are also full of shit. Recommend you sit this thread out.

To the OP, I agree with everything that has been said so far. The military is far from perfect, but I sincerely believe that there is a sincere effort being made to stamp out sexual assault and to provide support for victims should an assault occur. Absolutely continue your research, but please don’t let this one issue be the deciding factor as to whether or not you pursue a military career.

 

[CallumJohn]

This isn’t an area that you have any expertise in whatsoever, and that comment was completely unhelpful, especially since the OP was asking about American officer commissioning programs, not your buddies’ experience in the Australian military. Recommend you sit this thread out.

Righty-o.

 

[Galaxy]

I would also (kindly) recommend researching other fields outside of the military before tying the military as “incredibly high”.

First article link:

These are the industries with the most reported sexual harassment claims

Most just don’t make the headlines.

www.vox.com

With that said, does sexual assault happen in the military? Unfortunately so, with many cases becoming high visibility due to the scope of the profession involved (the police industry is tied to this). However, the military takes any case or accusation highly and has made efforts in recent years to both prevent and handle cases.

It’s impossible to 100% prevent any sort of sexual assault, rape, etc. and that includes inside and outside of military.

Ah, I only say high as according to RAINN (1), 1 in 6 women have been the victim of completed or attempted rape- while according to the New York Times (2), that number is 1 in 4 for women in the military. In the same article, it’s reported that over half experience sexual harassment. Not to mention, there’s been a historical lack of reporting of rape (while that’s widespread) due to maltreatment, ostracism, and toxic command climates (3). While punishment rates have gone up 12% to 27% (3), it still seems like progress is slow, especially with the recent death of Ana Basaldua Ruiz.

1) https://www.rainn.org/statistics/sc...American men,completed rape in their lifetime.

2)

‘A Poison in the System’: The Epidemic of Military Sexual Assault (Published 2021)

Nearly one in four U.S. servicewomen reports being sexually assaulted in the military. Why has it been so difficult to change the culture?

www.nytimes.com

3) https://www.militarytimes.com/news/...sexual-assault-problem-is-only-getting-worse/

 

[Brett327]

Hello,

I'm a female interested in joining either the ROTC or AFROTC, but have been hesitant recently after reading about the high rates of sexual assault and rape that happen on military bases. Due to this, I was hoping if anyone (preferably female, as that’s who this question is regarding) who went through either of these programs could shed some light on their experiences.

Thank you greatly,

Galaxy

High compared to what? Have you read any statistics, or just read a bunch of stuff on Reddit? Ask yourself what your college experience was like with respect to SA. I’d be more worried about that environment than most scenarios of officers in the military. I will say that the Navy and USAF tend to be better than the other services. Just a culture thing.

Hope that’s helpful.

 

[Galaxy]

I caution your use of the word “high” and claim the military has incredibly high rates of sexual assault/harassment.

I would also (kindly) recommend researching other fields outside of the military before tying the military as “incredibly high”.

First article link:

These are the industries with the most reported sexual harassment claims

Most just don’t make the headlines.

www.vox.com

With that said, does sexual assault happen in the military? Unfortunately so, with many cases becoming high visibility due to the scope of the profession involved (the police industry is tied to this). However, the military takes any case or accusation highly and has made efforts in recent years to both prevent and handle cases.

It’s impossible to 100% prevent any sort of sexual assault, rape, etc. and that includes inside and outside of military.

I understand what you’re saying, I do. However, the problem with comparing it to civilization professions is the difference in legal ability- women in those positions can go to HR, can publicly sue, etc… while in the military, until very recently, it was only within the chain of command could persecution occur (as I’m sure you know). The issue with this is that many of the cases happened by their officer, or the officer sided with the rapists and therefore nothing was done about it (aforementioned toxic chain of command). Furthermore, the outrage over rape and sexual assault in the military is due in part to accusations NOT being taken highly- Issues that forced violent offenses such as these to be recently moved to a third party.

 

[Galaxy]

High compared to what? Have you read any statistics, or just read a bunch of stuff on Reddit? Ask yourself what your college experience was like with respect to SA. I’d be more worried about that environment than most scenarios of officers in the military. I will say that the Navy and USAF tend to be better than the other services. Just a culture thing.

Hope that’s helpful.

I take offense to your belittlement. To be frank, I don’t even have a Reddit account, and have been reading from sources such as NPR, New York Times, Military Times, Military.com, and the like. And to answer your question, it’s high in sense of the national average - 1 in 6, reported by RAINN - instead, being at 1 in 4 (New York Times). While it is true that the USAF has the lowest known rate, and would probably be the best branch to join in terms of this. Regardless, I believe you should check your own sources about the rate of assault on college campus vs. in the military, as that response was very snooty and shows your own disregard of this topic.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Ah, I only say high as according to RAINN (1), 1 in 6 women have been the victim of completed or attempted rape- while according to the New York Times (2), that number is 1 in 4 for women in the military. In the same article, it’s reported that over half experience sexual harassment. Not to mention, there’s been a historical lack of reporting of rape (while that’s widespread) due to maltreatment, ostracism, and toxic command climates (3). While punishment rates have gone up 12% to 27% (3), it still seems like progress is slow, especially with the recent death of Ana Basaldua Ruiz.

1) https://www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem#:~:text=Every 68 seconds another American is sexually assaulted.&text=1 out of every 6,completed, 2.8% attempted).&text=About 3% of American men,completed rape in their lifetime.

2)

‘A Poison in the System’: The Epidemic of Military Sexual Assault (Published 2021)

Nearly one in four U.S. servicewomen reports being sexually assaulted in the military. Why has it been so difficult to change the culture?

www.nytimes.com

3) https://www.militarytimes.com/news/...sexual-assault-problem-is-only-getting-worse/

To both of those points:

1. I won’t argue the 1 in 6 and 1 in 4 statistics, however that piece of data does not key information into the specific service member reporting being assaulted. Is the service member that was polled a 20+ year member? Between the time served and the fact SA “policy” 20 years ago is not the same as it is today, odds are they’re going to say yes. What about the “newer” service members who may not have experienced of if so, experienced swift action on the suspect.

2. Isn’t part of SA policy empowering affected members to report an incident? If that’s the case, which the Navy has made efforts to do (and remove the negative myths of reporting), of course the amount of reported cases is going to go up?

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I understand what you’re saying, I do. However, the problem with comparing it to civilization professions is the difference in legal ability- women in those positions can go to HR, can publicly sue, etc… while in the military, until very recently, it was only within the chain of command could persecution occur (as I’m sure you know). The issue with this is that many of the cases happened by their officer, or the officer sided with the rapists and therefore nothing was done about it (aforementioned toxic chain of command). Furthermore, the outrage over rape and sexual assault in the military is due in part to accusations NOT being taken highly- Issues that forced violent offenses such as these to be recently moved to a third party.

The civilian sector experiences different challenges in terms of reporting and handling an incident.

Not all HR or ER (employee relations) departments are the same. Can they cover up and incident and have they? With some high profile incidents… sure.

Similarly, not all SA trials in the civilian sector are 100% successful or lead to a conviction.

 

[cfam]

I understand what you’re saying, I do. However, the problem with comparing it to civilization professions is the difference in legal ability- women in those positions can go to HR, can publicly sue, etc… while in the military, until very recently, it was only within the chain of command could persecution occur (as I’m sure you know). The issue with this is that many of the cases happened by their officer, or the officer sided with the rapists and therefore nothing was done about it (aforementioned toxic chain of command). Furthermore, the outrage over rape and sexual assault in the military is due in part to accusations NOT being taken highly- Issues that forced violent offenses such as these to be recently moved to a third party.

I guess my question would be, what are you looking for specifically out of this thread? Would several female officers telling you that they had no issues with sexual assault make you feel like pursuing the military was worthwhile? Would their experience outweigh the statistics that you’re quoting?

As I said before, I legitimately feel like the military has improved over the course of my career. I may have worked with exceptional people, but I can only think of one sexual assault that’s been reported in any of the units I’ve been in (which is still too many obviously). The victim was given all of the support she was comfortable with, the accusation was pursued vigorously, the accused sailor ended up receiving appropriate due process, and ultimately was punished accordingly.

Furthermore, the female officers I worked with were treated like any other officer, and judged based on the quality of their performance. I have two daughters, and I would wholeheartedly support them joining the Navy if they want to do so.

So I guess the bottom line is: what do you really want to do with your life? If a military career excites you, then pursue it. At the end of the day, anecdotes from strangers on the internet shouldn’t be your deciding factor.

 

[Galaxy]

To both of those points:

1. I won’t argue the 1 in 6 and 1 in 4 statistics, however that piece of data does not key information into the specific service member reporting being assaulted. Is the service member that was polled a 20+ year member? Between the time served and the fact SA “policy” 20 years ago is not the same as it is today, odds are they’re going to say yes. What about the “newer” service members who may not have experienced of if so, experienced swift action on the suspect.

2. Isn’t part of SA policy empowering affected members to report an incident? If that’s the case, which the Navy has made efforts to do (and remove the negative myths of reporting), of course the amount of reported cases is going to go up?

Look, I’m not disagreeing with you. Companies can cover this up as well, but there is a difference within government and further, government bureaucracy. And yes, it is good that more people are reporting, and it does bring the rates up. Though there is still an issue though with meaningful punishments. I’m not trying to attack you or the military, I’m just stating that within the system, there are some people not being held to accountability for their actions. There are positive regulations being made, yes, but again, it’s going to take time before the women who have been wronged can regain their trust for the military (see some of the previous articles which touched on this).

 

[Swanee]

The military is part of society, and if it exists in society, it exists in the military.


If you're looking for reasons not serve you'll find them.

There are way more people who say, "I would have served but...." than those who actually put their right hand up and swore the oath.

Drugs, alcohol, gambling, sexual assault, physical assault, gangs, racism, sexism, extremism... They all exist at some point in the military. They probably always will. We will always have to fight it, and as such we always will.