Sexual assault and harassment in the military have been a critical subject for years. Many victims may be reluctant to press charges because of fear of retaliation, damage to their careers, and widespread uncertainty regarding the military justice system. However, when circumstances arise, there are resources available to assist victims and families in their efforts to report, seek help, and recover from the effects of sexual assault. Yet, finding those resources can be challenging, especially in a time of crisis. Sexual Assault in the Military serves as an easy-to-use, comprehensive reference guide for military members and their families about sexual assault and harassment. While more and more attention focuses on getting victims to report their abuse, accessing information can still be difficult for service-members. Understanding that the military is making changes, and offering support is a necessary step towards how best to treat these cases and how to get help and justice. Cheryl Lawhorne-Scott and Don Philpott discuss the current state of affairs, the systems in place, and the supports available to victims and families. They provide documents that outline how reporting can and should take place, how cases should be handled through the military justice system, and how and where victims can access resources, including counseling. By providing this information in one ready resource, the authors hope to assist in changing the culture of silence and fear, as well as provide education surrounding military sexual assault and harassment.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights chose to focus on sexual assault in the U.S. military for its annual 2013 Statutory Enforcement Report. This report examines how the Department of Defense and its Armed Services-the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force (the Services)-respond to Service members who report having been sexually assaulted ("victims") and how it investigates and disciplines Service members accused of perpetrating sexual assault ("perpetrators"). This report also reviews how the military educates Service members and trains military criminal investigators and military lawyers about sexual assault offenses. The topic is both relevant and timely, as Congress is currently considering ways to address this issue. The Commission has authority to examine questions related to sexual assault in the military because the issues involve both sex discrimination and the denial of equal protection in the administration of justice.

At the direction of President Biden, on February 26, 2021, Secretary of Defense Austin established the 90-Day IRC on Sexual Assault in the Military. The Commission, chaired by Lynn Rosenthal, was charged with conducting "an independent, impartial assessment" of the military's current treatment of sexual assault and sexual harassment. The IRC officially began its review on March 24, 2021. This is the report of this commission. It is published as a convenience to those who may wish to have a quality professionally printed copy of the report.

In Honor Betrayed, Dr. Mic Hunter probes beyond the headlines to reveal the reality of sexual abuse in the military. The culture of the military's training is to turn recruits into those who follow orders without question. Honor Betrayed describes in detail the gross realities of the hostile, uber-masculine, dehumanizing environment our young men and women confront. Most vulnerable to sexual abuse are minorities-particularly women and homosexuals. Included are first-person accounts from American servicewomen and men who were sexually abused by their comrades, including one woman whose case was heard before the U.S. Supreme Court. Hunter also explores the tacit acceptance of these incidents in the military to the recent prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq.

AN EVIDENCE-BASED TEXT FOR UNDERSTANDING AND TREATING MST FROM MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES The incidence of sexual assault and harassment experienced by members of the U.S. Armed Forces has reached epidemic proportions. Its victims often suffer from devastating, lifelong consequences to their careers, health, relationships, and psychological well-being. This authoritative resource is written for mental health clinicians to help in understanding and treating military sexual trauma (MST). Based on a solid foundation of research and clinical expertise, it addresses the complex circumstances of victims of sexual abuse in the military and how clinicians can meet the unique challenges of treating these clients. The book describes how MST differs from other forms of military trauma such as combat, and discusses its prevalence, neurobiology, and social contexts as well as unique stressors of betrayal, injustice, struggles with issues of reporting and disclosure, and impact on relationships and sexuality. It reviews current evidence-based interventions and offers insights on treating specific symptoms within MST, such as PTSD, anxiety, substance abuse, sleep disorders, and sexual dysfunction. Chapters discuss how a variety of psychotherapies can be used to treat MST, including prolonged exposure, cognitive processing, EMDR, Seeking Safety, acceptance and commitment therapy, and somatic experiencing, as well as the Warrior Renew MST group therapy program. Clinicians who work with veterans and active duty personnel will find this book an essential guide to working with MST survivors. KEY FEATURES: Presents a comprehensive clinician's resource with contributions from top experts in the field on the topic of MST Describes how MST differs from other forms of trauma, necessitating specialized treatment Provides an overview of MST as well as information on evidence-based and emerging treatments

This authoritative update presents current findings on—and clinically and ethically sound responses to—the epidemic of sexual assault in the military. It examines in powerful detail how military culture enables a pervasive subculture of sexual violence, from consistently devaluing women to blaming victims and denying them justice. The author’s dual attachment/trauma theory lens attends to a wide range of outcomes such as unit members closing ranks against survivors and the continuing impact of assault trauma on veterans’ lives. And the book’s second half critiques standard forms of treating military sexual trauma in favor of individualized therapy addressing the physical, psychological, and neurological aspects of trauma and recovery. This important volume covers: · Theory and history of sexual violence as a weapon of war. · Legal and health considerations in the aftermath of military sexual assault. · Critical distinctions between military and civilian legal response to sexual assault. · Variations in symptomology among survivors. · Specific barriers to services for male and LGBT survivors. · New and emerging treatment options for military sexual trauma/PTSD. This Second Edition of Understanding and Treating Military Sexual Trauma follows its predecessor as an essential reference on its subject for mental health clinicians treating sexual trauma in the military as well as trauma researchers, sociologists, women’s health practitioners, and university students whose focus is women’s studies, public policy, public health, social work, psychology, sociology, or political science.

"A YA memoir of sexual abuse in the Air Force academy, and the author's survival and healing."--Provided by publisher.

This collection offers a new reflection on rape in war time through 15 case studies, ranging from Greece to Nigeria. It questions the specificity of rape as a universal transgression, its place in memories of war, its legacies, including children born from rape, and the challenge of writing about intimate violence as both a scientist and a human.

"An estimated 19,000 rapes and sexual assaults took place in the military last year. Every one of them represents a monstrous crime made much worse by the sense of betrayal that accompanied it. That so few victims--just one in seven--report these crimes underscores the utter lack of trust that pervades military culture." -- Retired Gen. Loree Sutton and Garry Trudeau, in a Washington Post OpEd, June 29, 2013 The first time B.D. encounters command-rape survivor Melissa Wheeler in the waiting room at the VA Center, he has no idea what to make of the scowling former chopper mechanic. But in the months that follow, witnessing Mel's pain and her healing process help him with his own, and B.D. ends up a staunch and encouraging ally. With the help of VA counselors Cora and Elias, Wheeler is able to reframe her experience and move forward to the point where she re-ups and re-deploys, though the trauma and betrayal continue to haunt her. She and battlebud Roz masterfully manage a perilous rescue op of a downed USO chopper, and in the new post-DADT world the now-out Roz and her now-superior ("That's SERGEANT bitch to you!") help wind down US ops in Afghanistan. Returning stateside, Mel's final obstacle is her father's cluelessness--and a widespread reluctance to hear the truth of her story. As always, Trudeau manages to find humor and humanity in even a tale of suffering, and sheds serious light on one of the most pressing and undermining problems in our military today.

Too often American veterans return from combat and spiral into depression, anger and loneliness they can neither share nor tackle on their own. Military Mental Health Care: A Guide for Service Members, Veterans, Families, and Community seeks to aid our troubled, returning forces by dissecting the numerous mental health problems they face upon arriving stateside. Don Philpott and Cheryl Lawhorne-Scott, co-authors with Janelle Hill of the highly successful Wounded Warrior Handbook, detail not only each issue’s symptoms, but also discuss what treatments are available, and the best ways for veterans to access those treatments while readjusting to civilian life. In addition, they connect and explain many alarming trends, such as joblessness, poverty and addiction, appearing in our nation’s veteran population on a broader scale. PTSD and struggles with anxiety affect far more than veterans themselves, as sobering phenomena like homelessness, suicide, domestic violence and divorce too often become realities for those returning from war. Military Mental Health Care is both a resource for struggling veterans and a useful tool for their loved ones, or anyone looking for ways to support the veterans in their lives.