According to servicewomen.org, despite 25 years of investigation under the Pentagon due to sexual assault cases in the military, military cases of rape, sexual assault and harassment continue to grow. One would think that an institution of our country that prides itself on justice and valor would be different, however, tens of thousands of unwanted sexual acts are committed yearly in the military, and only a fraction are reported. Those that are expected to be covered up and not talked about.
These statistics are shocking for multiple reasons. One of the most is because these assaults occur in all realms of the military, including present Active Duty, the Reserves, the National Guard and in the military academies. More importantly, there is a culture of victim-blaming, lack of accountability, and lack of liable command in these situations and it has become prevalent. These statistics threaten the strength, readiness, and morale of the United States military system. It takes away validity from our nation and US national security.
Recently, a New York Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand has been making a bipartisan push to change how the military deals with cases of sexual assault with the help of Col. Don Christensen, former chief prosecutor of the Air Force. They are hoping to bring recognition to the Military Justice Improvement Act, which aims to remove commanders from the process of deciding whether or not to prosecute sexual assault cases. The issue with this is that commanders are oftentimes friends with both the alleged victim and perpetrator, and they become the enablers in this situation.
The current situation present in the military is no different than that of college campuses. Both contain a lack of accountability, however, at colleges, it is that of university administration in failing to handle cases properly. Also, in both institutions, the misconception that victims ask for it and are at fault in sexual assault cases is present, when in reality, victims are never to blame. Another similarity between the two is that there are similar programs present at Vanderbilt and within the military to combat sexual assault and educate people about it.
Why do you think that there is such a heavy push-back on sexual assault and measures of prevention are just now being brought up with both institutions?
Sex and Society 
I think there is an overall lack of education about the reality of sexual assault, and from that stems the tendency to accept the myths we all hear regarding victims of sexual assault – that they drank too much, were wearing the wrong thing, were too sexual leading up to the attack. On the part of the generation that preceded us, I feel there is less knowledge the reality of living as a female in our society, and from that a lack of sensitivity and tendency to victim blame and scream “not all men!” in response to allegations of sexual assault.
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I agree with comparing sexual assaults in the military with those on college campuses. I think both are often swept under the rug, as the institutions like to pretend that they do not happen. I also feel that increased education of what constitutes sexual assault is needed for both the perpetrators and the victims.
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