Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\tFort Hood\u2019s command climate is under review amid investigation into killing of Spc. Vanessa Guillen<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
The Army will investigate how the command climate and culture at Fort Hood, Texas, may have contributed to Spc. Vanessa Guillen's alleged murder.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n
The Army needs to consider how SHARP is implemented at the unit level, how SHARP issues are handled, and if there are changes that need to be made. The SHARP brief that treats every soldier equally is wrong \u2014 leadership needs to have a separate brief, and it needs to come from higher. Every single NCO and officer needs to understand that they are held to a higher standard, and discussions need to be centered around power dynamics, and how their actions can have a direct impact on unit cohesion, morale, and performance of their soldiers. Leaders need to feel as if they are consistently under a microscope from higher when it comes to how they interact with others. Leaders need to know the signs of abuse \u2014 because that\u2019s what it is. Long term sexual harassment and assault are abuse; they should be treated as such. Soldiers need to be empowered to call out behavior of those who outrank them, and trust that there will not be blowback. Leaders need to understand this concept: SHARP might be misguided, but ultimately it is on us to set the standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There will be male service members who read this and respond defensively, and I hope it is because those men have had the benefit of good leadership. Others will read it and roll their eyes \u2014 \u201deveryone\u2019s so sensitive these days.\u201d And to those men: yes. Yes, I am sensitive about issues that affect a majority of the female population in the military. I am sensitive about sexual assault and harassment. This commentary is nothing more than a recommendation from a junior officer who spent time enlisted prior to commissioning. But it\u2019s the words of a female service member who has suffered a sexual assault at the hands of a senior NCO; it\u2019s the words of a leader who had a peer abuse his position. It\u2019s the words of someone who wants her soldiers to know and have trust that leadership is held to a higher standard. It\u2019s the words of someone who could have been Vanessa Guillen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lt. Kaitlyn Abbott is a chemical officer in the Virginia National Guard attached to the 116th IBCT, where she was enlisted prior to commissioning in 2017 from Christopher Newport University. She and her husband currently reside in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Editor\u2019s note: This is an Op-Ed and as such, the opinions expressed are those of the author. If you would like to respond, or have an editorial of your own you would like to submit, please contact Military Times managing editor Howard Altman, <\/i>haltman@militarytimes.com<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n