MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S.C. -- New Department of Defense programs and policies to help prevent sexual assault are on their way after extensive internal research into the issue.
Unprecedented attention that leadership has focused on the crime has trends going in the right direction, said Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Snow, director of the DoD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office.
The secretary of defense, Ashton Carter, has launched more than 50 initiatives to fight sexual assault in the military’s ranks and provide support to victims, according to Snow.
“It really shows we are a learning organization,” Snow said during a press conference. “When we identify a problem, we take steps to address it. We’ll continue to do that until we’ve eliminated sexual assault.”
Service members made aware of sexual assault should act and not look away, Snow said. Feedback shows 90 percent indicated that if they saw something, they intervened, he added.
Snow hopes that dramatic improvements are coming to the number of crimes prevented and the number of victims helped.