How President Biden and Defense Secretary Austin can finally solve the military’s sexual assault problem

The DoD’s harmful macho climate must be addressed to create real change

Wayne Shields

January 28, 2021

Days after taking office, President Biden ordered an urgent look into sexual assault and harassment in the military, and Defense Secretary Austin made this problem his first priority. But research suggests we already know a good part of the answer: The Pentagon has failed to scrutinize the military’s macho culture that promotes dysfunctional power dynamics, abandons abuse survivors, and reinforces harmful ideas about what it means to be a man.

A Marine’s recent viral video about her sexual assault is the latest incident to expose the Pentagon’s 30-year sexual violence problem. In 1991, 83 women and seven men were assaulted during the Tailhook convention in Las Vegas. Congress intervened and recommended disciplinary action against 140 Navy and Marine officers. Flash forward to December 2020, when 14 soldiers were fired or suspended from Fort Hood for failing to respond to sexual violence on their military base.

The Pentagon’s most recent sexual violence report shows an institution in crisis, with 6,236 sexual assaults in 2019 — more than twice the number in 2010. And those are just the incidents we know about. According to the report, three of four survivors don’t disclose their assaults due to fears of reprisal, shaming, and negative career consequences.

Cary Love, a military spouse, sees how male stereotypes affect her husband and his unit: “They must be stoic, hesitant to speak about or show emotions, and physically and mentally strong. Aggressiveness is rewarded, while those who don’t meet these high standards of macho-ness are chastised.”

The Pentagon’s own research backs her up: Last year, 61 focus groups of active duty service members described a harassing command culture that turns a blind eye to sexual violence. Meghann Myers of the Military Times, reported that “Young service members are as vulnerable as ever to unwanted advances from peers and authority figures.” And the Defense Department’s answer to the problem — the Sexual Assault Prevention Program — is seen as ineffective and underfunded. One female officer described it as, “. . . kind of the requirement that we have to check off.”

A rash of studies point to the harmful effects of macho cultures. One study of military veterans who push down their emotions and appear tough — typical masculine beliefs — found they have worse PTSD symptoms than those who don’t, and are less likely to seek help. Another study found that two-thirds of soldiers were afraid of seeming weak and losing their supervisor’s confidence if they saw a mental health specialist.

“Experts tell us that behaviors like sexual violence are outcomes of dysfunctional cultures, not the cause.”

A Duke study of men ages 18 to 25 — the largest group of military recruits — found that social pressure to be “manly” results in aggression if their masculinity is questioned.

Other new research points to how hypermasculine work cultures can reinforce aggressive, violent behavior. Promundo, a global nonprofit group that studies male behavior, found that men who harbor more harmful attitudes about masculinity tend toward bullying, sexual harassment, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

But this problem is not just about service members. Armed services experts Margaret Seymour and Cailin Crocket cite fear of sexual violence as a primary reason for military recruitment problems, saying, “Civil society stakeholders and veterans organizations are now actively discouraging women from entering into military service for fear of their safety.” Also, many young potential recruits are eager to serve their country but are turned off by the military’s macho culture.

Changing a culture as complex, regulated, and historically anti-female as the US Military will be difficult, requiring patience, serious self-reflection, and across-the-board support from the rank and file, the leadership, and legislators. The answer, according to Air Force Program Analyst Peter Lee, is to honestly address outdated and damaging beliefs about what it means to be a man. This can only happen with open dialogue at all levels, new research, and honest education and peer leadership programs.

The good news is there are successful program models — with research to back them up — that help reduce sexual violence in large organizations. Well-supported programs featuring critical conversations with men about gender norms can shape their definition of masculinity around respect, care, generosity, and rejection of violence.

Here are five steps the DoD can take for meaningful, long-lasting change:

(1) Ensure service members’ safety: Immediately institute the three policy recommendations for a safer military recently published in Foreign Affairs by Crocket and her colleague Jamille Bigio: Strengthen protections for threatened service members and military dependents, hold perpetrators accountable, and carefully monitor intimate partner violence.

(2) Conduct independent systems and cultural analyses on gender and sexual violence: Commit to drafting an honest, pragmatic, and thorough external analysis by the end of July 2021. Draft a new strategy and implementation plan by the end of 2021.

(3) Recruit more women: Commit to raising the number of women service members to 35% by 2030. Recent research on women in police forces show that more women officers on the force results in higher effectiveness, better performance, and fewer violent incidents.

(4) Invest in mentoring and peer leadership programs for young service members: Launch a young recruits peer leadership program by the end of 2021.

(5) Appoint a cross-services office of gender equality: This office will report to Secretary Austin and will implement the new strategy, conduct research and programs, and promote a new culture of respect and inclusion.

The Defense Department depends on loyal service members who follow orders and are trained to defend the country at a moment’s notice. But today’s military cohesion is based on a harmful “manly” culture that fosters sexual violence. According to Lee, “The DOD needs competent and loyal service members — not competent and loyal service members who act like men.”

Experts tell us that behaviors like sexual violence are outcomes of dysfunctional cultures, not the cause. The Pentagon needs to focus on individual service members whose beliefs foster an abusive culture. This will take more than rooting out perpetrators and patching up existing programs — violent acts must be addressed before they happen.

Secretary Austin’s fast response has given great hope to many assault survivors and potential new recruits. The road to eliminating sexual violence in the military will meet resistance and create anxiety among the ranks. But meaningful change can’t happen until the DoD embraces the reality of the situation today — and works from there.