Sexual Harassment and Assault: The Army Should Take Steps to Enhance Program Oversight, Evaluate Effectiveness, and Identify Reporting Barriers
Fast Facts
The Army estimates that 40,000 soldiers were sexually harassed and 6,700 soldiers were sexually assaulted in 2018. However, only a fraction of them reported their experiences.
We found that the Army's program for preventing and resolving sexual harassment and sexual assault needs to be improved. For example, the Army hasn't consolidated its policies for sexual harassment and assault prevention and response. It also hasn't assessed the barriers that prevent soldiers from reporting such incidents or fully developed performance measures to evaluate the effectiveness of its efforts.
Our recommendations address these and other issues.
A soldier participates in Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) training
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Army Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program has policies to prevent, respond to, and resolve incidents of sexual harassment and assault. Program implementation, however, is hindered by disjointed policy, among other things. Key provisions related to the SHARP program are spread across multiple Army guidance documents, creating confusion for SHARP personnel. Long-standing efforts to consolidate SHARP policy into a single regulation have been delayed due to competing priorities, according to SHARP program officials. Without expediting and establishing a timeline for the issuance of a consolidated SHARP regulation, the Army risks continued confusion among program personnel.
Several factors limit the Army's oversight of command SHARP programs. A 2019 reorganization decreased SHARP Program Office staff by half, eliminating dedicated key positions and limiting the office's ability to conduct oversight functions. Further, the office lacks visibility over program funding and staffing. Without designing an oversight structure that addresses these challenges, the Army may continue to face difficulties with program implementation.
In addition, two issues limit the Army's ability to gauge program effectiveness. First, GAO found that none of the SHARP program's performance measures fully exhibit key attributes of successful performance measures (see figure). SHARP personnel identified the number of reported incidents as a key measure, but it is neither clear nor objective. An increase in reports may indicate either increased trust in the program or an increase in incidents, indicating a lack of effectiveness. Without developing a suite of performance measures, the Army is unable to measure progress towards achieving its goals. Second, the Army has not systematically evaluated the SHARP program for effectiveness, despite prioritizing such an effort since its inception in 2009. Without developing and implementing a continuous evaluation plan to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of the SHARP program, the Army may miss opportunities to prioritize promising approaches and address challenges.
Comparison of Army Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program Performance Measures to GAO's Key Attributes of Successful Measures
Why GAO Did This Study
Reports of sexual harassment and assault in the Army continue to rise. Soldiers reported about 1,000 and 2,500 incidents occurring during military service, respectively, in fiscal year 2020. According to DOD survey data, many additional incidents go unreported. While the Army has taken steps to respond to such incidents through its SHARP Program, a November 2020 independent review of the command climate at Fort Hood found structural flaws in the program Army-wide. The review also found a pervasive lack of confidence in it among soldiers at that installation.
GAO was asked to review the Army's administration of the SHARP program. This report examines, among other things, the extent to which the Army has (1) implemented policies and programs to prevent, respond to, and resolve incidents of sexual harassment and assault; and (2) mechanisms in place to oversee the SHARP program and determine its effectiveness. GAO reviewed policies and guidance; conducted a generalizable survey of SHARP personnel; interviewed DOD and Army officials; and interviewed officials and commanders at three Army installations selected based on risk level, among other factors.
Recommendations
GAO is making nine recommendations, including that the Army expedite and establish a timeline for the issuance of a consolidated SHARP regulation, design its oversight structure to address identified challenges, develop a suite of performance measures, and develop and implement a continuous evaluation plan. The Army concurred with these recommendations.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should ensure that the Director of the Army SHARP Program expedites and establishes a timeline for the issuance of a SHARP regulation that consolidates the various policies, to include clarified procedures for managing sexual harassment complaints. (Recommendation 1) |
The Army concurred with this recommendation. In February 2025, the Army published Army Regulation 600-52, Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program, which implements DOD policy and incorporates related Army guidance, among other things. In April 2025, GAO requested additional information from the Army to verify that the new regulation incorporates required elements, including clarified procedures for managing sexual harassment complaints. In order to implement this recommendation, the Army should provide information verifying that the newly published consolidated SHARP regulation includes the recommended elements, such as clarifying procedures for managing sexual harassment complaints. We will continue to monitor the Army's actions on this recommendation and will provide updated information at that time.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should ensure that the Director of the Army SHARP Program conducts a review of the consolidated SHARP regulation prior to issuance to ensure that it aligns with DOD policies for sexual harassment and assault prevention and response. (Recommendation 2) |
The Army concurred with this recommendation and, in response, issued Army Regulation (AR) 600-52, Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program, in February 2025. This document implements relevant DOD policies for the prevention of and response to sexual harassment and assault, including DOD Instruction (DODI) 6400.07, DODI 6495.01, DODI 6495.02 Volumes 2 through 3, DODI 6495.03, and DOD Directive 1020.03. For example, among other things, AR 600-52 requires senior commanders to be responsive to a victim's request to meet to discuss their case, as required in DOD guidance. As a result of its efforts to ensure that the new SHARP regulation aligns with DOD policy, the Army is better positioned to ensure consistent handling of sexual harassment and assault cases.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should establish a mechanism to ensure that Sexual Assault Response Coordinators have direct and unimpeded access to the installation commander, as well as the immediate commander of both the servicemember victim and alleged servicemember offender, without going through layers in the chain of command. This could be accomplished by, for example, providing Sexual Assault Response Coordinators with the requisite designation or categorization needed to facilitate direct communication with their commander. (Recommendation 3) |
The Army concurred with this recommendation. In response, the Army issued Army Regulation (AR) 600-52 in February 2025. The regulation requires that all commanders maintain direct, unimpeded contact with the Lead Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) and other installation SARCs, and directs senior commanders to ensure that all SARCs have direct, unimpeded access to all tenant commanders on the installation, to include the commander of both the victim and the subject. Further, the regulation directs that noncompliance be reported to the Director of the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program for resolution. By establishing this mechanism to ensure SARC access to commanders, the Army is better positioned to ensure commanders have critical information needed to effectively manage their SHARP programs and to preserve victim privacy by limiting information to those with a "need to know" rather than sending information through layers in a chain of command.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should ensure that the Director of the Army SHARP Program publishes or directly links all relevant resources to assist commanders in implementing their SHARP programs in a single, easily accessible location, such as the SHARP Learning Portal, and comprehensively publicizes the list to commanders so that existing resources are readily available and easily accessible when needed. (Recommendation 4) |
The Army concurred with this recommendation. In December 2022, the Army requested closure of this recommendation as implemented. Specifically, the Army added a specific "Commanders Resources" page to the SHARP website which includes a number of relevant resources or links directly to such resources. Further, the Army stated that it would highlight these resources in all pre-command courses and utilize communication plans to ensure command teams are aware of these resources, but did not provide details or documentation of these communication plans. In March 2025, the Army again requested closure of this recommendation as implemented, citing the "Commanders Resources" page on the SHARP website. GAO requested additional information on the Army's plans and/or efforts to publicize this page to commanders. As of May 2025, the Army has not provided such additional information. While the Army has taken steps to publish or directly link all relevant resources to assist commanders in implementing their SHARP programs on its new "Commanders Resources" page, it has not developed a plan to comprehensively publicize the page. In order to implement this recommendation, the Army should develop and provide documentation of its plan to comprehensively publicize the "Commanders Resources" page. We will continue to monitor actions the Army has taken in response to this recommendation and will provide updated information as appropriate.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should design an oversight structure in accordance with existing DOD guidance for implementation of recommendations stemming from the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military. The oversight structure should also: (1) include a mechanism for comprehensive oversight of SHARP programs at the installation and command level, to include visibility over all areas of program implementation, such as inspection results, funding, and staffing; (2) direct that the SHARP Program Office is structured so as to enforce commander accountability for program implementation; and (3) ensure that the SHARP Program Office has adequate personnel resources to carry out its oversight responsibilities. (Recommendation 5) |
The Army concurred with this recommendation. In February 2025, the Army published Army Regulation 600-52, Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program. Among other things, this guidance addresses chains of command for SHARP program oversight at installation and headquarters levels. However, the Army stated that efforts to implement this oversight structure have stalled due to government-wide efforts to reduce the federal workforce. Specifically, the new oversight structure included 10 additional positions at the headquarters level to ensure that the SHARP Program Office has adequate personnel resources to carry out its oversight responsibilities, but as of March 2025 only 3 of those positions had been filled and the remaining positions were eliminated. As a result, the Army does not know when or if it will be able to fill those additional positions and thus fully implement this recommendation. We will continue to monitor Army actions in response to this recommendation, and will provide updated information as appropriate.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should ensure that the Director of the Army SHARP Program issues guidance to ensure that incidents of sexual assault that are not officially reported but are disclosed to SHARP personnel and medical providers without access to the Defense Sexual Assault Incident Database (DSAID) are shared with a brigade-level SARC and documented in the SAPR Related Inquiry module in DSAID. (Recommendation 6) |
The Army concurred with this recommendation. In response, in February 2025 the Army issued Army Regulation 600-52, which directs senior commanders to ensure that acts of sexual assault that are not officially reported but are disclosed to Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) professionals are documented in the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Related Inquiries (SRI) module in DOD's Defense Sexual Assault Incident Database (DSAID), DOD's database of record for tracking information related to sexual assault. The regulation further requires all Sexual Assault Response Coordinators (SARCs) to use the SRI module to document inquiries made by individuals who disclose that a sexual assault has occurred but choose to not complete an official report, including referrals to services and reasons why the individual did not make an official report, if the individual disclosed those reasons. As a result, the Army will have increased visibility into unreported incidents of sexual assault and access to increased data on a historically underreported crime. This will better enable the Army to identify and address trends in sexual assault incidents occurring within the service.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop a suite of performance measures that measure the desired outcomes for the SHARP program and, at a minimum, are clearly defined, objective, balanced, and enable consistent tracking of program performance over time. (Recommendation 7) |
The Army concurred with this recommendation. In March 2025, the Army stated that the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Program office has contracted with RAND to refine measures of effectiveness and measures of performance for the SHARP program. The Army stated that it expects to publish these measures of effectiveness and measures of performance in March of 2026 to address this recommendation. In order to implement this recommendation, the Army needs to develop a suite of performance measures, such as standardized performance measures developed in collaboration with SAPRO and ODEI, that measure the desired outcomes of the SHARP program and meet the requirements laid out in our recommendation. We will continue to monitor the Army's actions in response to this recommendation and will provide updated information as appropriate.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop and implement a continuous evaluation plan that employs a suite of fully-developed performance measures to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of the SHARP program. The plan should include ensuring that there are sufficient personnel with the relevant competencies, skills, and knowledge needed to implement the plan. (Recommendation 8) |
The Army concurred with this recommendation. In March 2025, the Army stated that the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Program office has contracted with RAND to refine measures of effectiveness and measures of performance for the SHARP program. The Army stated that it expects to publish these measures of effectiveness and measures of performance in March of 2026 to address this recommendation. In order to implement this recommendation, the Army should develop and implement a continuous evaluation plan, including a suite of performance measures, to evaluate the effectiveness of the SHARP program, including efforts to ensure adequate staffing to implement the plan. We will continue to monitor Army actions taken in response to this recommendation and will provide updated information as appropriate.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should ensure that the Director of the Army SHARP Program conducts a systematic assessment to identify barriers to sexual harassment and sexual assault reporting and develops a plan to mitigate identified barriers and encourage reporting. Such barriers may include concerns related to the staffing structure of the SHARP program and perceptions about the prevalence of false reporting. (Recommendation 9) |
The Army concurred with this recommendation. In March 2025 the Army stated that RAND is conducting a study to help identify barriers to sexual assault and sexual harassment reporting, which it expects to complete in April 2025. The Army stated it would study recommendations stemming from this study as appropriate, and estimated it would implement this recognition by the end of Mary 2025. In order to implement this recommendation, the Army should ensure its efforts to assess and identify barriers to reporting are systematic, and should develop a plan to mitigate identified barriers. We will continue to monitor the Army's actions in response to this recommendation and will provide updated information as appropriate.
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