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Rape in the US military: America's dirty little secret

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Jin34

Member
@DY: I just don't think that stuff should be handled internally, that always brings about conflicts of interests.
 
@DY: I just don't think that stuff should be handled internally, that always brings about conflicts of interests.

No it doesn't because the agencies involved have no affiliation with the units.


So the problem is a female soldier's superior is often the one to rape her? Isn't this a huge problem because that's who she's reporting the rape to?

No because she doesn't. She's scared because the her superior writes/signs her performance reviews every year and basically has her career in his/her hands.
 

Renmei

Banned
What don't they have real counselors for you to talk to who aren't Chaplains?
The Army really isn't all that Christian anymore, at least among the younger soldiers. It seems to pretty accurately reflect the US as a whole; the old farts are more conservative but the junior soldiers are a lot more tolerant and less religious. We did a survey once, almost half the unit has "no rel pref" on our dog tags and a distinct minority attends church regularly. And the results of the recent poll on allowing gays to serve openly in the military should be more than enough to prove how in step the Army is with the US population as a whole. We honestly don't give a fuck anymore about that kind of stuff anymore.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
@DY: I just don't think that stuff should be handled internally, that always brings about conflicts of interests.
How? You can be hit with both normal AND UCMJ in some circumstances.

I think a lot of this is just people grabbing numbers and not knowing what the fuck they're talking about as if the military hands out slaps on the wrist for everything as long as the bodycount is high.
 

Steelrain

Member
Have you heard of selection bias before? Stating that your experience and chaplain is indicative of ALL of the military is simply absurd. Stop spreading bullshit thinking.

Oh i'm sorry. Do you have an experience to share in which a chaplain tried to press christianity on you in the military and he wasn't punished? I come from a military family. I spent my entire life surrounded in a military environment and I went on to serve in the military myself. I'd say my experience holds some weight. However, if you want to point me to a source that demonstrates the military is, in fact, a proselytizing organization for jesus than please do that.
 
How? You can be hit with both normal AND UCMJ in some circumstances.

I think a lot of this is just people grabbing numbers and not knowing what the fuck they're talking about as if the military hands out slaps on the wrist for everything as long as the bodycount is high.

I think it's expecting more of an institution that prides itself on discipline, however fair that is or not I can't tell you.
 

akira28

Member
No, I wouldn't. At the same time, saying something like its "a breach of good conduct" is entirely wrong. I've seen entire battalions torn down and put on the cover of the Army Times for rape and sexual harassment. But you won't see civilian articles on that. I've been a part of two tribunals, 1 during BCT and 1 during AIT. One regarding a racial issue involving an officer and the other involving allegations of sexual harassment - as I was still in initial entry, me being a part of that process even 5 years ago would've been unheard of.

I'm not saying the military is rape free. Far from it. But there have been massive improvements across the board, and they do still have a ways to go, and they need help too, but to say that the issue is neglected is simply wrong. Rape does happen, and just because its not reported on your local news, it doesn't mean that it isn't being dealt with, justice isn't being served, and help for all parties isn't provided. Some people are going to slip through the cracks, but those cracks are a lot smaller than they used to be.

I think your "massive", on an actual magnitude of scale, doesn't begin to approach the potential of unreported incidents. 1 out of 4. Some statistics claim it's 1 out of 3 women assaulted or raped.(Just manhandled and groped even). And you're talking about a 'few' "slipping through the cracks" because something got big and ended up in the Army Times? I don't think you need to defend the military over this point, do you? They're doing a lot? Ok. Are they doing enough of the right things is the question. Of those women NCOs, how many of them have encountered that particular part of military culture? If numbers are to be believed, if they're still enlisted, it would have to be quite a few of them. How many didn't speak out to avoid the repercussions, and dealt with it in another way? Avoidance of situations, transfers, etc. And how many of them are making waves, active in the combating of sexual assault? If the assumption is the system deals with situations adequately, and the reality is that they do not, then the problem isn't being properly addressed. If the reaction is "bullshit, people get prosecuted all the time" the question is, how many MORE would be prosecuted if things were different?
 

Renmei

Banned
So the problem is a female soldier's superior is often the one to rape her? Isn't this a huge problem because that's who she's reporting the rape to?
erm no. There are multiple ways to report sexual assault without going through your chain of command.

copy and pasted from this site

Restricted Reporting
This option is recommended for victims of sexual assault who wish to confidentially disclose the crime to specifically identified individuals and receive medical treatment and counseling without triggering the official investigative process. Service members who are sexually assaulted and desire restricted reporting under this policy must report the assault to a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), Victim Advocate (VA), or a healthcare provider.

Unrestricted Reporting
This option is recommended for victims of sexual assault who desire medical treatment, counseling and an official investigation of the crime. When selecting unrestricted reporting, you should use current reporting channels, e.g. chain of command, law enforcement or report the incident to the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), or request healthcare providers to notify law enforcement. Upon notification of a reported sexual assault, the SARC will immediately assign a Victim Advocate (VA). At the victim’s discretion/request, the healthcare provider shall conduct a sexual assault forensic examination (SAFE), which may include the collection of evidence. Details regarding the incident will be limited to only those personnel who have a legitimate need to know.
 
How? You can be hit with both normal AND UCMJ in some circumstances.

I think a lot of this is just people grabbing numbers and not knowing what the fuck they're talking about as if the military hands out slaps on the wrist for everything as long as the bodycount is high.

This. Half these people should go thru basic training(even if it is soft these days) and then try to talk about what the military is about and what it influences.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
Oh i'm sorry. Do you have an experience to share in which a chaplain tried to press christianity on you in the military and he wasn't punished? I come from a military family. I spent my entire life surrounded in a military environment and I went on to serve in the military myself. I'd say my experience holds some weight. However, if you want to point me to a source that demonstrates the military is, in fact, a proselytizing organization for jesus than please do that.

Seriously... Chaplains are glorified counselors these days. They've adapted better than most in the military. Especially on deployments too, there are never enough around really - so you'll see them step into the role of spiritual support, not so much religious support.
 

Mumei

Member
I wouldn't say that at all. The US military is way to isolated for cases to just be handed over the civilian law system. You have to have specialized agencies that understand military life, which they do.

What is the structure currently? How does it work? Because the article is portraying it as a part of the problem:

"Rape is a universal problem – it happens everywhere. But in other military systems it is regarded as a criminal offence, while in the US military, in many cases, it's considered simply a breach of good conduct. Regularly, a sex offender in the US system goes unpunished, so it proliferates. In the US, the whole reporting procedure is handled – from the investigation to the trial, to the incarceration – in-house. That means the command has an overwhelming influence over what happens. If a commander decides a rape will not get prosecuted, it will not be. And in many respects, reporting a rape is to the commander's disadvantage, because any prosecution will result in extra administration and him losing a serviceman from his unit."

That sounds like a conflict of interest.
 
I think it's expecting more of an institution that prides itself on discipline, however fair that is or not I can't tell you.

Do you know what the punishment is for such a violation in the military? You will do jail time + plus be practically banished from any decent paying job. Seriously stop the FUD.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
^Yeah. A lot of you are still following that BS line in the article about it being a slap on the wrist.
I think your "massive", on an actual magnitude of scale, doesn't begin to approach the potential of unreported incidents. 1 out of 4. Some statistics claim it's 1 out of 3 women assaulted or raped.(Just manhandled and groped even). And you're talking about a 'few' "slipping through the cracks" because something got big and ended up in the Army Times? I don't think you need to defend the military over this point, do you? They're doing a lot? Ok. Are they doing enough of the right things is the question. Of those women NCOs, how many of them have encountered that particular part of military culture? If numbers are to be believed, if they're still enlisted, it would have to be quite a few of them. How many didn't speak out to avoid the repercussions, and dealt with it in another way? Avoidance of situations, transfers, etc. And how many of them are making waves, active in the combating of sexual assault? If the assumption is the system deals with situations adequately, and the reality is that they do not, then the problem isn't being properly addressed. If the reaction is "bullshit, people get prosecuted all the time" the question is, how many MORE would be prosecuted if things were different?

You do realize the extreme that is the military right? Do you honestly expect it to hit zero? In this kind of environment, its always going to be worse than it is in the civilian world. Also, I refuse to say that its bad without saying how much it has improved because that discredits all of the efforts that have been made so far. If you look at the numbers from two decades back, even 5 years back, you'll notice that there has been more than a signifcant improvement and also at the same time there is a trend of issues that are simply not prevalent or even existent in the civilian world. They can't be handled the same way and they shouldn't be compared in the same way.

Also, I live this shit - not you. Its obvious you don't even understand the ramifications of a unit being torn apart by issues like that. Again, the majority of convictions, incidents, accidents, crimes and other related things aren't even reported by news outlets offpost. So how the fuck are you gonna tell me what does and doesn't happen on a base and how severe the repercussions were and how many people were effected when the only time this shit pops up is when some article comes out that doesn't even address what all is covered by what the military is actually doing right now to counteract it?
 
Oh i'm sorry. Do you have an experience to share in which a chaplain tried to press christianity on you in the military and he wasn't punished? I come from a military family. I spent my entire life surrounded in a military environment and I went on to serve in the military myself. I'd say my experience holds some weight. However, if you want to point me to a source that demonstrates the military is, in fact, a proselytizing organization for jesus than please do that.

You still seriously see nothing wrong with you statement "I never saw any proselytizing in the military therefore it NEVER FUCKING EXISTS EVER." As I said, that is selection bias at it worst. Step back and think about how absolutely backward you previous posts have been.
 

Jenov

Member
yeah I was thinking about this recently. Human beings would be much better off if everyone were female. Testosterone just fucks humans up. "God" is an idiot for making men physically stronger than women.

I think there was a movie about that once. Eventually 1 man was found, and all the women on the planet were going insane over him, lol.
 
What is the structure currently? How does it work? Because the article is portraying it as a part of the problem:

"Rape is a universal problem – it happens everywhere. But in other military systems it is regarded as a criminal offence, while in the US military, in many cases, it's considered simply a breach of good conduct. Regularly, a sex offender in the US system goes unpunished, so it proliferates. In the US, the whole reporting procedure is handled – from the investigation to the trial, to the incarceration – in-house. That means the command has an overwhelming influence over what happens. If a commander decides a rape will not get prosecuted, it will not be. And in many respects, reporting a rape is to the commander's disadvantage, because any prosecution will result in extra administration and him losing a serviceman from his unit."

That sounds like a conflict of interest.
You don't have to report a rape to anybody in your chain, and also you would never go straight to your commander either. The final decision would lie with your commander but the eyes of the higher ups are on him/her and he has to explain and document his reasoning. That angle they are try to portray about how "he would lose a service member" is pure bullshit. Almost all military members get replaced.

Edit: Missed this gem
If a commander decides a rape will not get prosecuted, it will not be.

Wow.You shouldn't take anything in this article seriously.
 
Yeah, it's more like "that uncle you don't talk about" than a secret.

This isn't a secret. Hell, I watched a whole hour long special on ABC about how Americans are raping/ impregnating and buying sex (only giving the women 25cents or a jar of peanut butter as payment) and getting under-aged girls to do XYZ in parts of Africa they're sent to. Why? Because they can get away with it and it's in the nature of the group they're in to feel like they can get away with shit.


It's like rape and death in the Peace Corp ... they don't talk about the dangers you face up front when they're trying to get you on board to go to some shitty lil place.
 
Do you know what the punishment is for such a violation in the military? You will do jail time + plus be practically banished from any decent paying job. Seriously stop the FUD.

Oh yeah patronize me about all the shit they do after the fact. How about you start giving more of a shit about the atmosphere created in which this shit happens in the first place.
 

Mumei

Member
You do realize the extreme that is the military right? Do you honestly expect it to hit zero? In this kind of environment, its always going to be worse than it is in the civilian world. Also, I refuse to say that its bad without saying how much it has improved because that discredits all of the efforts that have been made so far. If you look at the numbers from two decades back, even 5 years back, you'll notice that there has been more than a signifcant improvement and also at the same time there is a trend of issues that are simply not prevalent or even existent in the civilian world. They can't be handled the same way and they shouldn't be compared in the same way.

Well I certainly expect them to set that as a goal. Shoot for the moon, etc.

You'll need to explain why I shouldn't expect better from the military than I should from a civilian population; I lack an understanding of why the military would be expected to have a so significantly higher incidence of rape than the civilian population.
 

Kazerei

Banned
Do you know what the punishment is for such a violation in the military? You will do jail time + plus be practically banished from any decent paying job. Seriously stop the FUD.

The problem is that only a small fraction of incidents actually get through the entire process and result in convictions.
 

Jin34

Member
Do you know what the punishment is for such a violation in the military? You will do jail time + plus be practically banished from any decent paying job. Seriously stop the FUD.

Convictions should be as public as civilians ones, I can only think of one reason why they keep who has been found guilty or not in-house, to maintain the military's image aka PR.
 

Renmei

Banned
You still seriously see nothing wrong with you statement "I never saw any proselytizing in the military therefore it NEVER FUCKING EXISTS EVER." As I said, that is selection bias at it worst. Step back and think about how absolutely backward you previous posts have been.
I'm a current active duty agnostic/humanist/don'tgiveafuckaboutreligion soldier and I've never met a proselytizing chaplain among the dozens I've encountered in my military career. Take that for what its worth. Do you have anything concrete to backup your claim?
 
I'm a current active duty agnostic/humanist/don'tgiveafuckaboutreligion soldier and I've never met a proselytizing chaplain among the dozens I've encountered in my military career. Take that for what its worth. Do you have anything concrete to backup your claim?

I do, but again, you fell into the same trap he did which is the problem I have with his post and now yours.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
Would love to hear what you've got to back that up, guy. Chaplains train to adapt to the modern soldier just like every other support service. I would love to hear where you're coming from about religion being pushed. Because it can get normal soldiers in trouble these days, a chaplain doing it, an officer, would lead to him getting his ass in a fire.
If a commander decides a rape will not get prosecuted, it will not be.

lol this article is straight up bullshit
 

Renmei

Banned
What is the structure currently? How does it work? Because the article is portraying it as a part of the problem:

"Rape is a universal problem – it happens everywhere. But in other military systems it is regarded as a criminal offence, while in the US military, in many cases, it's considered simply a breach of good conduct.

. If a commander decides a rape will not get prosecuted, it will not be. And in many respects, reporting a rape is to the commander's disadvantage, because any prosecution will result in extra administration and him losing a serviceman from his unit."
Wait wtf this is from the Guardian? I thought they were a reputable news organization.. this is so much bullshit it isn't even funny.
 
Oh yeah patronize me about all the shit they do after the fact. How about you start giving more of a shit about the atmosphere created in which this shit happens in the first place.

Dude the rank structure and its significance will never go anywhere. Ever. The main thing the military should do is pick better recruits which it tries. The thing is though if you stay and serve you are gonna become a leader. So yes some wackos slip through the cracks.
 

akira28

Member
I think you're too close to the issue then. Sure it's practical to handle things within the ranks, but is it adequate? Yes improvements have been made...I'm not disregarding them, I just think you place them in too high a regard. You live it? Ok, fine. Do you think that gives you a clear perspective, or a clouded one? This isn't a matter of there being a lack of information or statistics, it's a matter of seeing whether the military is doing the right thing, and not what's right for the Army, but what's right for the victims, or potential victims.

I'm not focused on this article, because this isn't anything new to me. The issue isn't a new one, but the focus on handling sexual harassment is new.
 

Steelrain

Member
You still seriously see nothing wrong with you statement "I never saw any proselytizing in the military therefore it NEVER FUCKING EXISTS EVER." As I said, that is selection bias at it worst. Step back and think about how absolutely backward you previous posts have been.

I think YOU should read the statement I was responding to. The poster generalized the military AS A WHOLE. I responded to him by mentioning AS A WHOLE. AS AN INSTITUTION. Maybe you should step back and comprehend what I actually said. I didn't say "my unit" I said "all of the units i've served with". If there were an inherent system of indoctrination in the military do you think, at some point of my life, I would have seen it? I also went on to explain the responsibilities of a chaplain since he claimed that they were there to "push Christianity". I'm a bit tired but i don't think i'm speaking in riddles here. Anyway, this discussion is OT so if you have an issue take it to PM's.
 

Mumei

Member
Wait wtf this is from the Guardian? I thought they were a reputable news organization.. this is so much bullshit it isn't even funny.

To be more precise, it was actually a quote from the policy director at the Service Women's Action Network
 
Convictions should be as public as civilians ones, I can only think of one reason why they keep who has been found guilty or not in-house, to maintain the military's image aka PR.

You make it seem like the info is not available. If someone is convicted it can easily be found out. The nature of the military is to not tell any information about anything to anyone who doesn't have a "need to know". Frankly thats the way it should be.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
I think you're too close to the issue then.

And I think you're too far away. If you're going to believe something so blatantly wrong without so much as even looking at the current prevention, reporting, counseling, and punishment models that are in place - then you're just following some shit that somebody threw together to get some views.

I understand where those women are coming from in the article, there are still problems, but what irks me more than anything is that the actual problems aren't even discussed - its made up shit that is factually, blatantly wrong that they are trying to push. "breaking good conduct"? "its all up to the commander"? Whoever wrote this, didn't even attempt to do their job as a journalist.
 

akira28

Member
I'm not caught up on that quote like you think I am. I suspect it isn't even the premise of the arguments that the Army and military at large aren't doing enough. I don't believe it's a 'slap on the wrist' situation. I do believe it's much worse than even the facts state. Of course people are punished by the UCMJ, and perhaps very recently, the Army has made large bounds in trying to deal with assaults. But the military culture mentioned by the women not only in that article but many other instances and mentions elsewhere, according to them, was not enough, did not protect them, or even grant them justice. It's not the official handling being discussed here, it's the unofficial mishandling.
 

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
200 random violent criminals. 100% men, 0% women. there's gotta be a fundamental biological difference. if it was say 75% to 25% i'd have doubts about what i'm saying but... nope. difference is too big.

also, our culture has been male dominated for how many millenia again..? it all stems from that, i believe. men are and have been fucked up for a looong time (think long before Homo Sapiens), and it's reflected in the culture. it's in our genes, we are hunters by nature, we want and crave excitement, often violent excitement... it WILL manifest in a modern culture, one way or another.

reason why the majority of men aren't very violent is because they have just enough restraint. but it's in them, the violent tendencies.

OK truthfully, i don't know... i might be completely wrong and men are wonderful loving creatures who don't like violence at all. but i don't see proof of that. women are much closer to that ideal, i think. (while not perfect of course lol).

I need a blinking eyes .gif right now.
 

Aselith

Member
Jesus. What do you think is the main issue at work honestly, I don't really know what kinds of shit you have to endure during recruitment, training and during your stay so I'd rather not speculate.

My guess is the main issue at work is that you have a bunch of horned up dudes out in the field who haven't had a whiff of pussy in months and then there are a bunch of moderately attractive or at least in shape females running around.

I doubt it's a huge percentage of our military, most likely an extremely small one, that are rapists but you've got heightened circumstances where anyone that even has possible willingness to rape is pushed towards it unintentionally to get laid. It's horrible but I don't see how you can prevent it short of reinstituting "camp followers" for our modern forces.

I'd imagine the rape statistics would be similar in a coed prison even with tons of guards running around. People want to get laid, you force them into a situation where they cannot for months at a time something's bound to pop off.
 
Been reading this:
http://www.sapr.mil/media/pdf/repor..._Report_on_Sexual_Assault_in_the_Military.pdf


With the beginning of the Restricted Reporting option in 2005, reports by Service member victims the following year increased by nearly 30 percent. Except for a small decrease in FY10, Service member victim reports have grown steadily. Not only have the number of reports to military authorities increased but also in FY10 the Department had visibility over a greater proportion of sexual assaults against military Service victims. In 2006, reports to DoD authorities accounted for about 7 percent of the sexual assaults estimated to have occurred that year.

In 2010, reports by victims accounted for about 14 percent of the sexual assaults estimated to have occurred.

Although reports to DoD authorities will never capture all the sexual assaults in a given year, it is the Department’s intent to reduce the underreporting of sexual assault in the military community.

The DoD SAPR Program has contributed to the increased total reporting of the crime by 86 percent in 6 years and also expanded the Department’s visibility over a greater proportion of the sexual assaults that occur each year. Despite these accomplishments, much remains to be done to improve reporting. The majority of sexual assaults against Service members each year remain unreported. The Department must continue its efforts to knock down barriers that prevent victims from reporting and work toward thegoal of eliminating the stigma that accompanies victimization.

DoD Safe Helpline Project
Sexual assault victims, and SAPR personnel seeking to assist them, have voiced a need for a confidential, anonymous hotline. In response to this need, OSD SAPRO began developing its newest initiative to support victims of sexual assault: the DoD Safe Helpline.

In FY10, OSD SAPRO contracted with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) to develop a new online hotline, telephone hotline, and texting initiative to
support victims of sexual assault in the DoD community.

Once the DoD Safe Helpline is operational, visitors will be able to ―click, call, or text‖ for victim support services for themselves or others anytime and anywhere. The Safe Helpline will offer victims an additional channel to seek sexual assault support and fulfill recommendations and mandates made by various oversight bodies. DoD senior leadership approved the initiative in 2009, and it is anticipated to launch in spring 2011.

After the contract award in FY10, OSD SAPRO began developing the DoD Safe Helpline in collaboration with the Military Services, NGB, OSD Family Advocacy Program (FAP), Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and Coast Guard. All organizations provided input on the training curriculum, mandatory reporting protocol, privacy policies, and information for service referrals. As a result of the successful cooperation among all stakeholders, once operational, the hotline will boast a robust database of on-base and civilian service referrals that will be available worldwide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

https://www.safehelpline.org/

Can't comment on the internal workings and how helpful it's really been for obvious reasons, but it paints a much better picture of their attempts to help victims. They've been teaching just what sexual assault is and how to take it seriously, but as a strong advocate of tackling causes not just effects, I'd like to see at least some break down of what causes the assaults in the first place.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
Hey! A good article! *respek*

As for the causes... ugh. There's been a lot done to increase the quality of people recruited. No more individual recruiter quotas, background checks are (slightly) better, improved drug testing, few signing bonuses, no more sign-a-friend bonuses, easier to get people out during initial entry training... That helps one issue. The other issues involve the rank structure and the myriad of stresses that no doubt amplify bad decisions in general. The issues that take place downrange are another thing entirely too.
 

Renmei

Banned
My guess is the main issue at work is that you have a bunch of horned up dudes out in the field who haven't had a whiff of pussy in months and then there are a bunch of moderately attractive or at least in shape females running around.

I doubt it's a huge percentage of our military, most likely an extremely small one, that are rapists but you've got heightened circumstances where anyone that even has possible willingness to rape is pushed towards it unintentionally to get laid. It's horrible but I don't see how you can prevent it short of reinstituting "camp followers" for our modern forces.

I'd imagine the rape statistics would be similar in a coed prison even with tons of guards running around. People want to get laid, you force them into a situation where they cannot for months at a time something's bound to pop off.
Most of what you said is true, except that it doesn't really lead to rape. Sex is plentiful downrange, it is just like a college dorm filled with frats guys and sorority chicks. The whole no porn thing is a joke, everyone's laptop and portable hard drive is filled to the brim with the stuff and there is no way to really check or enforce it. The rape isn't about the sex, but about power and domination. Getting laid consensualy is too easy, a bunch of young males and females away from their parents and spouses just get it on like rabbits.

Soldiers learn about what really causes rape in the Army in every sexual assault prevention class we take. Most rape occurs among the junior enlisted (the lowest ranking people) in the barracks (dorms) and the perpetrator is almost always someone the victim knows. And alcohol is involved. The problem isn't the ban on porn or the natural tendencies of males. It is the ridiculous amount of drinking in the military.
 

Zzoram

Member
So maybe they need to do something about the alcohol and give soldiers less dangerous ways to pass their time.

Have them all play Call of Duty instead or something.
 
Hey! A good article! *respek*

As for the causes... ugh. There's been a lot done to increase the quality of people recruited. No more individual recruiter quotas, background checks are (slightly) better, improved drug testing, few signing bonuses, no more sign-a-friend bonuses, easier to get people out during initial entry training... That helps one issue. The other issues involve the rank structure and the myriad of stresses that no doubt amplify bad decisions in general. The issues that take place downrange are another thing entirely too.

So they're reverting some of the lowering of recruitment standards that happened under Bush? What is "downrange"? I missed something I think.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
Well aren't soldiers taught to dehumanize the "others" and becoming an insular "brotherhood" so that they can overcome their hesitation to kill enemies? Maybe part of that "otherness" rubs off on to women since the men are mostly separate from women due to military culture, even if they're not that separate in terms of being in the same buildings.
no
 

~Kinggi~

Banned
I've never had much faith in the quality of person found in some sections of our military unfortunately. Just look at some of the bullshit recruiting practices in down and out towns about how much they really care about who they bring into the club. Doesn't help when the real talent is turned off by the organization given their involvement in "questionable" things of late. Patriotism's gone down the toilet. Doesn't surprise me that something like this might occur along with whatever other bullshit goes on.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
So they're reverting some of the lowering of recruitment standards that happened under Bush? What is "downrange"? I missed something I think.

Thats one thing. There was a big issue that stemmed from recruiting... before, recruiting quotas were place on the individual recruiter - so, you'd have cases where you'd have guys fighting over recruits and sometimes telling them whatever they needed to hear in order to get them to sign that paper. It caused a lot of problems on a lot of levels. Recruiters would stop showing up when they hit their quotas, they wouldn't help recruits if they were already done with their mark for the month... just a lot of shit. By switching to station quotas, you end up with a lot better information being put out and less of a snatch and grab. The army is getting ready to downsize pretty heavily too.

Downrange = deployment in a combat zone. my bad
 
haha that was a quick edit by zz.

And being downrange means being deployed.

Oh durp. lol. They had a section about CAIs.



Thats one thing. There was a big issue that stemmed from recruiting... before, recruiting quotas were place on the individual recruiter - so, you'd have cases where you'd have guys fighting over recruits and sometimes telling them whatever they needed to hear in order to get them to sign that paper. It caused a lot of problems on a lot of levels. Recruiters would stop showing up when they hit their quotas, they wouldn't help recruits if they were already done with their mark for the month... just a lot of shit. By switching to station quotas, you end up with a lot better information being put out and less of a snatch and grab. The army is getting ready to downsize pretty heavily too.

That would explain why there was a feeling of sexual assault incidents rising from 06-10, but hopefully it will fall back down again.
 
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