This is a job for Captain Powerpoint!

| November 20, 2020

Jeff LPH 3 sends us this article from Army Times;

Sexual assault and harassment prevention program ‘hasn’t achieved its mandate,’ says Army secretary

You don’t say?

An independent review of Fort Hood’s command climate is complete and its findings are slated to be released Dec. 8, but Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said an initial look at the report reveals shortcomings that must be addressed.

The report was compiled by a team of personnel from outside the Department of the Army who were tasked with examining the command climate and culture at Fort Hood and its surrounding community in central Texas.

“My preliminary review of the report, recent cases and recent media coverage, have hardened my belief that the Army’s SHARP program hasn’t achieved its mandate to eliminate sexual assaults and sexual harassment by creating a climate that respects the dignity of every member of the Army family,” McCarthy said in a video statement Wednesday afternoon.

Army leadership intends to also release an action plan to address the review’s recommendations when it’s released next month.

The Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program, or SHARP, has been under scrutiny in recent months following the death of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, a Fort Hood soldier who prosecutors say was murdered in an armory on post by a fellow 3rd Cavalry Regiment trooper.

Guillen’s family said she had been sexually harassed by a fellow soldier prior to her death, but she didn’t report the incident for fear of retribution. Following those allegations, Army Forces Command sent a small team in June to specifically look at the SHARP program on Fort Hood.

FORSCOM’s review found that the post’s SHARP program overall meets Army standards. But the team also found that 18 out of the 52 women surveyed on post, about one-third, reported being sexually harassed. That number concerned lawmakers and prompted questions about whether the standards of success for SHARP programs need to be changed.

Clearly, this is something that they will need a special man for. I can volunteer. I do have a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people who dislike Powerpoint presentations. If you attend my boring annual lecture, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you and I will educate you.

Is there any amount of lecturing that can solve all interpersonal problems? Any first sergeant can tell you that daily briefings, weekly briefings, and Friday afternoon briefings will not keep your junior enlisted from sticking their proverbial fingers in the proverbial electric sockets 70 seconds after they’re released to their own devices.

Category: Army, Big Army, Guest Link

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Roh-Dog

Maybe a briefing on how to properly get a briefing?
Clearly the information is good, or why do it in the first place?
I submit it’s the recipients of the briefs that’re faulty.
If only PVT Snuffy knew how to take bulletpointed notes and had “How Not to Be an A-Hole” flash cards…
(The above does in no way reflect the writer’s beliefs or opinions, it is a work of pure fantasy using twisted officer logics. [The author of this digression was not, nor ever will be an officer. Quite frankly he’s too smart and way too lazy, but can sympathize with the officer-class because he’s got some college in him and has seen the products they produce] ergo,Flashcards are now an in spectacle item! God Save the Queen)

Dennis - not chevy

I don’t know if that would work. Years ago I attended a field training course which required me to give a military briefing in order to pass. It could be on any subject but it had to deal with the military. Most of my classmates were USAF police instructors, so, I chose the organization of a guerilla war unit based on the writings of Mao. I figured it might have interested them. I got the minimum passing grade because the instructor wanted to have but couldn’t have me court martialed for treason for citing Mao in my briefing. A few years later I’m at the NCO Academy and again I had to give a military briefing, this time on a current event. I again got the minimum passing grade because the instructor had never heard of the event on which I briefed.
So what was true 30+ years ago must be true today. A good military briefing tells the audience what they want to know in the manner in which they want to hear it.

5th/77th FA

Maybe I missed something by serving 50 years ago. Or is it the more times you tell PVT Snuffy not to phuque up, he/she/it goes out of their way to do exactly that? Or was it I was so busy with dong my job “,,,in addition to your other duties…” I didn’t pay attention to it happening? How about the fact that we were taught to keep our hands to ourselves back then? Or when she says NO…She means NO? (or he, now days) Or was it when you were out of line the female would just slap the crap out of you and then you moved on?

I got out before most of that training came along and in my civilian career and business ownership I dealt with people on a higher, more professional level. And if you screwed up there it cost you business…and money. Ma Bell, officially, hammered everyone with different computer generated power point crap that you had to review on a regular basis. Once they had issued everyone their very own device, you went thru the lesson, took the test (better make 100% or you had to go thru the whole thing again), then submitted it to HR electronically. Hundreds of thousands of lost hours of productivity that could of been spent doing phone work went poof. Who knows, if we had of spent that time stringing and deploying fiber optic cable, the whole world would have high speed low drag inherwebz service by now.

Wilted Willy

Hey Fa,
I spent 35 years with Ma Bell, no wonder you are so screwed up????

5th/77th FA

WW, good to hear from you. Yeah you Mr Kettle, I’m Mr Pot. 19 years total mostly as OPT lead on Line Construction, short term disability from the flat line brain fart got me to 20 for a PMR. If the bastards had of hired me when I FIRST applied, I’d of had 45 years by now. That is if I didn’t go all dial tone on some SOB that needed it.

AT&T’s takeover of Bell South was equivalent to the Flintstones taking over the Jetsons. I would’ve been happy with the money they pissed away on stoopid sh^t V the money they made despite themselves. I’ll be semi near you this week upcoming, in and around Hillsborough.

MI Ranger

If you are to believe science, occasionally the scientists get it right, than it might have more to do with the emasculation of men and boys that has more to do with this than the work of a few Power Point Rangers.
You hit on it 5th/77th FA when you said “how about the fact that we were taught to keep our hands to ourselves back then”. Men and boys are no longer taught chivalry, and instead they are taught to repress their natural instincts. This builds in an abundance of testosterone and eventually must be released (or they explode!). However since they are not trained on how to properly treat girls and women, instead they resort to base level (caveman style) attempts and rape or force themselves.
I vote we go back to teaching everyone to be nice to each other, and treat strangers (to include women and girls) with respect instead of contempt! We might also throw in a lesson on how to Agree to Disagree and we all might be able to solve the worlds problems together.

Ret_25X

Let’s see…..

1. Recruit Americans who believe other people are merely objects to exploit

2. Relax training standards

3. Remove immediate disciplinary methods

4. Promote the toxic

5. Pretend to be surprised there are problems

6. Continue cycle

What is the definition of insanity again?

flakpup

Once they allowed basic trainees to have cell phones… it all started going down hill.

11B-Mailclerk

The transition point was prohibiting the Sergeant, Drill or otherwise, from wall-to-wall counseling the undisciplined and unmotivated.

The enemy will do far, far worse than bust someone in the mouth. If you can’t learn “painful life truths” from a pro on your own side, nonlethally, then one must learn them at the lethal school called combat. The curve is brutal.

SFC D

I’m around Intel AIT students all day. I see all 6 of your examples repeatedly. There’s no discipline, students speak to their drill sergeants like they’re buddies, and the schoolhouse comes down hard on any DS that actually enforces things in the time-honored tradition that we expect from a DS. They’re supposed to be “nice”. One of the fun parts of my job is that these little turds think I’m CID. The drills subtly encourage this and it strikes fear into their little hearts. So I got that going for me. Which is nice.

E4 Mafia '83-'87

If Power Point skills were the key to senior command, I’d be a friggin Admiral. I produce a 60-slide monthly presentation of every imaginable company KPI based on actual vs budget, actual vs forecast, YOY, actual vs industry, 3-year trend, ect. A long, long way away from days as a Hull Tech.

Slow Joe

Do you guys understand that sexual harassment can be absolutely anything that a person, usually a female, doesn’t like?

Examples of sexual harassment I have seen reported:

-You are late for formation.
-You are overweight.
-You are wearing too much makeup.
-Your bun has become undone.
-Your APFT scores are down.
-Your barracks room is disgusting.
-No open toe shoes in the chowhall.

Etc. Etc ad nauseam.

Sexual harassment has become a tool for political correctness and feminist empowerment (ie, let me do what i want).

Sexual assault is the real problem. Not sexual harassment.

SFC D

Yup. Anything and everything can and will be used. It makes it very difficult for a command to deal with real SHARP issues.

Skippy

Death By Power Point…..

26Limabeans

Can a DI call a female recruit a “pussy” in the same manner as a male
or does it have to be spelled “pussie” instead?
I did not see that covered during orientation.

penguinman000

Behavior of Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Soldiers frequently reflects how they have been trained.

If you train your people that actions don’t have consequences, then don’t be surprised when they act as such.

SFC D

That training starts with mommy and daddy, and it just ain’t happening.

26Limabeans

Mommy and daddy don’t live together anymore.
And there may be more than one of each nowadays.

penguinman000

Not saying you’re wrong.

Sarge

The DoD thinks they can eliminate such things like:

1. DUIs
2. Sexual Assaults
3. Insert Flavor of the Month here

People will be people…I send out weekly security slides on dangers, etc, cell phones, electronics, unauthorized media, and people still get caught with them in my building.

Commander coddle them, no paperwork, no ass chewing.

You wonder why we’re getting soft…our new CC though, he seems a little more straightforward and we might see some actual leadership this time.

AW1 Rod

This is my PowerPoint! There are many like it, but mine is 365!