At the direction of President Joe Biden, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered a 90-Day Independent Review Commission (IRC) on Sexual Assault in the Military to take bold action to address sexual assault and harassment in the force. The IRC made recommendations related to: accountability; prevention; climate and culture; and victim care and support.

Then Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan released a memorandum to all of the Military Services on March 27, 2019 establishing the Sexual Assault Accountability and Investigation Task Force (SAAITF). The SAAITF was tasked with identifying, evaluating, and recommending immediate and significant actions to improve the accountability process, specific to the investigation and disposition of cases in which members of the Armed Forces are either victims or offenders of sexual assault, while ensuring due process for both.

As the result of a year-long review of all sexual assault policies and programs among the Services and DoD, this report contains the findings and recommendations of the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services. The report recognizes the significant progress made in responding to sexual assault since the establishment of SAPR in 2005. Recommendations cover the spectrum from strategic proposals to specific actions that would continue improvement of prevention, victim response, and accountability within DoD.

This report contains the findings and recommendations of the Department of Defense Care for Victims of Sexual Assault Task Force on how the Departments of the Army and the Navy may more effectively address sexual harassment and violence at the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy.

This document contains the Department of Defense's comments on the Defense Task Force Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies. It also features the acting Secretary of the Air Force's assessment of corrective actions being taken at the U.S. Air Force Academy to address sexual assault and sexual harassment.

As the result of a 90-day review of all sexual assault policies and programs among the Services and DoD, this report contains the findings and recommendations of the Department of Defense Care for Victims of Sexual Assault Task Force. Throughout this review, the Task Force sought to understand the culture, command structures and resource limitations when evaluating appropriate courses of action needed to fill gaps in policies and procedures, particularly as they pertain to in-theater care. The findings are intended to provide a high-level, comprehensive assessment of the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in current DoD and Service policies regarding care for sexual assault victims.

This is the final report of the Response Systems to Adult Sexual Assault Crimes Panel, issued on June 27, 2014. Section 576 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (FY13 NDAA) directed the Secretary of Defense to establish the Response Systems to Adult Sexual Assault Crimes Panel "to conduct an independent review and assessment of the systems used to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate crimes involving adult sexual assault and related offenses under Section 920 of Title 10, United States Code (Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice), for the purpose of developing recommendations regarding how to improve the effectiveness of such systems."

• Report of the Comparative Systems Subcommittee
  The Secretary of Defense established the Comparative Systems Subcommittee to compare the investigation, prosecution, defense, and adjudication of sexual assault cases in the military and civilian systems.
• Report of the Role of the Commander Subcommittee
  The Secretary of Defense established the Role of the Commander Subcommittee to report on the role and effectiveness of commanders at all levels in the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of crimes involving adult sexual assault and related offenses.
• Report of the Victim Services Subcommittee
  The Secretary of Defense established the Victim Services Subcommittee to assess the adequacy of military systems and proceedings for providing support and protection to victims in the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of crimes involving adult sexual assault and related offenses.

Find DoD SAPRO briefings to the Response Systems Panel here.

Learn more at the Response Systems to Adult Sexual Crimes Panel website.

The Response Systems to Adult Sexual Assault Crimes Panel’s Subcommittee on the Role of the Commander, as part of its Congressionally-mandated charter, released a report on January 29, 2014 stating that the authority vested in senior commanders to convene courts-martial under the UCMJ for sexual assault offenses should not be changed.

This document is the Response Systems Panel’s Subcommittee on the Role of the Commander’s initial assessment, issued on November 6, 2013, and stating that none of the military justice systems of U.S. Allies was changed or set up to deal with the problem of sexual assault and none can attribute any changes in the reporting of sexual assault as a result of changing the role of the commander. The Panel found no indication that the removal of the commander from the decision making process resulted in an increase in reporting and there is nothing in the experiences of the U.S. foreign Allies that suggests adopting their systems as a model will have any impact on the reporting of sexual assaults.

The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault issued this inaugural report and announced a series of actions to help address the problem and ensure victims know they are not alone. The Task Force was established to strengthen federal enforcement efforts and provide schools with additional tools to identify the scope of the problem, help combat sexual assault on their campuses, and respond when a student is assaulted.

This report analyzes the most recent, reliable data about rape and sexual assault in the United States. It also cites DoD efforts over the past year, in collaboration with the White House, to develop a set of executive actions, legislative proposals, and training programs to more effectively prevent and respond to sexual assault in the military.