User:Rebekah.a.epps/Military sexual trauma

Lead Section
Military sexual trauma (MST) is an established term implemented by the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to identify the unique emotional and physical manifestations from physical sexual assault or sexual harassment while serving as an active duty, active duty for training, inactive duty training service member. MST also includes military sexual assault (MSA) and military sexual harassment (MSH). MST is not a clinical diagnosis. It is an identifier that labels the particular circumstances a survivor incurred during their sexual assault or sexual harassment.

Public interest in Sexual assault in the United States military has been under scrutiny since the allegations of the Tailhook scandal came to light in 1991. The Aberdeen scandal

in 1996 exposed sexual assault of Army recruits. In 2004 the Department of Defense (DOD) launched a task force that identified that service members who had faced sexual assault and harassment while deployed were in need of specialized medical treatments. As a result of these findings, the DOD created the Sexual Assault Prevention Response (US military) and ignited efforts to prevent, educate, provide adequate medical care for survivors and accountability for perpetrators.

Culture
The culture of the armed forces has been suspect in the cultivation of MST. Beginning with training, new troops are doctrinated with qualities that promote the benefit of the unit and the mission. Emphasized are trust, teamwork, self sacrifice, loyalty, with a focus placed on mental and physical resilience. These indoctrinated beliefs have been shown to compound the trauma of sexual assault and harassment experienced in the military. The confined environment of the military provide fluid lines between service members as individuals and family. Survivors of MST report that the betrayal of a close comrade and consequences of continuing to have to work and sometimes live in close proximity with their perpetrator leads to further violence or denied access to support. In 2013, the Feres doctrine was used in a ruling that rape could be considered an acceptable hazard of serving in the military. The military is subject to different rules than the laws and rules that govern civilian. This can lead to an environment where reporting is discouraged or prohibited by other service members. The reluctance of service members in reporting sexual assault or sexual harassment were exposed in the investigation to the command of Ft. Hood following the Killing of Vanessa Guillén.

Distinct Characteristics of MST
In 2017, a study found that MST increases the chances a female survivor will become a victim of Intimate partner violence (IPV). A report published in 2018 revealed that survivors of MST were susceptible to eating disorders.

Legislation
Recent efforts by oversight committees have sought to repeal the Uniform Code of Military Justice that allows the military to govern itself. The Military Reform Bill of 2016 sought to implement change with in the military justice system to increase effectiveness of military justice. In January 2020, article 93A was introduced to the UCMJ to provide harsher punishment for service members who serve in a position of power who abuse the trust of the junior subordinates, to include sexual misconduct. Article 132 added rules towards protecting service members reporting acts of misconduct. A bill proposed in 2017, the Military Justice Improvement Act, proposes that independent prosecution be sought for offenses committed in the military that are of more serious nature.