Despicable Decisions in U.S. Army Military District Washington: Episode One

Did You Know: In violation of victim privacy considerations outlined in Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 6495.02 , senior leadership in Joint Task Force-National Capital Region & U.S. Army Military District of Washington (JTF-NCR & USA MDW), often require that unit Sexual Assault Response Coordinators (SARC) brief their sexual assault and sexual assault whistleblower retaliation cases to all members of the monthly Case Management Group (CMG) (the Army SARB) regardless of the members’ official need to know.

Here are some potential implications of these facts:

1. Sexual assault victims who are already suffering from the physical, emotional, and psychological negative effects of Military Sexual Trauma must bear the burden of these gross violations of their privacy, possibly including wide knowledge of details of the assault(s).
2. Sexual assault victims / sexual assault whistleblowers risk enduring additional retaliation, reprisal, ostracism, isolation, name-calling, threats, and other forms of bullying / intimidation from unsympathetic members of their peer group when details of their case are “accidentally” disclosed by CMG members…in a Class Six parking lot, for example…and the victims’ unsympathetic peers overhear the disclosures.
3. The commander of the alleged offender, if different than the alleged victim’s commander, risks consciously or unconsciously biasing their judgment in a way that threatens the integrity of an investigation and subsequent command decisions concerning a just resolution of the case.
4. CMG members without an official need to know will have access to information concerning the alleged sexual assault / sexual assault whistleblower retaliation victim that could enable future reprisal / retaliation if / when the alleged victim moves to that CMG members’ unit.
5. Depending on the sympathies of the CMG members, an alleged offender risks a large group of senior military personnel (without an official need to know) forever viewing them as guilty of sexual assault even if proven innocent upon completion of an investigation.

If you feel that you have been a victim of these types of concerns, feel free to reach out privately at [email protected] , or share your story in the comments.

PETITIONS:

1. SIGN THIS PETITION urging the Supreme Court of the United States to hear the case of Staff Sergeant Ryan Carter who was paralyzed from the chest down following a routine surgery at Walter Reed.
2. SIGN THIS PETITION demanding that our leaders in Congress change the DoD’s unjust administrative investigatory system.
3. SIGN THIS PETITION demanding real anti-harassment reform in the Military and Coast Guard now.

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Graphic Information: Left to Right – MG Trevor Bredenkamp, Commanding General, JTF-NCR & USA MDW; SGM Veronica Knapp, former (until mid-August 2024) Command Sergeant Major, JTF-NCR & USA MDW; Makumbu (Mak) Malukisa, Principle (Lead) Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), JTF-NCR & USA MDW.

LTC (Ret) Francesca Graham (Retired, Army – United States Military Academy), COO & Chief Advisor with the Walk the Talk Foundation, authored this article. Facts for this article were provided by a source with intimate knowledge of JTF-NCR & USA MDW processes who wishes to remain anonymous due to fears of retaliation.