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

Did You Know: In violation of victim privacy considerations outlined in 5 U.S. Code § 552a and 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), directed unit-level Sexual Assault Response Coordinators (SARCs) to distribute Sexual Assault Incident Response Oversight (SAIRO) Reports to personnel not authorized to receive these reports, in accordance with Defense-Type Memorandum 14-007.

Here are some potential implications of these facts:

1. ?JTF-NCR & USA MDW leadership deliberately and egregiously violated alleged sexual assault victim privacy, a violation that often leads to additional victim traumatization, including reprisal and retaliation.
2. JTF-NCR & USA MDW leadership forced unit-level SARCs (often junior non-commissioned officers) to choose between their career by following the directive to violate the alleged victim’s privacy, or to refuse the directive and thus risk facing reprisal / retaliation for not following senior leader orders.
3. If the SARC chose to follow the directive, JTF-NCR & USA MDW leadership forced the SARCs into behavior complicit in these violations of victim privacy and thus complicit in the immediate institutional betrayal of the alleged victim.
4. Through this complicity, JTF-NCR & USA MDW leadership wittingly violated the trust that the alleged sexual assault victim placed in the SARC when they reported the alleged incident.
5. If / when the alleged victim discovers this violation of their privacy, they will likely encourage members in their formation not to report an alleged sexual assault given a realistic and likely visceral lack of trust in their leadership. Thus, sexual predators will continue their depraved behavior in the DoD.

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 are provided by a source with intimate knowledge of JTF-NCR & USA MDW processes who wishes to remain anonymous due to fears of retaliation.