Why am I angry again?
I’m angry. Again.
What the hell is wrong with our military? How can it keep recruiting so many bad apples? And why does it keep promoting them into the most senior positions? Simple. It’s paying lip service to the most insidious and unacceptable behaviour plaguing the military: sexual violence against women.
The news has been full of stories about how the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is serious about stamping out sexual misconduct and assault. Yeah, right. This isn’t going to happen. Why? Because there are just too many men who benefit from it. And how do I know? Because I’ve seen it first-hand.
I spent 23 years in the UK military, 15 years of those with Special Forces including training women to work undercover as part of 14 Intelligence Group, the most dangerous job in the UK military. Since then, I’ve been deployed with CAF on numerous missions and the one thing that surprised me constantly was the number of allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. I never came across this in the UK military. Now I can see why. The misogyny and predatory behaviour of some CAF personnel has created a toxic environment where women are raped, demeaned, and harassed and their attackers are not brought to justice. Women are systematically made to feel that they are the problem and that speaking out won’t change anything, in fact, it will make things worse. For women, CAF is an unsafe employer. Back in the day, I loved that feeling as a soldier of knowing that the people in my unit had my back no matter what the enemy was throwing at me. It’s a shame it’s not the same for women when they’re too busy checking over their shoulder, making sure they’re safe from their own side.
There’s no place for sexual harassment or assault anywhere in society, and I expect the military to hold itself to the very highest standards. Instead, this last week I found myself shouting at the TV as I listened to reports of Maj. Jonathon Hamilton, who had been on trial in 2017 for the sexual assault of Capt. Annalise Schamuhn. Our training is all about control in the most extreme situations. Rape is a weapon of war and Hamilton was prepared to use it against one of our own. This is not the behaviour of anyone in the military.
To make it worse, Hamilton’s behaviour was indirectly condoned by the Commander of Special Forces at the time, Maj. General Peter Dawe (who has this week stood down) and, subsequently, Lt.-Col. Scott MacGregor and Col. Jason Adair. These officers were in the chain of command providing the court with character statements for Hamilton, citing his ability as an ‘innate leader’ and PTSD as mitigating factors. The judge stated that this influenced his decision not to send Hamilton to prison. Schamuhn has since gone public to tell people what happened to her. She was forced to leave her military career because her employer had put the career of her attacker above her right to be safe in her own home and job. Schamuhn did nothing wrong but all the attention was on supporting Hamilton because the military didn’t want to lose him. He was released and went on to sexually assault another woman before he was finally sent to prison. Too little, too late.
My instinct would have been to give Hamilton a bloody nose and dishonourable discharge. But then I’d be accused of over-reacting. I don’t care. Sexual violence, abuse and harassment is wrong. Period.
Dawe says he sent the letter to explain Hamilton’s PTSD and military career. I call BS. Millions of men have mental health conditions and don’t sexually assault women. It demeans people with mental health needs and turns women into objects for men to abuse at will. The military has got to face up to issues of poor judgement, lack of integrity and institutionalised sexism. Until it does, people with a poor moral compass and inadequate leadership skills will continue to be promoted to the most senior ranks where their poor judgement will harm women and men alike.
And all of this is against the embarrassing failures of Operation Honour. When the CDS, General Jonathan Vance, initiated Operation Honour in 2015 he stated the mission was to eliminate sexual harassment. This was like putting the fox in the hen house. Vance himself was one of those very men who was enjoying the protection of the military to engage in sexual misconduct. At best this appointment was an error of judgement by CAF, at worst it was another way of deliberately hushing up the endemic abuse of women.
Add in a few more high-profile cases, like Admiral Art McDonald stepping aside as Chief of the Defence Staff after military police launched an investigation into a decade-old allegation of inappropriate behaviour, and the unpleasant stench of something rotten in the military leadership gets stronger.
So, this week, Defence Minister, Harjit Sajjan, announced that the Canadian government will appoint retired Supreme Court Justice, Louise Arbour, to carry out an independent review of the military’s handling of sexual assault, harassment, and other misconduct.
Why waste the money?
The last review took 18 months to complete and virtually nothing has improved. In the five years since it was published, it has been reported that there has been 581 cases of sexual misconduct or assault. This doesn’t sound like a commitment to change.
Change means being uncomfortable, admitting you’re wrong and actually doing something about it. I’ve said and done stupid things over the years but I’ve never intended to hurt or offend anyone. I’ve been part of a culture that encourages banter and teasing and that’s part of what makes the military a great place to work. But when I’ve screwed up and crossed the line, I’ve apologised and put it right. And when I’ve seen other men acting inappropriately I’ve stepped in. Why? Not out of some sense of gallantry but because it’s wrong. Men need to make it clear to other men that this behaviour will not be tolerated. That’s the only way that I can make real change happen.
Lt.-Col. Eleanor Taylor, a shining light of the campaign in Afghanistan, has resigned in disgust at the ongoing failure to tackle the endemic problem of sexual harassment in the Canadian military. It’s no wonder we struggle to promote excellent women into the higher ranks when they’re bullied and harassed throughout their career. It’s almost as if men are frightened of the competition.
We’re wasting one of our greatest military assets by driving women away from serving their country. And when we treat women like sexual objects we’re behaving like the regimes and terrorists we’re so quick to denounce. Would you want to be a woman in the military if your biggest enemy stands shoulder to shoulder with you in every battle? I wouldn’t.
The pervasive abuse of women in the military stinks and it dishonours the uniform I was so proud to wear. Yes, I’m angry and yes, this is just my opinion but if a woman dares to say any of this, she’ll be shot down in flames for just being a woman. So, I’m stepping up and saying it – stop the sexual violence against women, now.
NOTE: Article update 6th May to reflect comments on Hamilton's role within the SF.
References:
Brewster, M (2021) Ottawa launches another external review into sexual misconduct in the military. CBC News · Posted: Apr 29, 2021 12:47 PM ET
Brewster, M, Burke, A, Everson, K (2021) Canada's top military commander steps aside following sexual misconduct claim. CBC News · Posted: Feb 25, 2021 10:56 AM ET
Brewster, M (2021) Military recorded more than 500 sexual assault reports during five-year effort to stamp out misconduct. CBC News · Posted: Apr 29, 2021 4:00 AM ET
Burke, A (2021) Commander of Special Forces apologizes for mishandling military couple's sexual assault case. CBC News · Posted: Apr 30, 2021 11:41 AM ET
Burke, A and Everson, K (2021) Sexual assault victim's family denounces military brass for supporting attacker during sentencing CBC News · Posted: Apr 28, 2021 4:59 PM ET
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/military-sexual-assault-1.6004040
CBC (2015) Gen. Jonathan Vance says sexual harassment 'stops now': Canadian military's new top commander initiates 'Operation Honour' to end sexual misconduct. CBC News · Posted: Jul 23, 2015 12:30 PM ET
Gallant, J (2021) My recommendations will be implemented’: Louise Arbour prepares to review misconduct in Canada’s military. Toronto Star. Fri., April 30, 2021
Alan W. Bell is President of Globe Risk International. He is an internationally renowned expert on threat, risks and vulnerabilities for organizations, providing advice and guidance from the C-suite to the shop floor.
Professional Hiking Guide
3 年Thank you, Mr. Bell, for sharing your thoughts on this most serious matter currently impacting the Canadian Forces. I certainly share your viewpoint but cannot agree that this misogynistic behaviour is limited to Canada’s Armed Forces. I myself spent nearly 28 years in uniform with the CF, initially as an Artillery officer, and later as an Intelligence officer, and served alongside women throughout my career. While I can’t say that I witnessed firsthand any incidents of sexual misconduct during my career, it’s apparent that many did occur. Unfortunately, The first incident of sexual misconduct I recall seeing pre-dated my service in the Regular Force and actually involved UK Forces. I was 15 at the time and on an Army Cadet exchange in the UK that was run in Norfolk and supported by the Royal Anglian Regiment. On the last evening of the course at a party held in the NAAFI, I watched in disbelief as a drunk British soldier with his pants around his ankles, naked and ‘privates’ dangling, ground his hips into the back-end of a rather horrified female soldier from the RCT while the music played. Being an Army Cadet, quite young at the time, and witnessing the behaviour of ‘adult’ soldiers, the thought never crossed my mind that I should report what I (and many others) saw to any authority. I can’t imagine how that woman felt afterwards, or if this was the only time it occurred, but I’m guessing it wasn’t. I believe it’s rather naive to suggest that Canada’s Armed Forces is somehow unique in terms of these reported incidents of sexual misconduct. It’s only a matter of time before similar allegations gain traction in the UK and other Western Nations.
Practicing Sustainable Agriculture
3 年Mr Bell, interesting and thought provoking article. Certainly agree on your points that we need to make some meaningful progress on eliminating sexual violence against women. I certainly wouldn't agree that the UK is any example to follow. I am pretty sure that our allies are watching as this plays out in Canada and anxiously awaiting as the skeletons begin emerge in their respective countries. We are seeing a significant paradigm shift in Canada and as painful as it is, the end result will make us stronger. The reason we are not seeing similar issues in US/UK/Aus isn't because it's not there, its because it hasn't been addressed. What's that saying about glass houses?
Vicar at Church of England
3 年Well said. Thank you
Systems Engineer
3 年After reading this I can 100% agree, you only have to read my recent post after serving 23 years myself to know what I have recently gone through.