However, the recommendation of training males and females separately at the beginning of their military careers is regressive and does not remedy the problems that led to the formation of this committee. While I was harassed on several occasions and assaulted once, none of those incidents occurred during training. Women are harassed throughout their military careers and at all ranks. Gender integrated training was endorsed by general officers in the Army, Navy and Air Force at the Senate hearing on this issue last June. Training men and women together enhances military effectiveness.
Women are a critical part of our military forces.
The Army and Navy noticed a decline in complaints of sexual harassment after they began gender-integrated basic training several years ago. In February the top enlisted man in the Army went on trial, accused by six women of sexual misconduct. The military is an autocratic, closed environment that is very capable of enforcing rules and demanding discipline. When the military leadership chooses to lead by example and exercises the will to educate, investigate, adjudicate, and eliminate sexual harassment and misconduct, then we will see a precipitous decline in its incidence. Over the last 25 years women have increased from 2 percent to 13. 5 percent of military personnel.