CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – This week, the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee released the results of a three-month examination. And while the report was focused on the Army post in Texas, the report also included numbers on the pervasiveness of sexual assaults at Fort Campbell.
The 136-page Report of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee released on Tuesday includes findings and recommendations intended to benefit Fort Hood and the entire Army, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Defense.
The review committee, directed by Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy, included five civilian members. Catalyzed by the murder of 20-year-old Spc. Vanessa Guillén in April at Fort Hood, the study reviewed the base’s command climate and culture, as well as surrounding civilian communities to include Clarksville, Tennessee and Killeen, Texas, which is home to Fort Hood.
Fort Campbell was included in many of the statistical charts as a means of comparing the findings of sexual assault and the cultures that allow it at Fort Hood.
Findings at Fort Campbell
Across the board, sexual assault and harassment reports are up in the military, according to the report:
In the DOD annual report of sexual assaults 2019 it was reported that in FY 2019 the Military Services received a total of 1,021 formal sexual harassment complaints. The number of sexual assault reports from service members increased by 3%, from 6,053 in FY18 to 6,236 in FY19.
The first mention of Fort Campbell in is in reference to the percentage of first-term, enlisted soldiers who have founded sex offenses. The committee’s findings concluded that at least .69% of first-term enlisted soldiers have founded sex offenses at Fort Campbell, compared to the .77% of enlisted at Fort Hood.
Additionally, Fort Campbell was found to have the longest time between preferral of charges – which in military-speak equates to an indictment – and trial termination, with an average of 235 days per case of sexual harassment or assault. Comparatively, Fort Hood’s process took on average 210 days.
Granted, the report states that across all posts evaluated, the completion times for sexual harassment cases were on average much shorter than that of sexual assault cases.
However, Fort Campbell did score well when looking at handling and management of diversity, inclusion and sex discriminations. Fort Campbell ranked first, third and second respectively in those target areas of the posts that were evaluated.
Fort Campbell also ranked the second highest in their handling of racial discriminations, only behind Fort Bragg, North Carolina in the years 2017 to 2019.
“Fort Campbell soldiers, civilians and their families deserve a safe and healthy environment in which to live and work. To do that, it’s important that leaders at all levels continually reassess the programs we’ve established to address serious issues, such as sexual assault,” said Lt. Col. Charles Barrett, the public affairs officer for Fort Campbell.
These programs include the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Program Office. The SHARP office is part of the the Army’s efforts in the prevention of and response to sexual harassment, sexual assault and associated retaliatory behaviors, according to their website.
“Fort Campbell takes all allegations of soldier wrongdoing seriously, and we do our due diligence to investigate and determine the facts of each incident. Further, we will implement and follow all guidance established by the Army as a result of the Fort Hood report,” Barrett said.
Factors to consider
A 2018 study conducted by the Department of Defense projected that only 38% of service-members who have been assaulted report it to their commanders or other authority figures, so the actuality of these numbers is likely much higher.
Also for context purposes, Fort Hood is housed on the outskirts of Killeen, Texas, and the city population was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to be 151,666 in 2019. Comparatively, Clarksville’s population that same year was estimated to be 158,146, despite being nearly double the land area of Killeen.
The report also included the violent crime rate per 100,000 of the population for both cities housing their respective bases in the year 2018. Clarksville’s violent crime rate was nearly double that of Killeen’s.
These facts are also reflected in the findings published by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program for the year 2018:
- The Clarksville, Tennessee crime rate for 2018 was 666.18 per 100,000 of the population, representing a 6.82% increase from 2017.
- The Killeen, Texas crime rate for 2018 was 389.85 per 100,000 of the population, representing a 49.12% decline from 2017.
According to Barrett, there are 27,000 soldiers stationed at Fort Campbell. At Fort Hood, there are close to 37,000 active duty soldiers, according to their website.