JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
Dr. Paul Garst, Department of the Navy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (DON-SAPRO) deputy director, and his team conducted a site visit June 7 at Naval Technical Training Center Lackland here.
The DON-SAPRO serves as the Secretary of the Navy’s subject matter expert and primary advisor on sexual assault prevention and response, or SAPR, matters. One of the office’s key functions is to maintain visibility and oversight of SAPR programs and activities across the Navy and Marine Corps.
The office conducts site visits worldwide which often include leadership meetings, interviews with key stakeholders and focus group conversations with Sailors and Marines. The insights gained from site visits are critical to developing DON policies and initiatives.
"For Team Lackland and our Sailors to have the ability to talk and discuss sexual assault with the experts from Washington D.C. on our campus today is a big step forward in eliminating sexual assault," Cmdr. Jeffrey Martin, NTTC Lackland Commanding Officer, said while welcoming the DON-SAPRO Team. "Having daily candid conversations about sexual assault, from our most junior Sailors to the most senior military and civilian officials, will help ensure our deck plates cultivate an atmosphere of treating each other with dignity and respect. Our Navy and Marine Corps Team is better equipped to combat sexual assault today, thanks to the hard work of the DON-SAPRO team."
The visit included discussions with command leadership, SAPR Victim Advocates and the command Sexual Assault Response Coordinator. The visit also included a walk-through of the barracks and training facilities, as well as focus groups for Sailors E-4 and below.
"You guys have a lot to be proud of; keep doing what you are doing," Garst said. "The challenge is sustaining that level of effort. Especially in training environments where you have so much turnover that makes it a massive effort you cannot let up on. It’s all about protecting Sailors from harm, helping them develop and succeed, and building the most capable Navy for the future."
Garst also pointed out the master-at-arms community is a vital Navy community and one that must embody integrity, reliability and the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment. He cited these qualities as being at the heart of how Navy and Marine Corps personnel must work together to prevent sexual assault.
"We must never be tolerant of sexual assault," Garst said. "In addition, while it’s important to combat sexual assault in its own right, it also turns out the most critical tools for preventing sexual assault are really the values, attitudes and personal behaviors that have even broader importance for both our Navy and our society."
"Honor, courage and commitment are more than just words," Garst added. "We have a responsibility to protect each other from harm, to support people who have been harmed, to act responsibly with alcohol, and to embody healthy relationships both at work and in our intimate personal lives. Those are keys to preventing sexual assault, and they are also keys to succeeding in life."
For more details about the Department of the Navy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, visit http://www.secnav.navy.mil/sapro/pages/default.aspx. For more about the Navy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program, visit http://www.public.navy.mil/BUPERS-NPC/SUPPORT/21ST_CENTURY_SAILOR/SAPR/Pages/default2.aspx.