Summary: A GAO survey found widespread sexual harassment at the nation's military academies, with between 93 and 97 percent of female students reporting some form of sexual harassment in 1991. The most common forms of harassment were derogatory personal comments and suggestions that standards had been lowered for women. GAO found a strong link between harassment and stress. The academies generally have complied with the minimum requirements the Defense Department has set for programs to eliminate sexual harassment. Inspectors General have yet, however, to expressly review sexual harassment prevention and education at the academies. Moreover, none of the academies has developed usable data to assess whether their sexual harassment eradication programs are working. In reviewing the efforts of other organizations, GAO noted several approaches to preventing sexual harassment that may prove effective at the academies. GAO summarized this report in testimony before Congress; see: DOD Service Academies: Further Efforts Needed to Eradicate Sexual Harassment, by Mark E. Gebicke, Director of Military Operations and Capabilities Issues, before the Subcommittee on Force Requirements and Personnel, Senate Committee on Armed Services. GAO/T-NSIAD-94-111, Feb. 3, 1994 (12 pages).
