A review by the Defense Department Inspector General found that the military is doing a poor job of implementing its expedited transfer policy, through which sexual assault victims can request to transfer to other units and installations. (Alexander Frank/U.S. Air National Guard)
The U.S. military is doing a poor job of expediting sexual assault victims’ requests to transfer to other units and installations, according to the Defense Department’s watchdog agency.
A review of DOD’s expedited transfer policy found that military branches didn’t process more than half of requested transfers in the recommended timeframe or record all relevant data in appropriate sexual assault databases, the Inspector General’s office said in a statement Thursday.
“Without proper oversight, the (department) cannot guarantee that the Expedited Transfer program is effectively assisting sexual assault survivors in their recovery,” Inspector General Robert Storch said.
The military’s transfer policy allows victims to switch to a new unit on their installation or relocate to a new base. The aim is to ensure that service members can work without fear of ostracism or retaliation, the IG said.
Commanders must either approve or deny the transfer request within five calendar days.
Factors taken into consideration include whether a sexual assault report is deemed credible by considering the advice of the supporting judge advocates or other legal advisers.
Between fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the services received 1,735 expedited transfer requests, approving 1,689 of them.
The IG concluded that slightly more than 50% of transfers didn’t meet DOD’s recommended timelines, which call for one week to process a local transfer and 30 days to process permanent change of station transfers.
Investigators couldn’t determine whether the services had transferred 144 people in accordance with DOD timelines because they didn’t ensure that accurate information was entered into relevant databases on time.
The IG made a series of recommendations, which included having DOD clarify the processing timeline to the services, identifying exceptions to policy when those timelines aren’t followed and improving databases for more accurate tracking of cases.
DOD took issue with some of the criticism, saying that circumstances may prevent transfers from being completed on time.
The department argued that the policy is designed to “give flexibility to the commander and the victim based on circumstances related to the needs of the victim and the mission.”
The IG rejected that argument, saying that while circumstances may complicate compliance with timelines, those issues need to be documented and reviewed to ensure that policy guidelines are met.
“The intent of the recommendation is not to limit the flexibility of the victim or commander, but to ensure that timelines are consistently adhered to unless an authorized circumstance for a delay, such as the preference of the victim, is documented and approved by the appropriate official,” the IG said.
