FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Oct. 3, 2012) -- Senior leaders from throughout U.S. Army Forces Command held an open forum Wednesday on the welfare of Soldiers within the command. One theme resonated -- whatever they do, it's important that Soldiers get the help they need.
Topics discussed during the Health of the Force Panel at the Oct. 2-3 FORSCOM Commander's Forum included suicides, hazing, substance abuse, family violence, criminal behavior, sexual assault and leadership responsibility.
At the forefront of the discussion was proposed regulation that, if approved, will allow commanders to have better visibility of crimes committed by Soldiers, with the intent of reducing risks to units.
Maj. Gen. David E. Quantock, Army Provost Marshall General, participating in the panel by video teleconference, said the goal isn't to target Soldiers for discharge, but "to get the Soldiers help" and mitigate crimes throughout the Army.
Quantock highlighted four areas that the Army should look at: controlling what happens in Soldiers' dorms, better educating new enlistees of dangers, getting leaders more involved in Soldiers' lives and teaching units to use law enforcement services more effectively.
Quantock said 50 percent of sexual assaults in the Army happen in the barracks within the first 18 months of Soldiers arriving at their first duty assignments. The majority involve alcohol. Controlling the barracks and providing better sponsorship of new Soldiers could help alleviate some of the assaults by making these young Soldiers more aware of their surroundings.
He touted the need for "24/7 leadership," saying that Army leaders need to get involved in their Soldiers' lives not just when they are at work. And, he said, leaders often aren't always aware of services offered by law enforcement that focus on pre-emptive resources such as sexual assault prevention classes that can help lessen the risk factors.
"At the end of the day, they are the ones that are going to have to get the Soldiers to the help that they need," Quantock said.
In addition to crime, the panel discussed commanders' needs to assess Soldiers' fitness for duty, physically and mentally.
Brig. Gen. Brian Lein, FORSCOM Surgeon, cautioned that there is fine line between what leaders need to know and their right to privacy. Some information, he said, is protected under privacy laws. "It's very clear on what commanders are authorized to have," he said. "If it affects the ability of a Soldier to perform his job or duties, the commander has a right to know the information."
Other discussion items:
• Col. Richard A. Juergens, FORSCOM Inspector General, noted that he is seeing some recurring themes in relation to hazing. Most of the hazing stems from unit initiation traditions get out of hand. Improper use of corrective training, "the idea of smoking Soldiers," is not acceptable.
• Brig. Gen. Kelly J. Thomas, deputy chief of staff, G1, said that the command is reassessing its target for suicide prevention. Once geared mainly toward young enlisted ranks, he said suicide trends are showing that focus needs to also be placed across all ranks and civilians, too. Relationships, finances, alcohol and substance abuse continue to be cited as problems. "With suicide prevention, our targeted audiences have to encompass all of us in our next phases," he said.
The Forum, held semi-annually, is an opportunity for commanders, senior enlisted leaders, members of the FORSCOM staff and select representatives from other Army commands and organizations to meet and exchange ideas and information to better lead, man, train, equip, maintain and resource FORSCOM units to ensure they are prepared to support geographic combatant commanders, at home and abroad.
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