May 13, 2021

Duckworth Secures Commitment from Wormuth to Prioritize Addressing the Rise of Extremism in the Ranks, Army’s SHARP Program

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is Chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, secured commitments from the Honorable Christine Wormuth, President Biden’s nominee to be Secretary of the Amy, to address extremism in the military and improve the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program during her confirmation hearing today. Video of the Senator’s remarks can be found here.

“After meeting with Christine Wormuth and participating in her confirmation hearing today, I’m confident that her extensive defense policy experience and knowledge position her well to take on the role of Secretary of the Army. If confirmed, Christine would be the first woman to serve in this role—a long overdue move that will help ensure that women’s voices are heard at the highest levels across our military. I was pleased to gain commitments from her on addressing the rise of extremism in the military as well as undertake efforts to improve the SHARP program, and I urge my colleagues to swiftly confirm her.”

Duckworth spoke with Wormuth earlier this week and discussed how to better sustain our forces in the Indo-Pacific region, capitalize on lessons learned from programs like Future Vertical Lift, counter extremism in the military and improve the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program. Last year, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) accepted Duckworth’s request to conduct an independent review of the Army’s implementation and effectiveness of its SHARP program. Duckworth requested this review after the murder of Private First Class (PFC) Vanessa Guillén and the subsequent outpouring from servicemembers sharing stories of sexual harassment, sexual assault and lack of confidence in their ability to get justice.

Duckworth was one of the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring from military service in 2014 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. She served on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) during her four years serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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