For Leaders and Chaplains

When someone tells you

Know your role before they share details

Unless you're a chaplain, you are not a confidential resource, and depending on your position you may be required to report what you learn. Before someone gives you details, it's fair to say so and offer to connect them with a SARC, SAPR victim advocate, or chaplain, who can talk confidentially. Telling a commander does not by itself prevent the person from filing a restricted report, but it can lead to an investigation.

Make sure they're safe. Ask if they're in danger or need medical care right now. Call 911 if needed.
Listen and believe. "Thank you for telling me. I believe you, and I'm going to help you get support."
Don't investigate. Don't ask for details, question the timeline, or interview witnesses. That's the job of trained investigators.
Connect them to a SARC or victim advocate right away. Offer to make the call with them. The DoD Safe Helpline (877-995-5247) can find the local SARC any time.
Protect their privacy. Share only with people who must know under policy. Don't discuss it with the unit.
Follow up. Check on them, support appointments and time off for care, and watch for retaliation.

Chaplains

Communications with a chaplain are confidential, but chaplains cannot take an official report. You can listen, provide support, and help the person connect with a SARC if they choose.

Spouses, partners, and children

If the person who caused harm is a spouse or intimate partner, or a child was harmed, connect them with the Family Advocacy Program instead of SAPR. Child abuse must be reported to law enforcement and child protective services.

Who decides on prosecution

Since December 2023, independent Offices of Special Trial Counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute sexual assault and certain other serious offenses. Commanders still own safety, support, unit climate, and preventing retaliation.

Stop retaliation before it starts

Reprisal and ostracism are prohibited

Retaliation can come from leaders or peers: being frozen out, gossip, unfair duty assignments, poor evaluations, or online harassment. It drives people away from reporting and can be reported in its own right.

Don't treat the person differently in duties or evaluations because they reported.
Shut down gossip and speculation in the unit.
Don't confront the accused yourself or take sides publicly. Let the process work.
If you see or hear of retaliation, act on it and tell the SARC or legal counsel.

Build a healthy unit climate

Set the tone

Don't tolerate jokes about assault or degrading talk.
Make it known that people can come to you and that you'll connect them to help.
Post SARC and Safe Helpline contacts where people can see them.

Watch the risks

Plan unit events with alcohol carefully: safe rides, no pressure to drink.
Model appropriate boundaries with subordinates. Rank changes the room.
Encourage bystander intervention and recognize people who step in.

Facilitator guide: a 45-minute unit discussion

Use this outline for a small-group conversation. It works best with 8 to 20 people, in a setting where people can talk honestly.

Before you start

Assume some participants are survivors. Tell everyone they can step out at any time, no questions asked.
Invite your SARC or victim advocate to attend, or at least have their contact information ready to share.
Say clearly: "Nobody needs to share personal experiences. If you want to talk about something that happened, I'll connect you with someone confidential afterward."
Unless you're a chaplain, remind the group that you aren't a confidential resource.

Open (5 minutes). Explain why you're having the conversation and the ground rules above.
The standard (10 minutes). Read the Article 120 definition: “A freely given agreement to the conduct at issue by a competent person.” Ask: What makes agreement “freely given”? What makes someone unable to consent? Use the When to stop section on the home page.
Scenarios (20 minutes). Work through two or three of the scenarios below in small groups, then share answers.
Step in (5 minutes). Review the four ways to intervene: Direct, Distract, Delegate, Delay.
Close (5 minutes). Share SARC, victim advocate, chaplain, and DoD Safe Helpline contacts. Remind people of the restricted reporting option and that retaliation won't be tolerated.

Scenarios

Scenario 1 · Barracks party

At a party, a junior service member has had far too much to drink and can barely stand. Another member says, “I've got her, I'll take her back to her room,” and starts walking her down the hall.

Discuss: Can she consent to anything right now? What are the warning signs? What could you do, and who could you get to help?

Scenario 2 · Rank

A staff sergeant keeps texting a private in their section, asking them out after being told “no thanks.” The private is worried about upcoming evaluations.

Discuss: How does rank affect the private's ability to say no? What rules apply? What should a peer or another leader do?

Scenario 3 · Relationship

Two service members have been dating for months. One comes home late after drinking and initiates sex while the other is asleep.

Discuss: Does the relationship mean there's consent? What does Article 120 say about someone who is asleep?

Scenario 4 · Group chat

Someone posts an intimate photo of a fellow service member in the unit group chat. A few people react with laughing emojis.

Discuss: What harm does this cause? What should people in the chat do? Who should be told?

Facilitator notes for the scenarios

1: Someone who is incapacitated by alcohol cannot consent. Intervene: get her friends, stay with her, involve the duty NCO. “Helping” someone to a room can be the moment an assault happens.

2: Repeated advances after a no are harassment. Rank creates pressure that makes a free choice hard, and service rules on relationships and fraternization may apply. Peers can support the private and encourage them to talk to a SARC, equal opportunity advisor, or another leader.

3: A dating or marital relationship is not consent. Article 120 states that a sleeping person cannot consent.

Which program applies to 3: If the two are spouses or live together as intimate partners, the Family Advocacy Program handles it, not SAPR. A SARC or FAP victim advocate can sort out which applies.

4: Sharing intimate images without consent is a crime under the UCMJ (Article 117a) and most state laws. Don't forward, download, or save the image. Report it to leadership or law enforcement, noting where and when it was posted without copying the image, and support the person pictured. If it may show someone under 18, report it to NCMEC's CyberTipline.

Sources

Last updated October 20, 2026. Educational adaptation; no legal or clinical review is claimed.

Lead the way