LTC Francesca Graham (Army – United States Military Academy), Director of Operations, Joint Staff, J2X, authored this article. The opinions and views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not represent the official policies, positions, or endorsements of the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, or any other government entity. (Published February 3rd, 2024)
Did You Know: If a Soldier who supports the Defense intelligence Agency alleges wrongdoing by a DoD civilian, the Commander of the DIA Army Element will not provide the Soldier written counseling concerning spotting and reporting reprisal / retaliation, as required in AR 600-20, Army Command Policy. Of note, DIA consists of approximately 70% civilian personnel and 30% military personnel.
Here are some potential implications of this fact:
- Soldiers who support the DIA are made more vulnerable to organizational reprisal / retaliation due to the Army Element commander’s decision not to counsel Soldiers on the laws, policies, and regulations governing reprisal / retaliation, including, 10 U.S.C. 1034, DoDI 7050.09, DoDD 7050.06, AR 600-20, and specifically related to sexual assault and sexual harassment, 10 USC 1562a.
- By avoiding potentially hard future discussions with DIA senior officers concerning allegations of reprisal / retaliation, the commander protects their own career by not questioning DIA’s legally acknowledged toxic leadership culture.
- Given the lack of command involvement and protection, Soldiers who make a complaint against a DoD (DIA) civilian must attempt to protect themselves from reprisal / retaliation, a near impossible task. (To make a complaint is an individual sport: To reprise / retaliate is an organizational sport.)
- Fellow Service Members and fellow DoD (DIA) civilians who see a complainant enduring reprisal / retaliation quickly learn that the only way for a military or civilian career to survive in the DIA is to stay silent.
- This silence could affect at least three outcomes: (1) perpetrators of bad behavior have a permissive environment to behave badly, (2) people outside of DIA, including the President, members of Congress, and future DIA personnel (military and civilian) are unaware of the scope and scale of DIA’s organizational problems, and (3) DIA’s overall readiness to provide defense intelligence decreases.
A question to ask yourself is if the potential impacts outlined above are worth it to our Nation, or if POTUS, our Congress, and our senior leaders in DoD should demand more to ensure that DIA has a healthy organizational culture and is ready to provide the strategic warning our Nation demands of it.
If you feel that you have been a victim of this “Did You Know” highlight, or if you would like to see an example of a Commander’s Reprisal Plan, feel free to reach out privately or share your story in the comments.