[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 17, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S2838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




REPORT OF THE CONGRESSIONAL COMMISSION ON MILITARY TRAINING AND GENDER-
                             RELATED ISSUES

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I want to make note of a report that 
came out today that is one, I think, we are going to be seeing and 
hearing quite a bit more about in the U.S. Senate. It was a report of 
the Congressional Commission on Military Training and Gender-Related 
Issues.
  I rise today to briefly comment on the status of the report and the 
testimony that was submitted today by the members of the Congressional 
Commission on Military Training and Gender-Related Issues, a hearing 
that took place in the House Armed Services Committee. While not the 
final report of this commission, the initial report does give 
indications as to their findings and, I think, warrants some discussion 
in the U.S. Senate.
  A number of Members will recall, last year we had a spirited 
discussion about gender-integrated barracks during basic training. The 
discussion was centered around issues of, is this the most effective 
way to train our young men and women in the services, to have gender-
integrated barracks? These are young men and women just entering into 
the military. They are going through basic training. There are a lot of 
difficult issues that they are facing, as they are being trained into a 
fighting force. Then on top of that, we put them in the same barracks 
together at night, after they have been side by side during the day. 
Ask yourself, are you going to be asking for problems if you have got 
young men and women who are put into the same barracks, right after a 
long day, next to each other with not a lot of other diversions at 
night?
  We have had, unfortunately, a report of many instances of sexual 
harassment that have taken place, and worse, in these gender-integrated 
barracks. I am not speaking about basic training. I am talking about 
the barracks.
  The report that came out today notes some progress in improving that 
sexual harassment and other problems that we have experienced with 
gender-integrated barracks during basic training, but it still invites 
the question of, why do we even ask for any problems at all? They are 
saying, the problem level is down, but why are we asking for problems 
at all by having these integrated barracks during basic training? Why 
don't we separate the genders during basic training? That was the point 
that a number of us made last year. A lot of people thought, let's put 
it off until this report. The report notes we have some progress, but 
we still have problems.
  I think this hearing that was held today and the preliminary report 
that was issued merit a full hearing taking place in the U.S. Senate 
Armed Services Committee to review this very issue. Is this the best 
way? Is this the right way, and is this the way that is leading to more 
problems than we need to confront of the current policy of integrating 
the sexes in their barracks during basic training?
  I think not. We will continue to have problems we just do not need to 
invite. I hope that the Senate will take this on as a serious problem 
as we start to deal with the report that comes out today.

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