Deputy Director, Department of the Navy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (DON-SAPRO), Dr. Paul Garst, and his team conducted a site visit at Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC) Lackland June 7.

The DON-SAPRO serves as the Secretary of the Navy's subject matter expert and primary advisor on sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR) matters. One of the office's key functions is to maintain visibility and oversight of SAPR programs and activities across the Navy and Marine Corps.

The office conducts site visits worldwide that often include leadership meetings, interviews with key stakeholders, and focus group conversations with Sailors and Marines. The insights gained from site visits are critical to developing DON policies and initiatives.

"For Team Lackland and our Sailors to have the ability to talk and discuss sexual assault with the experts from Washington, D.C. on our campus today is a big step forward in eliminating sexual assault," said NTTC Lackland Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Jeffrey Martin, welcoming the DON-SAPRO Team. "Having daily candid conversations about sexual assault, from our most junior Sailors to the most senior military and civilian officials, will help ensure our deck plates cultivate an atmosphere of treating each other with dignity and respect. Our Navy and Marine Corps team [is] better equipped to combat sexual assault today, thanks to the hard work of the DON-SAPRO Team."

The visit included discussions with command leadership, SAPR victim advocates, and the command Sexual Assault Response Coordinator. The visit also included a walkthrough of the barracks and training facilities, as well as focus groups for Sailors E-4 and below.

"You guys have a lot to be proud of; keep doing what you are doing," said Garst. "The challenge is sustaining that level of effort, especially in training environments where you have so much turnover that makes it a massive effort you cannot let up on. It's all about protecting Sailors from harm, helping them develop and succeed, and building the most capable Navy for the future."

Garst also pointed out that the master-at-arms community is a vital Navy community and one that must embody integrity, reliability, and the Navy's core values of honor, courage, and commitment. He cited these qualities as being at the heart of how Navy and Marine Corps personnel must work together to prevent sexual assault.

"We must never be tolerant of sexual assault," said Garst. "In addition, while it's important to combat sexual assault in its own right, it also turns out the most critical tools for preventing sexual assault are really the values, attitudes, and personal behaviors that have even broader importance for both our Navy and our society."

"Honor, courage, and commitment are more than just words," Garst added. "We have a responsibility to protect each other from harm, to support people who have been harmed, to act responsibly with alcohol, and to embody healthy relationships both at work and in our intimate personal lives. Those are keys to preventing sexual assault, and they are also keys to succeeding in life."

The Center for Security Forces provides specialized training to more than 23,000 students each year. It has 14 training locations across the United States and around the world where training breeds confidence.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more information about the Department of the Navy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, visit http://www.secnav.navy.mil/sapro/pages/default.aspx/.

For more information about the Navy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program, visit http://www.public.navy.mil/BUPERS-NPC/SUPPORT/21ST_CENTURY_SAILOR/SAPR/Pages/default2.aspx/.

For more information about the Center for Security Forces, visit us at http://www.navy.mil/local/csf/ or http://www.facebook.com/CENSECFORHQ/.