 Emergent Leadership Issues Date published 1 January 2017 Master Sergeant Lofton's newest vehicle operator is A1C Nat. Shortly after completing upgrade training, he began reporting to work late and his behavior became erratic and unpredictable. One Saturday night, A1C Nat was involved in a vehicle accident while driving to his dormitory. When the security forces NCO on scene tested him for alcohol, the results were negative. Additionally, a commander-directed drug test was negative as well. Two weeks later, A1C Nat, tasked to drive the wing commander to the airport, didn't report to work. After assigning a replacement operator, Master Sergeant Lofton goes to A1C Nat's dorm room. Master Sergeant Lofton finds him passed out with multiple cans of air duster around his bed. What should Master Sergeant Lofton do? One of the reasons I'm here is to make a difference in someone else's life, Colonel Robert Swanson. Inside this chapter, Importance of ELI, Focus and Intent, ACE Equal Opportunity Program, Equal Opportunity Systems, Defends Equal Opportunity Climate Survey, DEOCS Substance Misuse, Effects of Substance Misuse, Education and Intervention, Influence of Senior Leaders' Attitudes on Substance Misuse, Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Programs and Policies, Developing a Relationship of Trust, Intervene During Emotional Distress, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, Individual Involved in a Sexual Assault, Leadership Roles, Whistle Blower Protections, Impact of ELI, Subordinate Effectiveness, Senior NCO Effectiveness, Mission Effectiveness. Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to Terminal Cognitive Objective, Comprehend Emergent Leadership Issues, Concepts and or their Impact on Subordinate and Mission Effectiveness. Terminal Cognitive Samples of Behavior. 1. Identify Emergent Leadership Issues, Concepts and or their Impact on Subordinate and Mission Effectiveness. 2. Illustrate Emergent Leadership Issues, Concepts and or their Impact on Subordinate and Mission Effectiveness. 3. Predict the Impact of Emergent Leadership Issues, Concepts on Subordinate and Mission Effectiveness. Effective Objective. Value Emergent Leadership Issues and its Impact on Subordinate and Mission Effectiveness. Effective Samples of Behavior. 1. Enthusiastically Dedicate Yourself to Read and Listen to All Material about Emergent Leadership Issues and its Impact on Subordinate and Mission Effectiveness. 2. Voluntarily Complete All Coursework Related to Emergent Leadership Issues and its Impact on Subordinate and Mission Effectiveness. 3. Openly Accept Emergent Leadership Issues and its Impact on Subordinate and Mission Effectiveness. 4. Willingly Develop a Preference for Emergent Leadership Issues and its Impact on Subordinate and Mission Effectiveness. 5. Strive toward a Commitment to Apply Emergent Leadership Issues, Concepts because of their Positive Impact on Subordinate and Mission Effectiveness. Have you ever dealt with an airman in your section battling substance misuse? Has your unit ever been affected by a sexual assault or suicide? Would you know how to handle these situations? Are you more proactive when dealing with these kinds of issues or more reactive? Almost every day we lose airmen, soldiers, sailors and marines to suicide, substance misuse and other adverse behaviors that rob us of our most precious resource, people. Before we can stop the loss of our people, we must first understand the importance of embracing and promoting a wingman culture and the necessity for modeling behaviors that are outside our comfort zones, especially those behaviors that demonstrate seeking help. Effectively leading your organization through emergent leadership issues, ELI, should lessen their negative impact on you, your subordinates, and your mission's effectiveness. You'll begin by covering the purpose behind this chapter and the importance of asking, caring, and escorting a wingman when you feel they're distressed. Then, you'll review the Equal Opportunity Program and the systems that help guide our force to ensure everyone is given a fair chance and isn't subjected to a hostile work environment, such as unlawful discrimination and harassment. Next, you'll learn about the issue of substance misuse and how it can impact readiness, morale, and the health and wellness of your people. Then, you'll be reintroduced to Education, Intervention, and Alcohol Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment ADAPT programs with a focus of how you can influence the attitudes of other senior listed leaders about substance misuse. Suicide Awareness and Prevention, the next ELI covered, will reeducate you on the reasons why people choose suicide, the programs and policies that assist in taking care of airmen, and the importance of developing a relationship of trust with someone in need. The last ELI you'll cover is Sexual Assault Prevention and Response. Here, you'll explore topics such as rape myths and trends that should help you lead your people through this difficult issue more effectively. Finally, you'll cover the impact these issues have on subordinate, senior NCO, and mission effectiveness. Let's begin by discussing the importance of this chapter. Importance of ELI. Although there are many issues that occur in our Air Force that can be difficult to address, this chapter will discuss the following. Equal Opportunity, Substance Abuse, Suicide, Sexual Assault. These four ELIs are occurring throughout the Air Force and are not going to be reduced without support from leaders like you. Understanding the importance of these issues and having the tools to effectively lead your organization during times of crisis will ensure the mission and the people that accomplish it are effective. Before you begin to cover the different ELI sections, you need to have an understanding of the overall focus and intent of this chapter. It is imperative that you as a senior NCO know what actions to take in ELI prevention and be prepared when an airman is dealing with stressors that may lead to a decision that could negatively affect not only the organization but their career as well. Let's begin by discussing the focus and intent of the ELI chapter. Explore. Emergent leadership issues are the evolving situations that occur and can be detrimental to an organization, mission, and the Air Force image if not handled properly. Focus and Intent. In this chapter, you will focus on education, prevention, and leading your organization through emergent leadership issues. When they occur, these issues can have a detrimental impact on your organization, mission, and the Air Force. Now that you are a senior NCO or preparing to become one, you will be more involved with the ELI that occurs within your scope. The intent of this chapter is to prepare you for these difficult discussions and give you tools that will assist you when leading your organization through these occurrences. In the Comprehensive Fitness chapter, you learned about the importance of being resilient and a wingman to those you influence. Being a wingman and ensuring you and the people you influence are resilient will assist you in properly handling ELI that occur. When individuals have the sense of belonging that is influenced by the Comprehensive Airman Fitness CAF program, they are less likely to consider suicide, misuse substances, or participate in adverse behavior. As you progress through this chapter, you will see how effectively handling many ELI directly relates to being a wingman. Since you now know the focus and intent of this chapter, to help you effectively educate, prevent, intervene, and lead your organization through ELI, let's move on and cover a tool that will help you begin a discussion with a wingman that may be dealing with an ELI. Ace. The wingman is absolutely indispensable. I look after the wingman. The wingman looks after me. It's another set of eyes protecting you. That's the defensive part. Offensively, it gives you a lot more firepower. We work together. We fight together. The wingman knows what his responsibilities are and knows what mine are. Wars are not won by individuals. They're won by teams. Colonel Francis Gubreski, U.S. Air Force. Ace. Wingmen not only help deal with stressors, they also should know when something is wrong or seems off with their wingman. As a senior NCO, you should promote the idea that everyone needs help occasionally and foster the idea that the strong seek help when needed. The Ace model can help you with ways to intervene when you witness destructive behaviors in others and they're not seeking help for themselves. You can use Ace for any emergent leadership issue you encounter. Ace is ask your wingman about the warning signs of distress you have seen. Directly about the issue, are you having thoughts of killing yourself? Do you have a substance misuse problem? Are you having trouble with stress? The status of their four domains of fitness, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual. Care for your wingman. Calmly control the situation. Show sincere concern and actively listen to show understanding. Remove any items that could be used for self-injury. Escort your wingman. Never leave your wingman alone or allow him or her to engage in self-destructive behavior. Escort to someone who can help, chain of command, mental health, chaplain, or medical provider, and stay until positive handoff is complete. True wingman remain alert, get involved, and take action because they believe getting help is a sign of strength, not weakness. It is important to use Ace in a place and time when your wingman feels comfortable. It would not be as effective to ask your wingman directly about an issue while in public or in the company of others. If you truly believe your wingman is distressed, do not take no for an answer. Continue the conversation while actively listening and communicate your concerns for their well-being. The Ace model will help you be a good wingman by intervening after witnessing destructive behaviors. In this section, you begin to understand ELI by covering the focus and intent of the chapter. Then, you reviewed Ace and how it can assist you when you believe your wingman is in need of help. There is a strong relationship between Ace and effectively confronting ELI. Through communicating directly with a distressed wingman, you can cause issues to surface that need to be addressed, which, when handled appropriately, will lead you to becoming a more effective senior NCO. If you do not follow the Ace concept and do not directly communicate about issues with your wingman, it could be detrimental to the organization. Imagine an organization in the Air Force trying to remain at its current level of effectiveness after one of their airmen commits suicide. Not dealing with stress and destructive behaviors effectively will lead to ELI causing the mission to degrade. With an understanding of the importance of this ELI chapter and knowing when and how to use Ace, you are ready to begin covering the different issues that distress today's airmen. Let's move on to the first ELI and discuss the Equal Opportunity Program. Equal Opportunity Program. It is the policy of the United States government, the Department of Defense, and the Air Force not to condone or tolerate unlawful discrimination to include sexual harassment of any kind. This zero-tolerance policy ensures that once unlawful discrimination or sexual harassment is alleged, immediate and appropriate actions will be taken to investigate and resolve the allegations ensuring any proven unlawful behavior is stopped. The Equal Opportunity EO Program assists organizations in conducting and continuing a campaign to eradicate every form of unlawful discrimination and harassment from the workplace. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against any airmen, military or civilian who is in violation of the EO Program. This section will focus on learning the many EO systems that ensure the Air Force provides EO to all. Unlawful discrimination and unlawful harassment ensure discriminatory practices and harassment is not allowed. The complaint process ensures anyone that has been discriminated against or harassed can seek resolution and stop offenders. The legal implications ensure substantiated EO complaints are brought to justice. The Reprisal Prevention and Detection System gives the individual reporting the issue or complaint piece of mind that reprisals will not be tolerated. Finally, the Defense Equal Opportunity Climate Survey is a system that allows unit commanders to assess the critical organizational climate factors of their unit. Now that you know what will be covered in this section, let's begin reviewing the EO systems. Equal Opportunity Systems. There are many EO systems that form the EO program. These systems help guide our Air Force to ensure every person is given a fair chance and is not subject to a hostile work environment. Begin your review of the EO systems with unlawful discrimination. Unlawful discrimination. Unlawful discrimination entails failing or refusing to hire or promote, discharging, or otherwise discriminating against any individual with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of a person's race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or prior EO activity. In the military EO context, discrimination is any unlawful action that denies equal opportunity to persons or groups based on their race, color, sex, national origin, or religion. Unlawful harassment. Unlawful harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, particularly when submission to such conduct is made directly or indirectly as a term or condition of employment, and or when submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as a basis for an employment decision affecting the person. Unlawful harassment also includes creating an intimidating hostile working environment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, reprisal, or genetic information. Sexual harassment is defined in AFI 36-2706, Equal Opportunity Program, as harassment on the basis of sex is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when, one, submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment. Two, submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or three, such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. Prevention is the best tool to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace. Commanders and supervisors at every level must take steps to prevent sexual harassment from occurring. Clearly communicate to employees that sexual harassment will not be tolerated. Provide sexual harassment training to employees. Establish or ensure an effective complaint or grievance process is available. Take immediate action to investigate and resolve all employee harassment complaints and take appropriate action when a complaint is confirmed or substantiated. Complaint process. The EO complaint process attempts to resolve grievances at the lowest level possible through alternative dispute resolution, ADR. When available, installation EO offices will provide ADR through facilitation or mediation through the EO complaint process. When ADR does not resolve the issue or is not appropriate, an informal or formal complaint is initiated through the EO office. The ADR spectrum provides an array of options for disputes that occur as low as the unit level to disputes that occur as high as Air Force level. There are two types of complaints available for military members to file EO complaints. Military informal complaints. The purpose of the informal complaint process is to attempt to resolve the issue at the lowest possible level. The military EO informal complaint program addresses allegations of unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or sexual harassment. Only military personnel, their family members, and retirees may file military informal EO complaints. Third parties, to include commanders, supervisors, or coworkers, may not file an informal complaint on behalf of another individual. There is no time limit for filing informal complaints and no requirement for commander approval before accepting informal complaints older than 60 days. Military formal complaints. The purpose of the formal complaint process is for military members, retirees, and their family members to formally present allegations of unlawful discrimination and sexual harassment to the EO office to attempt resolution. The military EO formal complaint program addresses allegations of unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or sexual harassment. Only military personnel, their family members, and retirees may file military formal EO complaints. Additionally, to file a complaint, an individual must be the subject of the alleged unlawful discrimination or sexual harassment. Third parties, to include commanders, supervisors, or coworkers, may not file a formal complaint on behalf of another individual. The EO office will not accept a complaint more than 60 calendar days after the alleged offense occurred, unless the installation or center commander approves. To learn more about the military EO complaint process responsibilities, review table 3.1 in AFI 36-2706 Equal Opportunity Program. There are two types of complaint processing available for civilians to file EO complaints. Civilian informal complaints. The objective of civilian EO counseling is to seek opportunities to resolve issues at the lowest organizational level at the earliest possible time. An aggrieved person who believes that they have been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, 40 and older, disability, genetic information, or who believes that they have been subjected to sexual harassment or retaliated against for opposing discrimination or for participating in the complaint process can file a complaint. Air Force employees, former employees, and applicants for employment who meet the criteria outlined in 29 CFR Part 1614 may file civilian EO complaints. The complainant must consult an EO counselor within 45 calendar days of when they become aware of the discriminatory action or the effective date of the personnel action. Civilian formal complaints. Formal complaints are processed in accordance with 29 CFR Section 1614. EO directors process formal complaints. A formal complaint must be filed at the installation where the alleged discrimination occurred and the complainant or the attorney designated to represent the complainant must sign and date it. It must describe the actions or practices that form the basis of the complaint that was discussed with the EO specialist or counselor during the informal phase of the process. A complainant may amend a complaint at any time before the mailing of the notice required by 29 CFR Section 1614.108F at the conclusion of the investigation to include claims that are like or related to those raised in the complaint. To learn more about the civilian EO complaint process, please review AFI 36-2706 Equal Opportunity Program or contact your installation EO office. To file an EO complaint, contact your installation EO office or call the Air Force Discrimination Hotline at 1-888-231-4058 or the National Guard Bureau's EO Hotline at 703-607-5462 or 1-800-371-0617. Legal Implications The legal implications from a substantiated EO complaint can be very diverse and range from administrative actions to a prison sentence. The EO office will not recommend any legal implications for substantiated EO complaints. The EO office works directly with the installation legal office and they suggest legal implications that will vary with every complaint. Reprisal, Prevention and Detection The objective of reprisal, prevention and detection is to assure anyone having grievances may voice them without fear of reprisal. The unit and geographically separated unit commanders are charged by AFI 36-2706 Equal Opportunity Program to ensure the alleged offender is cautioned against taking reprisal or other retaliatory actions against the complainant or witnesses if they suspect or discover their identity. Explore Reprisal is taking or threatening to take an unfavorable personnel action withholding or threatening to withhold a favorable personnel action or any other act of retaliation against a military member for making or preparing to make a protected communication. Prevention is part of your responsibilities as a senior NCO. Any time there are opportunities for reprisal within your organization, ensure the personnel involved understand reprisal and the consequences involved. In military EO cases settled using ADR, the EO office will follow up at least once within 30 calendar days after the resolution of the case to ensure reprisal does not occur and the parties adhere to the agreement. In cases that are not settled through ADR, it's everyone's responsibility to report any reprisals that are detected. Detection is when a reprisal is discovered after the EO complaint process. When a reprisal is detected and reported to the EO office, they will immediately refer any military member who claims to have been subjected to reprisal for having made a protected communication, including an informal or formal EO complaint, to the installation IG and document on Air Force Form 1271. Now that you have reviewed the different EO systems that help prevent and detect EO issues, let's switch gears and discuss the EO system that assesses human relations within an organization and provides recommendations for improvement. Defense Equal Opportunity Climate Survey, DEOCS In 2013, the Air Force transitioned from the Unit Climate Assessment, UCA, to the Defense Equal Opportunity Climate Survey, DEOCS, in an effort to improve organizational climates and meet the requirements of the FY13 National Defense Authorization Act. The purpose of the Defense Equal Opportunity Climate Survey, DEOCS, is to assist unit commanders at all levels in assessing their unit's critical organizational climate factors. The survey focuses on four primary areas, Military Equal Opportunity, EO, Civilian Equal Employment Opportunity, EEO, Organizational Effectiveness, OE, Perceptions of Discrimination and Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, SAPR. DEOCS is composed of up to 115 questions in an online survey format involving 23 different climate factors. The survey provides commanders or directors with an option to add up to 10 locally derived questions and five short answer questions to help target specific areas of concern. The survey is completely voluntary and provides members with the opportunity to share their perceptions of formal and informal organizational policies and practices. Perceptions of specific activities within an organization are reported along a four point Likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. When the survey is completed, a report will be generated by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, DEOMI, and forwarded to the EO office, requesting commander, and next hire superior in the chain of command. The requesting commander or director will be responsible for ensuring the survey results are briefed to the next hire superior in her or his chain of command within 30 days and brief the survey results to unit members within 60 days. In this section, you have learned about the EO systems that form the EO program. The EO program seeks fair treatment and EO for all. The unlawful discrimination and unlawful harassment policies were established to ensure everyone has EO in the hiring process and is not subject to a hostile working environment. The complaint process includes options to fix EO issues and, when appropriate, the grievances should be resolved at the lowest level possible. There are legal implications for substantiated EO complaints that can vary and are usually advised by the legal office. The reprisal prevention and detection system assures anyone that files a grievance will not be subject to retaliation. Finally, the DEOCS gives unit commanders critical information needed to assess their organization's climate dimensions. When you witness any EO issue, it is imperative that you respond to the situation appropriately and ensure the behavior does not continue. Eradicating unlawful discrimination and harassment from the Air Force is the goal of the EO program and should be the goal of every senior NCO. As a senior NCO, considering EO in your organization is essential. Treating everyone as equals and not allowing a hostile working environment is important for a healthy organization. Now that you know the EO program, let's move on to our next ELI, Substance Misuse. Substance misuse. Misusing any substance is not acceptable behavior. The Air Force does not tolerate the illegal or improper use of drugs by Air Force personnel. Substance misuse is a serious breach of discipline, is incompatible with service in the Air Force, automatically places the misuser's continued service in jeopardy, and can lead to criminal prosecution. As a senior NCO, it is important for you to not only understand how substance misuse affects the Air Force, but how to educate members and properly intervene when necessary. In this section, you're going to begin by covering the effects of substance misuse on mission and readiness, morale, and health and wellness. Next, you're going to learn the process of educating airmen on substance misuse and how to intervene after you recognize a member needs treatment. Lastly, you're going to cover the roles and responsibilities as a senior NCO when it comes to substance misuse. Explore. Drug is defined as any controlled substance included in schedules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in USC 812, including anabolic or androgenic steroids, or any intoxicating substance other than alcohol that is inhaled, injected, consumed, or introduced into the body in any manner to alter moods or function. Drug abuse is the illegal, wrongful, or improper use of possession, sale, transfer, or introduction onto a military installation of any drug defined in AFI 44-121 ADAPT. Substance is alcohol and other mind or mood-altering drugs, including illicit drugs, prescribed medications, and over-the-counter medications. Substance misuse is the use of any illicit drug or the misuse of any prescribed medication or the abuse of alcohol. Substance abuse is a diagnosis provided by a mental health provider, see DSM-4-TR, for criteria. Before you move on to the effects of substance misuse, take a moment to review the primary objectives of the Air Force Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment ADAPT program. Promote readiness and health and wellness through the prevention and treatment of substance misuse and abuse. Minimize the negative consequences of substance misuse and abuse to the individual, family, and organization. Provide comprehensive education and treatment to individuals who experience problems attributed to substance misuse or abuse. Restore function and return identified substance abusers to unrestricted duty status or to assist them in their transition to civilian life as appropriate. Effects of Substance Misuse The effects of substance misuse can be detrimental to the Air Force mission and readiness, morale, and health and wellness of everyone the substance misuser comes in contact with. Let's begin our discussion on how substance misuse can affect the Air Force by reviewing the impact on mission and readiness. Air Force Core Value Excellence in All We Do The virtue of discipline states, discipline is an individual commitment to uphold the highest of personal and professional standards. Airmen commit to a life of discipline and self-control. Mission and Readiness Substance misuse adversely affects or impairs the user's mood, coordination, judgment, safety, and increases impulsive behavior. Members under the influence do not perform effectively in follower or leader roles, areas of substantial responsibility, and technical knowledge or ability. Additionally, members are at a higher risk of driving under the influence, DUI, which is a leading cause of death among 18 to 24 year olds. DUI is a serious breach of discipline and there will be repercussions, both military and civilian, after an airman is charged with a DUI. Also, there is a higher risk of suicide and increased risk of accidents, falls, burns, and drowning. The mission and readiness will suffer in many ways from substance misuse. The assigned tasks of the misuser may not be completed and the organization's programs, key duties, and mission essential requirements may suffer. Take Master Sergeant Loftin's situation with A1C NAT, for example. The replacement operator may not be as skilled in protocol as A1C NAT and they're definitely not as prepared as A1C NAT was because of the short notice. Do you think the wing commander will have the same experience as A1C NAT was the operator? The daily schedule at vehicle operations is usually hectic. Assuming the replacement operator was scheduled to move four aircraft pallets from SFS to the flight line for deployment. Now, this movement will have to be rescheduled. Because of A1C NAT's substance misuse, the mission and readiness has been degraded. Morale. Members who abuse substances are in a higher risk of relationship problems, both personal and professional. This causes the misusers and the organization's morale to degrade. As a senior NCO, you may be supervising a section where a substance misuser is currently working. If the substance misuse issue is not discovered and the member continues to be a part of the work center, you may find tasks are being pushed off on others and their workload and stress levels are increased while their morale decreases. After a substance misuser comes forward with their problem or is caught misusing, other members of the organization will have to step up and fill the void during the absence of the misuser while they undergo treatment. Health and wellness. Substance misuse causes increased risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, birth defects, addiction, ulcers, diseases of the liver, pancreatitis, malnutrition, and overall higher mortality risk. In addition, substance misuse tends to lead to questionable sexual behavior, which increases the risk of contracting a variety of sexually transmitted diseases. Substance misusers also are a health and wellness risk to everyone that crosses their path. Due to their lack of awareness and impaired judgment, substance misusers can cause accidents that could have easily been avoided. Reflect on A1C Nat's vehicle accident. What if he had struck a family out for an evening bicycle ride? What if A1C Nat decided to misuse the air duster when he was on duty waiting for passengers to return to his vehicle? With an understanding of how substance misuse affects the air force, you can foresee that it's important to eliminate substance misuse from our profession. Educating our members and intervening when necessary is the path toward stopping substance misuse. Education and intervention. Substance misuse and abuse prevention is a collaborative effort shared among various agencies to include mental health, ADAPT, drug demand reduction, leadership, supervisors, and coworkers. Education is focused on preventing substance misuse, and intervention is focused on treating a member after substance misuse has occurred. Education. The focus changes depending on a member's rank and position. Examples are, military members at their first permanent duty assignment receive training on prevention, peer acceptance, role models, responsible behavior, healthy alternatives, and legal and administrative consequences of substance abuse and misuse. Military members in the grade of E1 through E4 on a second or subsequent permanent change of station receive training that emphasizes identification, assessment, and referral of personnel displaying signs of problematic substance use and misuse, and the services that are available for treatment. When it comes to educating airmen on substance misuse, your roles and responsibilities as a senior NCO are clear. Prevent substance misuse by educating and mentoring our airmen on the negative consequences of and dangers of excessive alcohol use, on the zero tolerance policy for drug abuse, and role modeling responsible use of alcohol. AFI 36-2618 states, be an active, visible leader. Deliberately develop junior enlisted airmen, NCOs, and fellow senior NCOs into better followers, leaders, and supervisors. When education fails to prevent substance misuse, an intervention may be necessary. Intervention. This is a structured event that should include the misuser's family, friends, and supervision. During the event, each member, if willing, should discuss how the actions of the misuser have affected them and their desire for them to seek help. The substance misuser has the option for self-identification, which is admitting they have a substance misuse problem to their leadership, unit commander, first sergeant, military medical professional, and or mental health provider. If the member self-identifies during the intervention, he should contact your installation's mental health clinic for further instructions. Explore. Intervention is the process of helping the member recognize, at the earliest possible moment, that he or she needs treatment for self-destructive drinking or drug abuse. This professionally structured event includes significant others in the member's life. If a member does not self-identify, there are also command and medical referrals. Command Referral. In accordance with AFI 44-121 Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment ADAPT program and applicable DODIs, a unit commander will refer all service members for assessment when substance use or misuse is suspected to be contributing factor in any misconduct, such as DUI or driving while intoxicated, DWI, public intoxication, drunken disorderly, and drug abuse. Spouse or child abuse and maltreatment, underage drinking, positive drug test, or when notified by medical personnel. Medical Referral. Medical personnel must notify the member's unit commander and the ADAPT primary manager when a member of the armed forces is observed, identified, or suspected to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, receives treatment for an injury or illness that may be the result of substance use, is suspected of abusing substances, is admitted as a patient for alcohol or drug detoxification. Your roles and responsibilities as a senior NCO when it comes to intervention and treatment are, know your subordinates well and communicate problems they may be having. Assist them by making referrals when appropriate. After a referral is made, take an active role in assisting them with recovery. Report and refer all substance misuse or suspected substance misuse incidents, such as showing to work smelling of alcohol, DUI, public intoxication, drunken disorderly, spouse or child abuse and maltreatment, underage drinking, positive drug test, or when notified by medical personnel. Direct drug testing within 24 hours of suspected alcohol related incidents of misconduct, episodes of aberrant or bizarre behavior, or where there is reasonable suspicion of drug use and the member refuses to provide consent for testing. Encourage commanders to ensure blood alcohol tests, BAT, is taken as soon after the incident as possible to determine the level and intensity of alcohol involvement. Supervisors must contact the ADAP staff before an assessment to provide pertinent information on the member's duty performance, on and off duty behavior, or other incidents. Document all incidents of deteriorating work performance, unexcused absences or tardiness, unacceptable conduct, and any steps already taken to help the employee resolve these problems. Contact the civilian personnel office for guidance when dealing with civilian employees. Report all slips and relapses so the treatment team can assist the member to get back on track before an incident occurs. Education and intervention are important aspects of the ADAPT program. Through education, the Air Force attempts to mitigate the lure of misusing substances. When education alone does not deter a member from substance misuse, the intervention and referral processes attempt to stop the destructive behavior and assist the member in receiving the help they need. The four domains of fitness and five C's you learned about in the Comprehensive Fitness Chapter can help you, as a senior NCO, meet your roles and responsibilities in combating substance misuse. Ensuring your wingmen have a balanced four domains of fitness will assist with curbing the temptation of misusing substances or abusing alcohol. The five C's can benefit both education and intervention. The sense of belonging your wingmen feel from being included and the relationships you build will lead to trust and willingness for them to communicate their issues. Five C's care, commit, connect, communicate, celebrate. Remember A1C NAT? He had been at his first duty assignment for 10 months. It's highly likely that he already received education on substance misuse and abuse. Since education had failed to prevent his misusing of the air duster, would an intervention have been beneficial? Did any of his co-workers or friends know about A1C NAT's issue? Would an intervention before he was discovered as a substance misuser lead him to self-identify? Prevention and treatment programs. Effective prevention and treatment programs lower healthcare costs and result in fewer missed work days, higher production, better quality of work, and smarter, better decision-making. In addition, it returns our most valuable resource, people, to a productive status as opposed to loss through termination, sickness, death, etc. Finally, prevention and treatment programs help reduce suicides, accidents, and accidental deaths while helping reduce relationship problems. There are four levels of activities within the ADAPT program that are focused on prevention and treatment. Universal, primary, prevention and education. This includes population-based outreach, education, prevention programs, screening, and consultation. Community-based prevention and education efforts will be delivered by ADAPT staff through coordinated efforts with other community agencies. Clinic-based services, screening, and consultation will be delivered through the ADAPT program. Selective, targeted prevention. This involves global screenings for alcohol misuse, as well as initiatives to prevent future alcohol misuse, prescription drug misuse, or drug use with individuals who are identified as high risk or are suspected of substance misuse. Selective prevention includes screening, assessment, education, brief preventive counseling, and tailored feedback in specific individuals or groups identified as moderate to high risk. Indicated prevention. This is indicated for those who are engaging in destructive drinking but have not yet developed problems associated with their drinking. Individuals in this group can be identified through screening in primary care or other appropriate setting. The majority of these individuals are best served through motivational interviewing and brief advice. This focuses on those who are already in the early stages of alcohol and substance use. Treatment and continuing care. Aftercare. Provide evidence-based substance use disorder treatment for individuals who are abusing or are dependent on alcohol or drugs that follows the clinical practice guidelines. The primary aim should be restoring function, improving quality of life, and returning members to productive and unrestricted duty or to assist them in their transition to civilian life as appropriate. The four levels of ADAPT prevention and treatment are often effective in reducing and eliminating substance misuse. Which of the four levels do you think would have benefited A1CMAT? Now that you have covered how education and intervention can combat and heal substance misuse through prevention and treatment, let's move on and discuss how your role as a senior NCO can influence the attitudes related to substance misuse. Influence of senior leaders' attitudes on substance misuse. Perhaps the most important thing to remember as a senior enlisted leader is how much influence your attitude towards substance misuse can have on the organization. When you model behavior expected from members of the profession of arms, POA, it results in higher mission readiness, better morale, and increased health and wellness. It also establishes an environment where members seek help for their problems without fear of negative consequences. Having a positive attitude and communicating that substance misuse and abuse will not be tolerated will have a positive impact on your organization. Without the education and intervention initiatives, substance misuse would have a larger effect on the Air Force. Your effort to prevent and treat substance misuse plays a key role in your wingman's resilience. Now that you have covered how education and intervention can combat and heal substance misuse through prevention and treatment and your roles in the program's success, let's reflect back on A1C NAT. After receiving medical attention and ensuring A1C NAT's safety and health, the next step Master Sergeant Lofton needs to do is get A1C NAT an ADAPT appointment to have him evaluated. Before A1C NAT goes to his appointment, have a discussion with him, his supervisor, first sergeant, and commander to discuss the issue and effectively communicate what may lie ahead. A1C NAT should understand that his habits are considered substance misuse under the Air Force's zero-tolerance policy. The ADAPT staff will determine the next steps needed to get A1C NAT back on track. Master Sergeant Lofton's role after the appointment will be to ensure A1C NAT has support during the process and continue to communicate with A1C NAT and his supervisor to ensure his substance misuse is controlled. These suggestions are not all-inclusive since leading A1C NAT and the organization through this ELI will be difficult. If Master Sergeant Lofton keeps these concepts and principles in mind, he can reduce the overall negative impact on A1C NAT along with the entire organization. Because the Air Force's policy is zero-tolerance, it is imperative for you to effectively combat substance misuse. The enhanced understanding you now have from this section will assist you in being more effective when educating your wingmen on the effects of substance misuse and knowing when and how to intervene if necessary. As a senior NCO, you should promote the idea that everyone needs help occasionally and foster the idea that the strong seek help when needed. You should also be able to identify when your wingmen may be at risk and promote the use of ACE. Being resilient and ensuring your wingmen are resilient will lower the risk of substance misuse affecting your organization. With wingmen culture in mind, let's examine another emergent leadership issue, suicide awareness and prevention. AFI 36-2618 states readily detect and correct unsafe and or irresponsible behaviors that negatively impact unit or individual readiness. Promote peer involvement in detecting and correcting unsafe and irresponsible behaviors. Suicide awareness and prevention. Some people feel the only solution to the problems they are facing is to take their own life. Suicide results from an extreme manifestation of psychosocial problems. As a senior NCO, it is your responsibility to know the warning signs and risk factors for suicide. There may be one or more members within your organization right now that are considering suicide. Prevention and early intervention is always preferable to crisis response. Suicide is a problem not only for the Air Force and other military services, it reaches around the globe. In this section, you will discuss in theory why people choose to end their lives and the programs and policies that can assist you in combating suicide. Next, developing a relationship of trust is covered, which includes the signs of distress a person may exhibit when going through tough times, effective ways to discuss issues, and additional resources that can help you be a good wingman. Finally, you will see how to intervene during emotional distress and how to foster an environment for distressed airmen to seek help. Now that you know what to expect in this section, let's begin by discussing why suicide. Explore. Risk factors include, but is not limited to, such factors as relationship difficulties, substance abuse, legal, financial, medical, mental health, and occupational problems, along with depression, social isolation, and previous suicide threats or gestures which may increase the probability of self-harm. Suicide awareness. Heightened individual and community awareness of suicide, suicide risk factors, and the fact that suicide is only the tip of the iceberg of psychosocial problems. Suicide prevention. A community-based approach that includes family, friends, and many different professional and social service providers committed to reducing suicide by creating a safety net that provides protection and adds support for those in trouble by addressing the entire iceberg of afflictions to individuals, families, and their communities. Why suicide. Although no one knows for sure, there are several theories as to why people commit suicide. One well-accepted theory suggests it is the combination of burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness that comprises the desire for suicide. Consider the following situation. You're the superintendent of the 42nd SFS. One of your wingmen, Tech Sergeant Quayle, shared a personal issue he experienced earlier in life. When Tech Sergeant Quayle was young, his mother committed suicide, and Tech Sergeant Quayle found her body. Lately, the programs Tech Sergeant Quayle manages have been lacking. It seems he cannot do anything right. This example is used throughout this section to aid in your understanding of the content. Perceived burdensomeness is a sense that, I am a burden to others, I don't contribute to the group, and I'm a liability to the group's well-being or safety. Consider Tech Sergeant Quayle's situation for an example. He may feel that since his programs are not up to par, the SFS would be better off if he was not around. Thwarted belongingness is a sense that, I have no connection to others, and those previously meaningful relationships that I did have have been strained beyond recovery or lost outright. Think about Tech Sergeant Quayle again. Since his mother committed suicide, he may have a difficult time connecting with others. He may not feel the sense of belonging that resiliency offers. In theory, both perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness can be corrected with increased social support. A strong wingman culture centered upon airmen taking care of airmen provides a great deal of social support. Working along with the wingman culture, let's move on to discuss the programs and policies that collectively comprise the Air Force's approach toward taking care of airmen to combat suicide. Programs and policies to take care of airmen. Leadership involvement. Professional military education. Mental health services. Community preventative services. Trauma stress response. Limited privilege suicide prevention program. Community Action Information Board, CAIB, and Integrated Delivery System, IDS. IDS Consultation Assessment Tool. Programs and policies. There are many programs and policies centering on suicide that help take care of airmen. A comprehensive suicide prevention program, overseen by an effective Community Action Information Board and Integrated Delivery System, must address the entire range of stressors and must consider the range of behaviors that negatively affect individuals, families, and communities. While we cannot cover all the programs and policies in detail, what follows are the programs and policies that you, as a senior NCO, should be most familiar to assist your wingmen in getting help when necessary. Let's begin with covering the Limited Privilege Suicide Program. Limited Privilege Suicide Program. The goal of this program is to identify and treat those Air Force members who pose a genuine risk for suicide because of impending disciplinary action under the UCMJ. The intent is to encourage help seeking by reducing barriers to care. Information protected under this program may not be used in existing or future UCMJ action or when weighing characterization of a service member who is being separated. It is important to understand the limited nature of protection. Information in the Limited Privilege Suicide Program, LPSP, behavioral health file can be disclosed to other medical personnel for purposes of medical treatment, a member's confinement military commander, and to other authorized personnel with an official need to know. Key points of the LPSP include applies only to those Air Force members who have been officially notified, written, or verbal, that they are under investigation or suspected of violating the UCMJ. If an individual involved in the processing of the disciplinary action has the belief that the member being disciplined may present a risk of suicide, that individual should communicate their concern to the member's commander along with a recommendation for a mental health evaluation under the LPSP. The mental health provider conducting the evaluation will determine whether or not the member poses a risk of suicide. Treatment will be initiated as deemed appropriate. The limited protection offered by this program lasts only as long as the mental health provider, MHP, believes there is a continuing risk of suicide. The MHP will notify the commander when the member no longer poses a risk of suicide. Members in this program are granted limited protection with respect to the information revealed during or generated by their clinical relationship with the MHP. Commander directed mental health evaluation. Supervisory personnel, including commanders, may encourage Air Force members to voluntarily seek mental health care. The Air Force recognizes that members who receive help from mental health professionals can improve their job performance as well as their overall well-being and consciously endorses caring involvement by supervisors. Supervisors and commanders may not, however, under any circumstances, attempt to coerce members to voluntarily seek a mental health evaluation. For individuals who are a current danger to themselves or others, an emergency mental health evaluation is appropriate. Refer to mental health during normal duty hours or most installations have a mental health provider on call 24-7. If you do not know your installation's processes for normal and after-hour mental health evaluations, now would be a great time to learn. Call your installation's mental health clinic for more information. For individuals who are not currently a danger to themselves or others but are in need of assistance and there is a question about them being fit for duty, the commander can direct the person to mental health for a commander directed evaluation, CDE. Only commanders or persons substituting for them with G-Series orders can direct the person for a CDE. Take Tech Sergeant Quayle for example. He is not a current danger to himself or others. If you believe he may not be fit for duty and needs assistance, you should first have that discussion with him. Then, if he is still not willing to voluntarily seek mental health care and you feel strongly that this is the action that needs to occur, you should discuss with the organization's first sergeant and commander to suggest a CDE for Tech Sergeant Quayle. As a senior NCO, you may need to make the tough decisions to have these types of discussions with the first sergeant and commander. Handoff Policy This policy applies to interviews of active duty and Air Force Reserve component members and Department of the Air Force civilian employees. The Handoff Policy has the objective of caring for airmen facing criminal or administrative action who are at an increased risk for suicide. They can easily feel isolated from family, friends, and other social supports when needing them most. After being questioned by investigators, members are immediately handed off to their first sergeant, immediate supervisor, commander, or a unit representative designated by the commander. The Handoff Policy is not all-inclusive to airmen facing actions. Any person that is a threat to themselves or others should not be left alone. Supportive base agencies do not allow subject members to depart alone. They only release members to their first sergeant, commander, supervisor, or other designee who are responsible for ensuring members receive the necessary support to safely handle their personal crisis. For agencies that do not have authority to detain individuals and in situations involving Air Force civilian employees, instances may arise when an interviewee chooses not to cooperate with a handoff. When a direct handoff is not possible, notify the individual's first sergeant, commander, or supervisor or their designees as soon as possible. This policy applies regardless of the subject's reaction or emotional state. Take special care if the individual appears to be emotional, distraught, or stunned during the process of the interview. For members incarcerated, relay any concerns you may have to the confinement facility officials regarding risk for self-harm. When released from incarceration on bond-pending trial, it is important that leaders monitor for distress and risk for suicide and collaborate with the mental health clinic. Not considering the handoff policy can have disastrous effects. Allowing a person to be alone after knowing they are facing criminal or administrative actions may end in self-harm, harming others, and or suicide. Think back to A1C Nett. He is likely facing criminal charges for his air duster use and dereliction of duty. While he may not have been exhibiting high warning sides of suicide, this incident may have been the last straw. Leaving A1C Nett alone during the criminal or administrative action is not wise. Confidentiality and Privacy Rules Communications between a patient and a psychotherapist or an assistant to a psychotherapist made for the purpose of facilitating diagnosis or treatment of the patient's mental or emotional condition are confidential communications and shall be protected from unauthorized disclosure. However, confidential communications will be disclosed to persons or agencies with a proper and legitimate need for the information and to are authorized by law or regulation to receive it, unless the evidentiary privilege described below. Military Rule of Evidence This evidentiary rule provides a patient with a privilege of refusing to disclose and to prevent any other person from disclosing a confidential communication made between the patient and a psychotherapist or an assistant to the psychotherapist in a case arising under the UCMJ if such communication was made for the purpose of facilitating diagnosis or treatment of the patient's mental or emotional condition. Who may claim the privilege under military rule of evidence? The privilege may be claimed by the patient, the guardian or conservator of the patient. A person who may claim the privilege may authorize trial, counsel or defense counsel to claim the privilege on his or her behalf. The psychotherapist or assistant to the psychotherapist who received the communication may claim the privilege on behalf of the patient. The authority of such a psychotherapist, assistant, guardian or conservator to so assert the privilege is presumed in the absence of evidence to the contrary. There is no privilege under this rule when the patient is dead, when the communication is evidence of spouse abuse, child abuse, neglect or in a proceeding in which one spouse is charged with a crime against the person of the other spouse or a child of either spouse. When federal law, state law or service regulation imposes a duty to report information contained in a communication. When a psychotherapist or assistant to a psychotherapist believes that a patient's mental or emotional condition makes the patient a danger to any person including the patient. If the communication clearly contemplated the future commission of a fraud or crime or if the services of the psychotherapist are sought or obtained to enable or aid anyone to commit or plan to commit what the patient knew or reasonably should have known to be a crime or fraud. When necessary to ensure the safety and security of military personnel, military dependents, military property, classified information or the accomplishment of a military mission. When an accused individual offers statements or other evidence concerning his mental condition in defense, extenuation or mitigation under circumstances not covered by RCM 706 or military rule of evidence 302. In such situations, the military judge may, upon motion, order disclosure of any statement made by the accused to a psychotherapist as may be necessary in the interest of justice or when admission or disclosure of a communication is constitutionally required. There are many programs and policies that help us take care of our wingmen. Now that you are knowledgeable on the programs and policies associated with suicide awareness and prevention such as the LPSP, CED, handoff policy and the confidentiality and privacy rules, let's discuss how to develop a relationship of trust that includes knowing the signs of distress your wingmen may be exhibiting. Developing a relationship of trust. On average, one out of every three airmen is having a major life problem right now, but they are not currently getting help for it. Suicide represents a failure to find other more effective ways to cope with problems that seem insolvable. In order to help reduce this type of failure, you must not only know and promote protective factors, you must recognize warning signs of suicide and be willing to take appropriate action to be a good wingman. You must help others in trouble find more effective ways to cope. As senior NCOs, you must instill and support a culture that believes asking for help is strength, not weakness, and you must expose and eliminate the myths surrounding the implications of seeing mental health providers. Developing a relationship of trust is crucial to ensure your wingman knows it's acceptable to seek help when needed. One of the important aspects of developing a relationship of trust is knowing the signs of distress to recognize during discussions and in the presence of your wingmen. Signs of distress. Recognizing warning signs are just as important as knowing protective factors and creating an environment that promotes these factors. Below are some of the high level warning signs. Threats of harming or killing oneself. Seeking means such as access to weapons or pills. Talking or writing about death, dying or suicide. Giving away personal belongings. Being able to recognize the high level warning signs of suicide is imperative to getting the person exhibiting the warning signs help immediately. Next are the low level warning signs. Hopelessness. Rage, anger, seeking revenge. Acting reckless or engaging in highly destructive activities. Increased alcohol or substance misuse. Withdrawing from friends, family, and society. Anxiety, agitation, insomnia, hypersomnia. Dramatic changes in mood. No perceived reason for living or sense of purpose. Knowing the low level warning signs of distress is key when developing a relationship of trust. Having a trusting relationship will make these warning signs easier to observe. It is also important to know what the typical services your installation and local community have to offer your wingmen in distress. As tech sergeant Quail's supervisor, you may have already seen some high or low warning signs exhibited in his behavior. The programs he is in charge of have been going downhill. It is important to discuss the issues that are hampering him from effectively managing his assigned tasks. Do you know how to effectively intervene and discuss the issues that are causing tech sergeant Quail's productivity to degrade? Protective factors to prevent suicide. Unit cohesion and support. Access to helping resources. Knowing it's okay to seek help. Optimistic outlook. Effective coping and problem solving skills. Family support. Sense of belonging. Positive relationships. Physical activity. Membership in the community. Feeling of personal control over their lives. Healthy and balanced four domains of fitness. Typical services offered. Financial counseling. Mental health counseling. Respite care. Couples group. Employment assistance. Parenting groups. Social services. Common barriers to seeking help. Denying the problem exists. Avoiding the problem altogether. Fear that accessing help will result in a negative career impact. Fear that the chain of command will be contacted. Intervene during emotional distress. In accordance with AFI 90-505 Suicide Prevention Program, frontline supervisors shall recognize and effectively intervene when personnel are suffering from emotional distress secondary to a variety of life problems. Communicating with your wingman is an important aspect of developing a relationship of trust. When you and your wingman trust each other, it opens the channels of communication that allow difficult issues to be discussed. Reflect back to the ACE model section. If you believe that your wingman may be contemplating suicide, then you should discuss the warning signs you have witnessed and then ask directly, are you having thoughts of killing yourself? Discussion centering on high-level warning signs may not be able to be put off until a time and place your wingman feels comfortable. When high-level warning signs occur, immediately pull the person into a location that you can have this difficult discussion. Another important consideration is how the discussion could be perceived or accusations that could come afterwards. If you believe there may be negative perception or false allegations that could come of the meeting, ask a fellow senior NCO, preferably of the opposite sex, to sit in on the discussion. This way, a witness will be present to relay what occurred during the discussion. Having a trusting relationship is crucial to being a good wingman. Knowing your wingman and the warning signs of distress will assist you in having those difficult conversations. We do not prevent suicides in the hospital emergency room. We prevent them in the unit by addressing quality of life concerns on a daily basis. Suicide is a major concern for the Air Force. The simple fact that one out of every three airmen is having a major life problem right now and is not currently getting help for it is reason enough for every senior NCO to be an active participant in suicide awareness and prevention. This requires knowing protective factors, risk factors, and advanced warning signs, as well as knowing what to do and how to do it when others appear to need help. Knowing what to do includes supporting behaviors and a thorough understanding of the LPSP, handoff policy, and CDE process, and the myriad of programs available for members in crisis. It's paramount for senior NCOs to focus on early recognition and intervention, to be visible in their concern about suicide, to create an atmosphere of teamwork and camaraderie while continuously affirming and encouraging help-seeking behavior. Focusing on truly knowing your wingman will help you as a senior NCO. See the warning signs and risk factors that can lead to suicide. In this section, you learned about suicide awareness and prevention. You began by seeing a theory that explained why some people choose suicide, perceived burdens in this and thwarted belongingness. Next, you review the programs and policies that take care of airmen by educating and reducing barriers to care for members considering suicide. Finally, you cover the importance of developing a relationship of trust through the signs of distress and effective ways to intervene when a person is distressed. AFI-90-505 states, frontline supervisors must promote an environment which encourages airmen to seek help when they are distressed and does not tolerate any actions, hazing, belittling, humiliating, etc., that prevents airmen from the responsibility of seeking help or professional care. If you are personally considering suicide or know someone who is but you cannot reach a helping agency, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK-8255 to speak to a veteran or military counselor on their website at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org Let's take a moment and reflect back on Tech Sergeant Quail. He has displayed low-warning signs of distress and you have grown concerned he may not be fit for duty. Since you have developed a trusting relationship with Tech Sergeant Quail, you find a safe place to intervene and discuss your concerns. When you try to persuade him to voluntarily seek mental health care. At the end of the discussion, he is not willing to seek help and you feel he might be considering suicide. Since you feel strongly about his safety, you discuss with the first sergeant and commander to suggest a CDE for Tech Sergeant Quail. Since you recognized the warning signs of suicide in your wingman and took action, he received the help he needed and was able to return to duty himself or the organization. Suicide has a global reach. Being aware of this leadership issue and constantly working towards prevention could potentially save lives. Now that you understand the importance of suicide awareness and prevention, let's move on to another important leadership issue, sexual assault prevention and response. Sexual assault prevention and response. The sexual assault prevention and response SAPR program reinforces the Air Force's commitment to prevention through the development, implementation and assessment of policies and programs to prevent and respond to sexual assault. The policies and programs are designed to empower airmen to service catalysts for attitude and behavior changes fostering an environment that cultivates a culture of dignity, mutual respect and trust. The Air Force is committed to introducing comprehensive focus on building both individual and community collaboration to promote social change. The Air Force's goal is to provide exemplary support throughout victim reporting, response, victim advocacy, investigations and offender accountability when a sexual assault occurs. Consider the following situation. You're the first sergeant of the 375th LRS. One of the supply element NCOs, Staff Sergeant Opal comes in your office. With tears in his eyes, Staff Sergeant Opal begins telling you about how his roommate raped him last night after they had been drinking. This example is used throughout the section to aid in your understanding of the content. Sexual assault is criminal conduct that violates the standards the United States of America expects of its men and women serving in the Air Force and is inconsistent with the Air Force core values. It's the Air Force policy that the Airmen will strive to eliminate sexual assault by fostering a culture of dignity and mutual respect among Air Force members and provide environments free of sexual harassment and assault. The SAPRA program will provide education and training to all our military and civilian members throughout their Air Force careers to prevent sexual assault, enhance response capability, establish victim support, encourage victims to come forward and hold perpetrators of this crime appropriately accountable. It trained an immediate sexual assault response capability from a sexual assault response coordinator, Sark, sexual assault prevention and response victim advocate, SAPRA VA, or volunteer victim advocate, the VA, will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week for all locations including deployed areas. For each sexual assault report, when SAPRA assistance is requested, the individual providing the response, Sark, SAPRA VA, and or VVA, will ensure victims are protected, treated with dignity and respect and receive timely access to appropriate medical treatment and services. No Airman should be afraid of another Airman in any situation. In combat, you depend on each other. You trust each other with your lives. When sexual assault occurs against another Airman, trust is broken, cohesion is destroyed and lives are altered. Rebuilding trust, cohesion and lives can take a long time. In the general population, the highest at risk group for sexual assault is the 18 to 24 year old group. This means that in the Air Force we are guiding a large population who is at risk for this crime, both in terms of victimization as well as perpetration. The supervisors are teaching their subordinates to protect each other in times of danger. That requires a tremendous amount of trust. Sexual assault betrays and breaks that trust, sometimes permanently. It can turn Airmen against each other, cause them to take sides and undermine the entire unit. In this section, you'll begin by learning how to respond to a person that was involved in a sexual assault, both immediate and long term response, from details and trends that pertain to the military population. Next, you'll review the leadership roles that pertain to sexual assault to include the commander's role, your role as a senior NCO and the 30 day checklist for unrestricted reports. Finally, you'll review the different whistleblower protections and the importance of not allowing retaliation, reprisal, ostracism and maltreatment after a sexual assault to expect during the section. Let's begin with discussing how to respond to an individual involved in a sexual assault. Individual involved in a sexual assault. How you respond to sexual assault can help or harm the victim. Law enforcement experts recognize that sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes committed. Many surveys indicate fear and embarrassment as the top reasons why this crime is not reported. In general, little is done in society to protect and support victims of sexual assault, even among groups. As a senior NCO, you can help change this perception. If you are sensitive to victims of sexual assault, your airman will know and will be more likely to come to you if they are assaulted. If victims are treated without judgment and they receive the care they need, this is an unrestricted report. This is to the benefit of the Air Force as a whole. Sexual assaults should be investigated and the perpetrators held accountable for their actions. Let's begin the discussion on how to respond when an individual is involved in a sexual assault with the immediate response. Air Force core value, excellence in all we do. The virtue of teamwork states teamwork is essential to triumph at every level. Our own weight, and whenever necessary, help our wingmen carry theirs. Immediate response. There are many resources available for victims of sexual assault to help them heal both physically and mentally. The Air Force is committed to ensuring sexual assault victims are protected, treated with dignity and respect, and provided support, advocacy and care. Sexual assault is an act of violence. Sexual assault immediate response after the act of violence occurred to counteract and mitigate the long-term effects. When a victim comes to you, the first priority is their safety and well-being. Once the immediate needs are taken care of, you should also be prepared for ongoing support of the victim and the organization. Seek input from the victim about time off or counseling or medical issues to support the victim through the recovery process. The SARC is the first point of contact for reporting a sexual assault and is considered the center of gravity when it comes to issues of sexual assault. A SARC is responsible for education, victim support, and maintaining a volunteer staff of victim advocates. The SARC is located on your base or at the base that provides your support. The SARC is linked to helping agencies throughout the base and local area. Do's and don'ts of sexual assault response. Do's. Attend to safety and medical considerations first. Contact the SARC and notify security forces. Be aware of personal biases that may get in your way. Listen with sensitivity. Be a role model. Don'ts. Blame the victim. Judge. Press for details. There are only one appropriate reaction to a sexual assault. Immediate response will vary depending on the victim and your status. There are two types of sexual assault reports. Restricted and unrestricted. Restricted reports are closed and commanders and law enforcement are not contacted. Unrestricted reports are open and include the involvement of commanders and law enforcement efforts to prosecute the perpetrator. This option is recommended for victims of sexual assault who desire an official investigation and command notification in addition to health care, victim advocacy and legal services. Victims can decide to make a restricted report unrestricted any time after the report is made. This option is for adult victims of sexual assault who wish to confidentially disclose the crime to specifically identified individuals without triggering the official investigative process or notification to command. Depending on the victim, military, civilian, DOD civilian, family member, etc., and the person notified of the sexual assault affects the actions taken. See page 23 of the emergent leadership issues chapter for a comparison of restricted versus unrestricted reporting. According to DOD directive 6495.01 the restricted reporting program applies to service members of the defendant's 18 years of age and older as well as Air Force civilian employees. On August 24, 2015 the Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness granted the Air Force an exception to policy to allow all Air Force civilian employees who are victims of sexual assault the ability to file an unrestricted or restricted report regardless of their duty location and receive advocacy services from SAPRA VA. Personnel are eligible to file an unrestricted report. Only active duty military DOD civilians and dependents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to file restricted reports. Only the SARC, VA, or healthcare personnel can file a restricted report. There are also mandatory reporters that must report a sexual assault when informed. First sergeants, commanders, and anyone in the person's chain of command are all mandatory reporters. Ensure your wingmen understand the victim reporting options and services as well as who can file a restricted report. Referring people directly to the SARC before they state they have been a victim of sexual assault will keep their reporting options open. Consider Staff Sergeant Opal, for example. He has come to you after being raped the night before. The next steps you take to respond to the situation are critical. You should begin by making sure Staff Sergeant Opal is okay and be open to discuss the incident and how it has affected him. After Staff Sergeant Opal has calmed down, contact the SARC and begin the victim support process. Because you are the first sergeant in this scenario, the report will be unrestricted and include command involvement and a law enforcement investigation. Long-term response Long-term response includes the victims respond to past sexual assaults and the triggers that may cause them to relive that traumatic experience. Knowing and caring for your wingmen in the organization can ensure they are not suffering in silence when reliving a past experience of sexual assault. Sexual assault has long-lasting effects on the victim and the people close to them. Six months after being raped, the majority of victims still experience what one researcher called a distinct core of distress. Another study documented that at 15 to 30 months after being raped, more than 40% of victims still suffered sexual dysfunction, restricted social interaction, suspicion, fears, and depression. Three years after the rape, a variety of psychological symptoms persist, leading researchers to believe that many victims never recover completely. In one study of criminal victimization of a community-based sample of 391 women in Charleston, South Carolina, 23.3% of the women had been victims of completed rape. Of those women, 57% developed post-traumatic stress disorder. At the time of the assessment, which was an average of 15 years post-rape, 16.5% of the rape victims who had not had treatment had current symptoms of PTSD. Every victim responds individually and some victims appear to recover well. In one study, between 20% and 25% of untreated victims were relatively symptom-free one-year post-rape, and some victims reported functioning better at this time than they did pre-rape. But the absence of PTSD does not prove that nothing happened. Moreover, we are coming to understand that a one-year follow-up does not tell the full story. The reality is that psychological trauma has no specific end point. It's important to know the members of your organizations when effectively providing long-term response. One of your closest co-workers may be a sexual assault victim and you have no idea. Recognize what may trigger a victim of sexual assault and make it clear that anyone can have those difficult conversations with you in confidence and there will be no negative effects. Be the senior NCO that people trust and feel they can share through providing effective immediate and long-term response to individuals involved in the sexual assault, he will help shape the culture of caring and hopefully show the organization that sexual assault should be reported and the perpetrators held accountable. Consider Staff Sergeant Opal. After he received the treatment he needs, the healing process can begin. There will be triggers that bring the rape back to his memory. Hopefully he has effective communication with his leadership and receive the support he needs. But this is not always the case. Let's move on and discuss rape myths and the actual facts of sexual assault. Rape myths. There are many myths that center on rape. Through stating the myth and discussing the facts, it will help you be better prepared to support an individual involved in a sexual assault and lead your organization toward a zero-tolerance mindset. Rape is experienced by the victims as an act of violence. It is a life-threatening experience. While sexual attraction may be influential, power, control and anger are the primary motives. Most rapists have access to a sexual partner. Gratification comes from gaining power and control and discharging anger. This gratification is only temporary so the rapist may seek other victims. Myth. Sexual assaults are rare deviations and affect few people. After all, no one should forget it. Fact. This advice generally comes from people who are more concerned with their own feelings than the victims. All victims should be offered the opportunity to talk about the assault with those personally close to them and knowledgeable professionals. Victims who are not allowed to talk about the rape have a much more difficult time when no one I know has been raped. Fact. Sexual assaults are very common. Most likely, someone close to you has been profoundly affected by sexual assault. Not only are victims reluctant to discuss their assaults, but many have succeeded in totally blocking the assault from conscious memory. However, the trauma remains and may come to the surface at another crisis or when the opportunity to discuss it with a sympathetic person arises. Fact. Only 2% of reported rape and related sex offenses are false, which is approximately the same rate of false reports for other crimes. Although cases are dropped because of insufficient evidence for conviction, this should not be confused with false reporting. Myth. Women fantasize about being raped. Fact. No woman fantasizes about being raped. Fantasies about aggressive sex are told and turned off if they become threatening. In rape, the victim is unable to control the violence and stop it. Myth. Rape cannot happen between married couples. Fact. Many states now have laws against rape in marriage. The idea that a spouse cannot be raped suggests married people do not have the same right to safety as do unmarried ones. Most spouses have experienced some form of sexual abuse and sex spouses sometimes use rape as a form of retaliation. Myth. Sexual assault is an impulsive, spontaneous act. Fact. Most rapes are carefully planned by the rapist. A rapist will typically rape repeatedly, usually in the same area of town and in the same way. Myth. Rape is a crime of passion. Fact. It's an attempt to hurt and humiliate using sex as the weapon. Myth. People ask for it by their dress or actions. Fact. Rapists look for victims they perceive as vulnerable, not people who dress in a particular way. Assuming that a victim provoked an attack by where they are or the way they dress is victim blaming. No person, whatever their behavior deserves to be raped. If rape myths are viewed as facts, it can have a negative impact on your organization. As a senior NCO, you must ensure the wingmen within the organization know the facts of rape before having these difficult conversations. Understanding the different rape myths and ensuring your organization members don't advocate rape myths will foster a supportive environment where people feel they can discuss this difficult issue. Now that you understand the facts of sexual assault in the military. Details and Trends. Through reviewing the details and trends as they relate to sexual assault, we can see how the military perception is beginning to change. The 2014 Sapper Annual Report Highlights outlined how prevalence and reporting has changed from 2010 to 2014. In fiscal year 2010, the estimated number of service member victims was 19,300. 13% reported, 87% did not report. In fiscal year 2012, the estimated number of service member victims was 26,000. 11% reported, 89% did not report. In fiscal year 2014, the estimated number of service member victims was 18,900. 25% reported, 75% did not report. The estimated number of service member victims of sexual assault has decreased over the last four years while the percentage of reported assault has increased. This leads us to believe that the Prevention and Response Program is influencing the culture. As a senior NCO, you should effectively include prevention and response when leading your organization. As you effectively lead and foster the Sapper concepts, the percentage of reported sexual assaults will continue to increase and decrease. Now that you see how the perception is changing due to the Sapper program and leader influence, please see page 25 of the Emergent Leadership Issues chapter for the details of satisfaction with reporting experience with sexual assault survivors. The details show the majority of survivors were satisfied with the services provided and most would recommend others report a sexual assault. Hopefully with prevention and policing, the percentage of satisfied reporters will also increase. Let's now look at how many reports have been converted to unrestricted reports over the last three years. The conversion rate of restricted reports has fluctuated from 2012 to 2014, but the conversion rate in 2014 was the highest of the three years. In fiscal year 2014, victims made 4,660 unrestricted reports and 1,840 initial restricted reports of sexual assault. At the close of fiscal year 2014, 1,471 reports remained restricted. Over time, the percentage of victims who convert their restricted reports to unrestricted reports has remained relatively stable with an average of 15%. However, in fiscal year 2014, the conversion rate increased to 20%. When a report is restricted, there is no criminal charges filed and the perpetrator is freed to commit the crime repeatedly until someone steps forward and files an unrestricted report. It is important to communicate that filing a restricted report is good. However, we want guilty perpetrators to be brought to justice for the violent crimes they have committed. Responding appropriately to an individual involved in the sexual assault and foster an environment of change within the organization and the Air Force. Members of your organization will learn from your example as a senior NCO in preventing and responding to sexual assault. Being an effective leader will lead to the next generation of leaders following in your footsteps. Let's move on and discuss the leadership roles that apply to sexual assault. Leadership roles. Thus requires the full attention of all airmen. Historically, issues related to sexual assault have been viewed as women's issues and, as such, educational efforts have been geared toward risk reduction versus true crime prevention. There is a difference. For example, risk reduction messages involve specific strategies. Women don't leave your drinks unattended while prevention messages refer more broadly to changing social norms. There is also a difference between sexual assault and sexual assault. There is also a difference between rape-supportive attitudes and behaviors that have the potential to harm fellow airmen. The truth is that both men and women, as leaders in the Air Force, have an important role to play in the prevention and response of sexual assault. Airmen can foster a climate among peers that doesn't allow perpetrators to hide or to commit repeated offenses. Senior NCO. As a leader in the Air Force, you are responsible for creating an environment conducive to preventing sexual assault by setting an example with your own behavior and guiding the behavior of your subordinates as well. Earlier in the chapter, you learned about your immediate and long-term roles for caring for victims of sexual assault, but how can you help prevent sexual assault from occurring? First, set an example from sexist and gender-biased comments and actions. Coach, redirect, and mentor when you hear or see this behavior in others. If a situation seems dangerous to you, trust your intuition and intervene. Second, actively encourage your subordinate supervisors to do the same. Through effectively accomplishing your leadership roles, you will help prevent sexual assault from occurring and effectively work. The organization commander also has set roles when an unrestricted sexual assault is reported. Commanders or equivalent notified of a sexual assault must take immediate steps to ensure the physical safety, emotional security, and medical treatment needs are met. They must also ensure the AFLSI or appropriate criminal investigative agency and SARC are notified. They must also determine whether temporary reassignment or relocation of either the victim or alleged offender is appropriate. Commanders will protect sexual assault victims, witnesses, bystanders who intervene, responders, or other parties to the incident from coercion, ostracism, maltreatment, discrimination, reprisal, and retaliation. For complaints received about an individual assigned to their unit concerning one of the above and the chain of command will develop a plan to immediately address the issue and forward the plan to the installation commander as well as the host wing commander. If the incident report concerns a sexual assault victim, the complaint is discussed during the victim's monthly case management group, CMG case review. Reports of coercion, retaliation, ostracism, maltreatment, or reprisal remain on the CMG agenda for status updates until the victim's case has reached final disposition or has been appropriately addressed according to the installation inspector general and the CMG chair. Assertions of reprisal are reported to the installation inspector general and addressed in accordance with Title 10 USC 1034, DODD 7050.06, and AFI 90-301, Inspector General Complaints Resolution. The commander's leadership role when notified of a sexual assault is dependent on the situation, but there is a tool that commanders must utilize when an unrestricted report is initiated, the commander's 30-day checklist. Commander's 30-day checklists. The commander's 30-day checklist is intended to serve as a baseline for the first 30 days for the commander's response to adult sexual assault victims, alleged offenders, and unit in the event of an unrestricted report of sexual assault. The checklist may be expanded to meet military service-specific requirements and procedures. These checklist items do not represent all of the responsibilities assigned to commanders for the entire SAPRA program, and it is important for commanders to take time prior to an incident to become familiar with their service SAPRA policies and installation SAPRA personnel. There are other important SAPRA requirements to consider past the 30-day timeframe covered in this list. For full details regarding all SAPRA program responsibilities for commanders, see enclosure 5 of DOD instruction 6495.02 and applicable military service-specific policies. Providing effective leadership when a sexual assault has occurred can help the victim and the organization begin the healing process. Through a climate of zero tolerance, you can help prevent sexual assaults from occurring and stop a rapist from committing more crimes. Leadership involvement is key to sexual assault awareness and prevention. Let's move on and discuss one way to help prevent victims of sexual assault from suffering in silence. Whistleblower protections. Whistleblower protections. Air Force personnel who file an unrestricted or restricted report of sexual assault will be protected from retaliation, coercion, ostracism, or maltreatment for filing a report. Ensuring your airmen will discuss sexual assault with you or a helping agency is important. Reprisal, coercion, ostracism, and maltreatment or the fear of these occurring will affect a person's decision on whether to report a sexual assault. Knowing these terms and communicating to your organization and wingmen that they will not be tolerated is an important part of fostering an environment for sexual assault. Victims to seek the help they desperately need and begin the healing process. Let's start by reviewing retaliation. Reprisal, the taking or threatening to take an unfavorable personnel action or withholding or threatening to withhold a favorable personnel action for making, preparing to make, or being perceived as making or preparing to make a protected communication. Coercion. Persuading someone to do or not do something through force or threats. Ostracizing. Exclusion or banishment from society or a specific group. This could also be thought of as shunning where the group does not speak or include the ostracized person in as they would normally be included. Maltreatment. Cruel or violent treatment towards a person when viewed objectively under all the circumstances is abusive or otherwise unnecessary for any unlawful purpose. That is done with the intent to discourage reporting of a criminal offence or otherwise discourage the due administration of justice and that result in physical or mental harm or suffering or reasonably could have caused physical or mental harm or suffering. All personnel in the victims chain of command, officer and enlisted when they become aware of allegations of reprisal, coercion or ostracism or maltreatment are required to take appropriate measures to protect the victim. Reflect back on Staff Sergeant Opal's situation. What if his coworker was the perpetrator? Unless there is clear evidence that the rape occurred they may have to coexist in the organization until the investigation and court hearing are complete. This may cause the others within the organization to exclude Staff Sergeant Opal or the accused coworker. The person that mistreats or excludes Staff Sergeant Opal because he is filing the sexual assault will be held criminally liable. Protecting the victim or the person that brought the sexual assault to a mandatory reporter is important. The fear of reprisal, coercion, ostracism and maltreatment all prevent people from coming forward after being sexually assaulted. Be the change agent and discuss this with your wingman. The wingman leader comes with duty and responsibility. Part of that responsibility is to coach and sometimes direct your subordinates to act with integrity and to model that behavior yourself. Set a climate in which all Air Force members are treated with respect. Watch for warning signs of a potential sexual assault and intervene early, especially where alcohol is present. Let the safety of your airman, the efficiency of your unit and the safety of the Air Force is important. In conclusion, the United States Air Force has zero tolerance for sexual assault both because it is a crime and it goes against our core values. The Air Force is a family. We don't prey on one another. We protect one another. Sexual assault affects everyone. Individuals, the unit and the Air Force itself. This is why an assault on any airman is an assault on all sexist jokes, sexist gender expectations and other disrespectful or harmful behavior. If you become aware of a sexual assault, respond sensitively to the victim, whether female or male. Listen and suspend judgment. Take a stand against any disrespectful behavior towards others and coach your subordinates supervisors to do the same. You are responsible for preventing sexual assault and for imprudently when it occurs. This is a leadership issue. Impact of emergent leadership issues. Now that you have a better understanding of the different emergent leadership issues outlined in this chapter, it's important to understand how these difficult occurrences can disrupt the effectiveness of subordinates, senior NCOs and the mission. In this section, you'll review the impact they can create and relate to ELI and the impact they can create. As you review the following section, think about how you can enhance your success and the success of your women by effectively leading through an ELI. Let's begin by discussing how ELI impacts subordinate effectiveness. Subordinate effectiveness. The Air Force core value of integrity first includes the absence of fear but doing the right thing despite the fear. Courage empowers us to take necessary personal or professional risks, make decisions that may be unpopular and admit to our mistakes. Having the courage to take action is crucial for the mission, the Air Force and the nation. Courage can be associated to every ELI occurrence. To lead your organization through these difficult issues, you must be courageous and do the right thing. Take substance misuse intervention for example. An intervention may end an Airman's career if the issue is drugs. But some of your roles as a senior NCO when it comes to substance misuse intervention and treatment are to know your subordinates and report all substance misuse even suspected cases. Would it be effective to have a closed-door discussion with an Airman that arrives for duty clearly under the influence and continues their destructive habits? Consider the health and wellness of that Airman. If the behavior is not stopped, they will experience increased risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, addiction, ulcers and many other side effects that will cause them to be less effective. Your courage in using ace, holding an intervention or reporting substance misuse will increase that Airman's effectiveness as a civilian. The Air Force core value of service before self includes the virtues of loyalty and respect. Loyalty states, ultimately, loyalty is demonstrated by helping each other act with honor. Ensuring you and your wingman act honorably is in line with a virtue of respect. Respect states, respect is treating others with dignity and valuing them as individuals. We must treat others with the utmost dignity and respect, understanding that our diversity is a great source of strength. Being loyal and respectful are important to your subordinates effectiveness. Let's reflect on the sexual assault prevention and response section for an example. Being loyal and helping your wingman act with honor can help lower the trend of service members being victims of sexual assault. Being loyal to your subordinates requires strong trusting relationships, which will increase the chance of a sexual assault victim coming to you for immediate response. The sooner a victim receives treatment, the better the chances are of apprehending the perpetrator and the healing process can begin enhancing their effectiveness. Respect will help you build those trusting relationships and fulfill your leadership goals. Being loyal to your subordinates and gender-biased comments and actions, coach and redirect when you hear or see this behavior in others, and if a situation seems dangerous to you, trust your intuition and intervene. Setting the example and ensuring your wingmen do the same will increase their effectiveness. Referring to AFI 36-2618, the enlisted force structure, the leader. Deliberately developed junior enlisted airmen, NCOs and fellow senior NCOs into better followers, leaders and supervisors. Developing your subordinates to also effectively follow, lead and supervise when your organization is faced with ELI will lessen the load on your shoulders and mold them into effective airmen. Think about suicide awareness and prevention, for example. Discuss the importance of trusting relationships, which include the signs of distress and effective ways to intervene after noticing the distress. Forming these bonds will allow your subordinates to willingly discuss the protective factors of preventing suicide with others and develop their own trusting relationships with their peers and subordinates. The education aspect of the different ELI can have a profound impact on your subordinates. In addition to that, the subordinates in the chapter are centered on continued education. Education shouldn't stop after the formal training has occurred. To ensure your subordinates and wingmen are effective, continually discuss the difficult issues that may be steering them towards substance misuse, thoughts of suicide or other ELI. Walk the walk and talk the talk. According to AFI 36-2618, the enlisted force structure paragraph 2.1.3, the primary focus of the senior NCO tier is mission accomplishment. Senior NCOs serve as leaders, supervisors, managers and mentors to further develop junior enlisted airmen and NCOs under their charge to maximize their leadership abilities. As a senior NCO, you will have the opportunity to become more effective in mentoring and leading others around them. Reflect back to the suicide awareness and prevention section. Communicating that the programs and policies established to take care of airmen will not have a negative effect on their career or harm the reputation will reduce the perceived barriers to care and maybe get an airmen the help of a senior NCO. As a senior NCO, 36-2618, the enlisted force structure paragraph 5.2.2, as senior enlisted leaders senior master sergeants must reflect the highest qualities of a leader and professional. Reflect on this passage with the EO program in mind. A true leader and professional would not allow any type of discrimination or harassment to occur in the organization. Through knowing the organization, you should effectively shape the attitude of the organization to ensure zero tolerance. An important aspect of being an effective senior NCO when it comes to ELI is caring for the people close to you. Here we say people instead of subordinates or airmen. You should ensure your family, neighbors, friends and everyone you come into contact with on a regular basis knows they have someone that cares for them. The sense of no connection to others. Even the most difficult person that is a part of your life should know you truly care for them as a person. For example, once there was a staff sergeant that was truly a below average airman. His supervisor did everything he could to help him be at least an average airman, but the staff sergeant was content with only coming to work and going home and sometimes not paying the average rating on his EPR. Even though he received a bad performance report, the staff sergeant knew his supervisor personally cared for him. Through the many discussions they had and time spent outside of work together, they had formed a personal bond that ended up molding that staff sergeant into a highly effective tech sergeant who is still accomplishing the Air Force mission. Mission effectiveness. The complex undertaking of the Air Force mission requires us to harness the ingenuity, expertise and elbow grease of all airmen. Our work areas, our processes and our interpersonal interactions must be undeniably professional and positive. The Air Force mission will not be effective when an ELI has or is occurring within an organization. Ponder the effects on an organization when an airman has a grieving process, especially the people that were close to that airman. Suicide does not only affect those people within the organization, it can have a far reaching effect. A good example of this happened in a deployed environment where 135 Air Force vehicle operators were completing the mission of delivering supplies from Kuwait to the different bases in Iraq using convoy operations. This had such an adverse effect on many of the deployed members that knew the suicide victim, the mission was paused and convoy teams that were scheduled for missions were canceled and given time to grieve. Suicide does not have a standard blast radius. It has a wide reach and can degrade mission effectiveness across the globe. Most ELI are considered a problem B for the organization. Anytime an ELI occurs or is a problem B for the Airman, the mission is lost. When you became or become a senior NCO, many of your responsibilities will transition from the problem A's to managing and leading the airman and organization through the problem B's that cause the mission to suffer. Mentoring and leading through the problem B's in your airman's lives will help reduce the chance of them turning to substance misuse or suicide at its peak. Understanding the impact ELI has on each of these and leading by example will ensure we fly, fight and win. Summary. This chapter on emergent leadership issues began with a section that explained the focus and intent of ELI and how to ask, care and escort your wing men that may be distressed or on the path to an ELI. The next section of the program and explained the systems involved such as unlawful discrimination and unlawful harassment that can lead to complaints being filed. Then you refreshed your memory on substance misuse and the effects this ELI has on mission and readiness, moral and health and wellness. Also within substance misuse you covered how education and intervention can lead to some people choose suicide and the programs and policies that help airmen get the help they need when contemplating suicide like the CDE and the confidentiality and privacy rules. Then you learned how developing a relationship of trust by knowing the signs of distress and effective ways to intervene when you see the signs of distress by using the ACE model can prevent suicides before the hospital comes to an end. The next section is the intervention and response section that discuss how to respond immediately and long term to victims of sexual assault to include understanding rape myths details and trends to aid in your response. You also review the different leadership roles that apply to sexual assault. Your role as a senior NCO, the commander's role and the leader's role is to learn about the whistleblower protection that provides victims or anyone reporting a sexual assault on another's behalf, protection from experiencing or fear of retaliation, coercion, ostracism or maltreatment. Finally, you wrapped up the chapter by understanding how ELI impacts you as a senior NCO, your subordinates in the mission of the U.S. Air Force. The impact an ELI can have on prevention and intervening when necessary, you will lessen the blow or eliminate the occurrence altogether. Understanding ELI and having the ability to prevent when necessary can lead an organization through these difficult occurrences and you will protect our most precious resource, people. Institutional competency, leading people, takes care of people, evaluates options, and selects appropriate actions, solutions, and resources when confronted with a personal problem or situation, emotional, physical, spiritual, and social. Key Terms Ace, page 3 Coercion, page 28 Drug, page 8 Drug abuse, page 8 Emergent leadership issues, page 3 Intervention, page 10 Maltreatment, page 28 Ostracism, page 28 Reprisal, page 28 Retaliation, page 28 Risk factors, page 14 Substance, page 8 Substance abuse, page 8 Substance misuse, page 8 Suicide awareness, page 14 Suicide prevention, page 14 Unlawful discrimination, page 5 Unlawful harassment, page 5