4 Apr 24

Team, everyone in our great Navy deserves a safe and comfortable environment to work and carry out their oath and commitment. That environment is free from bias, harassment, and any form of sexual violence. To that end, we will work together to rid our Navy of these behaviors that erode unit cohesion, degrade mission readiness, and prevent you from becoming the best version of yourself.

I will live our Navy core values and foster a Culture of Excellence every day. I will protect those in my charge from sexual violence, ensure effective prevention measures and victim care and response are in place and guarantee swift and decisive justice to those who would do harm to my shipmates. I expect you to do the same.

Commanders shall follow my lead inside their commands and cultivate environments that allow their Sailors the ability to become the best version of themselves and do the most valuable work of their lives alongside fellow Sailors and civilians they trust and respect. They shall live the Navy's core values and build a Culture of Excellence inside their sphere of influence. There is no greater duty than to care and protect those in your charge, so each Commander will implement an effective Command Resilience Team and Human Factors Councils and Boards, that will monitor and aggressively shape command climate, implement sexual assault prevention, and stamp out behaviors that are counter to Navy core values, before they become pervasive. Finally, I expect Commanders to protect victim confidentiality and protect victims from retaliation and re­ victimization and ensure our Victim Advocates and watch teams are ready to respond to victims in crisis.

This policy reinforces my commitment to countering destructive behaviors and sexual violence. Developing our Warfighters – our People, Leaders, and Teams – is key to mission and individual success. Our leaders must protect those in their charge and shipmates must look out for one another and live up to higher standards and principles as Naval professionals. The nation has never needed our Sailors more than today, your service and sacrifice demand a professional and safe environment to grow, lead and be successful. I will do my part, together, lets end sexual violence and aspire to be better than we were yesterday.

S.T. KOEHLER