USA: Rear Admiral Discusses 21st Century Sailor Office Priorities

Rear Adm. Sean Buck, The head of the Navys 21st Century Sailor office and the Navys Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) officer, took time to answer questions from All Hand’s Magazine about his new assignment and the Navy SAPR efforts.

The 21st Century Sailor initiative pulls together objectives and policies to ensure that every Sailors total fitness needs, including physical, mental, social and spiritual are met so that they can successfully meet the challenges that they face during their military careers.

The purpose of the office is to try to better integrate, better synchronize and tighten up all of our great programs that we had over the years that work toward affecting the resiliency of a Sailor, Buck said. It’s a broad portfolio.

The 21st Century Sailor office ensures that Sailors have the tools to meet the CNOs mission of Warfighting First, Operate Forward, and Be Ready. They are responsible for:

– Integration of Navys objectives for equal opportunity;

– Sailor personal and family readiness;

– Physical readiness;

– Substance abuse prevention;

– Suicide prevention;

– Sexual harassment;

– Sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR);

– Hazing prevention;

– Transition assistance.

The Navys 21st Century Sailor is also in charge of the Navys Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program. Buck talked about how sexual assault is every Sailor and Navy Civilians problem, and training is a way to raise awareness and ensures that Sailors have the tools to eliminate the problem entirely.

Be sure that you are a participant in creating a command climate that dencourages dignity, respect, professionalism and has no tolerance for sexist behavior sexual harassment or sexual assault and should be completely intolerant of those things no matter what command you serve, Buck said.
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Press Release, August 22, 2013; Image: Navy