The Pentagon is considering scrapping key regulations intended to address sexual assault within the military, according to a memorandum obtained by The Intercept. Advocates for sexual violence prevention and awareness in the armed forces argue that removing these rules would not only potentially violate federal law, it would also have a “chilling effect” on survivors.

On February 19, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies, in coordination with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, to review and potentially cancel regulations that the administration might deem unconstitutional, that inhibit innovation, or are too onerous to small businesses, among other grab-bag categories.

In response to Trump’s order “Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Deregulatory Initiative,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg called on top officials at more than a dozen Defense Department agencies. Feinberg ordered them to comb through their organizations’ regulations — identified in a spreadsheet attached to the memo — and specify whether any rules flagged in the executive order apply to them and indicate whether they should be altered or rescinded.

One of the regulations under review created the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program and the Sexual Assault Prevention and Reporting Office, which oversees the SAPR program. SAPR provides military survivors of sexual assault with mental and physical heath care services, advocacy services, and legal assistance. In addition to offering support to victims, the program also provides trainings on how to prevent sexual assault and collects data on sexual violence within the military.

The program and the office implementing it emerged from a 2005 Department of Defense initiative looking into sexual violence in the military. Later that year they were effectively codified by the National Defense Authorization Act, which required the military to create a victims services program. The program was expanded by the 2006 NDAA, with more oversight provided to Congress. Ever since, the Pentagon has been required to provide a comprehensive report on sexual violence and the efforts it is taking to prevent it to........

© The Intercept