Sexual assault awareness proclamation signing highlights workplace trust, safety

FORT BELVOIR, Va. –

Defense Logistics Agency leaders signed a Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month proclamation to emphasize protecting the workforce and maintaining trust in the integrity of the organization at the McNamara Headquarters Complex April 14.

DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly reminded attendees that employees are here to support the mission, and it’s the agency’s role to protect its people to ensure they’re in the best position to fulfill their responsibilities.

“Protecting our people means prevention of corrosive behaviors that undermine trust in the organization, the leadership of the institution and individual performance,” Simerly said. “It’s incumbent upon each and every one of us in this organization to ensure that we set conditions for a safe workplace and for a safe work experience for every member of our team, to include prevention of sexual assault and sexual harassment.”

April is the month when awareness of prevention of sexual assault and sexual harassment is most prominent, but Simerly emphasized year-round responsibility. He highlighted three elements: prevent, report and advocate, which are detailed in this year’s proclamation.

“There is no change in our conviction,” Simerly said. “There is no change in our responsibility to set conditions for every member of our team to be successful.”

Defense Logistics Agency Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly, center, signs the 2025 Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month proclamation alongside DLA Vice Director Brad Bunn, left, and DLA Senior Enlisted Leader Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Alvin Dyer at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, April 14, 2025.

DLA Vice Director Brad Bunn noted the 10-year growth of the agency’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program since its creation in 2015.

“I’m so proud, seeing the program at its beginning and how it has evolved over time,” Bunn said. “It really has made a difference in the lives of so many of our teammates across the agency.”

He pointed to the “small, but mighty” group of SAPR professionals and peer teams across the agency as an example for efforts throughout the Defense Department.

DLA’s SAPR Program Manager Bethrece Cheek said the agency’s leadership and SAPR team are laser-focused on creating an environment where harmful behaviors like sexual harassment and sexual assault are not tolerated. Persistent leadership engagement, policy implementation, and robust training, education and outreach will prepare the workforce to address issues in the workplace.

“Prevent, report, advocate. All members of our DLA family have the ability to look out for one another and help ensure the safety of others,” Cheek said. “This program exists to ensure that every DLA civilian, military member and contractor are able to work in an environment where they feel safe and are allowed to thrive, because our people are our greatest asset, and without our people, our mission would suffer tremendously.”

Read the full text of the 2025 SAAPM proclamation

In April 2025, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) will observe the twenty-first annual Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) with the ongoing Department of Defense (DOD) theme "STEP FORWARD. Prevent. Report. Advocate." The theme is a call to action that emboldens every member of the DLA team, regardless of grade or position, to employ every available resource to eliminate sexual assault from our great organization.

According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, every sixty-eight seconds an American is sexually assaulted. This statistic draws attention to the fact that sexual assault remains an intolerable crime that continues to affect all communities alike – this includes the DLA community.

WHEREAS, SAAPM is a nationally recognized day formed to provide an opportunity to raise sexual assault awareness, provide prevention education and mobilize communities to “STEP FORWARD. Prevent. Report. Advocate.” In accordance with the 20 April 2024, DLA Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention (SAAP) Campaign Declaration, focus on awareness and prevention shall remain a year-round effort.

WHEREAS, the DLA Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030, highlights “people” as one of the four outlined Transformation Imperatives. The “people” imperative is critically important as the “people” of DLA are our greatest asset. The success of the DLA mission is contingent upon everyone playing a part in creating a safe, respectful, ready and resilient workforce, where everyone is allowed to thrive. Therefore, placing priority on protecting our people will subsequently protect the DLA mission which supports the Warfighter.

WHEREAS, bystander intervention is key to identifying and stopping harmful workplace behaviors, such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking and retaliation – at all levels. DLA civilian employees, military members, and contractors are hereby charged with reinforcing individual and shared commitment to step forward to prevent and/or report inappropriate behaviors, and advocate for survivors, as well as workplace free of the crime of sexual violence.

WHERAS, strong emphasis will remain on delivering vigorous training and education, increasing prevention efforts, encouraging reporting, ensuring timely accountability, and providing comprehensive support to survivors.

WHEREAS, DLA leaders at all levels are charged with setting the tone by creating and sustaining a workplace climate of dignity, respect, and trust for all members of the DLA family. Leaders are responsible for keeping the pulse on assigned areas of responsibility and those who serve within, and taking care of small issues before they become large issues. DLA will not tolerate, condone or ignore sexual violence of any type because – Protecting Our People, Protects Our Mission!

THEREFORE, I Lieutenant General Mark T. Simerly, Director, Defense Logistics Agency, joined by my Vice Director, and Senior Enlisted Leader, do hereby proclaim the month of April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month within DLA.