GAO Report on Hazing in the Military Calls for Next Steps

Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, February 9, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released their investigative report on hazing in the military. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) worked to pass an amendment through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2015, which directed the GAO to provide an objective analysis about the current status of hazing in the military. According to the report, there is a lack of oversight of existing hazing policies put in place by military branches -- leaving them unsure of “the extent to which their policies have been implemented.” Rep. Judy Chu, who has been fighting to eradicate hazing from the military, released the following statement:

“Hazing has no place in our military. But, the GAO report indicates that hazing is happening and the military is not doing enough to stop it. I’m troubled that 12 percent of respondents in the junior enlisted ranks said that they believe hazing is occurring in their units. Given this reality, it is alarming that the military does not have an accurate picture of hazing incidents that are reported nor have they evaluated the prevalence of hazing in the ranks. We learned that despite having anti-hazing policies in place, these policies are unevenly implemented and done with little oversight. In addition, the standards among branches can differ radically, with some not even having a system for collecting data on hazing. We cannot claim that any existing prevention and enforcement policies are adequate without understanding the full scope of the problem.

“Two things are clear to me: the abuse and harassment of those who choose to serve our country is unacceptable and wrong, and the military must do more. I look forward to working closely with my colleagues in Congress, the military and advocates to evaluate these recommendations and pursue action.”

In 2011, Rep. Chu’s nephew, Lance Corporal Harry Lew, committed suicide while stationed in Afghanistan after extreme and prolonged hazing by his fellow Marines. Since his death, Rep. Chu has fought to eradicate hazing in the military. In 2012, she introduced the Harry Lew Hazing Accountability and Prevention Act, a bill that would create a national database to track hazing incidents and require the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop a comprehensive plan to address hazing throughout the armed services. Through the FY 2013 NDAA, Rep. Chu included language that required DOD to provide a one-time report from each military branch on their policies on hazing, and how incidents are tracked and reported. These reports revealed that the military had substandard hazing tracking systems that result in unreliable data and some branches lacked reporting requirements. As a result, Rep. Chu successfully pushed for an independent report through the FY 2015 NDAA, which required GAO to study the military’s hazing policies and incidents to obtain an objective view of the scope of hazing in the military and recommended actions.

The GAO report titled “Actions Needed to Increase Oversight and Management Information on Hazing Incidents Involving Servicemembers” can be found here.