Pentagon to Press Sex Harassment Policies : Armed services: Commanders who aren’t enforcing existing rules are target of new measures. Clearer standards, accountability are sought.

The Pentagon, acknowledging snags in military procedures for handling sexual harassment cases, announced plans Friday to shore up the existing system by increasing pressure on individual commanders to enforce current policies.

Following the recommendations of a 16-member task force, the Defense Department unveiled a package of 48 measures designed to establish a set of uniform standards for handling sexual harassment complaints and to hold officers more accountable for making sure they are carried out.

Edwin Dorn, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said at a press conference that the measures, many of which already have been adopted by individual services, are primarily refinements of current rules and do not represent fundamental reform.

Dorn said the task force found that the system was “fundamentally healthy” and working reasonably well, despite complaints from some women who say their cases have not been taken seriously.

Nevertheless, he said, “there are enough problems . . . and enough instances of deviation (from the Pentagon’s standards) that we needed to take these 48 actions. A large number of these recommendations already are being acted on,” said Dorn, who co-chaired the task force with Sheila Widnall, the secretary of the Air Force.

Dorn also took issue with a University of Minnesota study published earlier this week that found 90% of women under 50 who had served in the military had said they had suffered sexual harassment there, and 25% classified themselves as victims of rape or attempted rape.

Although the Pentagon has no updated figures, officials said a 1988 survey, taken before most of the current guidelines took effect, showed 61% said they had suffered harassment and about 10% said they had been victims of rape or attempted rape.

Analysts said the University of Minnesota survey was taken among women in veterans’ hospitals and could not be easily applied to cover the situation among active-duty military personnel today. They said definitions of harassment also vary sharply among various surveys.

The recommendations in Friday’s policy statement covered a wide range of issues and practices concerning the current complaint system, from clarifying standards and procedures to setting specific deadlines for military authorities to complete action on a case.

But the most stringent elements are designed to hold commanders more responsible for enforcing the policies prohibiting sexual harassment and for dealing with complaints seriously, thoroughly and according to the rules.

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Under the new regulations, commanders must show “visible and unequivocal” support for enforcing the rules prohibiting harassment, post statements underscoring their concern and train their troops properly.

Those commanding officers who fail to meet such standards will face the prospect of having their shortcomings recorded in their fitness reports, risking their own promotions, Dorn said Friday.

Widnall said the reasoning behind the decision to intensify pressure on senior officers was a finding by the task force that “the key to success” in this area was in “holding commanders accountable.”