Active-duty personnel authorized at an Army Reserve commanded installation will be aligned under the Reserve commander to support the installation’s response capabilities. Army Reserve assets supporting the USARC regional model, even if located at an active-duty installation, will remain under the control of their respective USARC regional SHARP structure. Examples:

• 81^st Readiness Division SHARP personnel at Ft. Jackson will not be under the oversight of the Ft. Jackson Lead SARC. They will support the 81^st RD area of responsibility under the 81^st RD Lead SARC.
• 2^nd ROTC brigade SHARP authorizations at JBMDL will be aligned under the 99^th Readiness Division as the senior Army element at JBMDL under the new model.

The following human resource flexibilities are available to assist commands in recruiting and retaining a highly qualified civilian workforce. The use of these flexibilities is subject to local funding availability, eligibility requirements and current delegated approval authorities. Work with your local Civilian Personnel Advisory Center.

• Superior qualifications and special-needs pay-setting authority: This discretionary authority, often referred to as an advanced-in-hire rate, allows hiring officials to set a newly appointed employee’s basic pay at a rate above the minimum rate of the appropriate General Schedule (GS) grade because the professional has superior qualifications or the agency has a special need for their services. Hiring officials may use the superior qualifications and special-needs pay-setting authority to set the rate of basic pay for an employee upon their first appointment as a civilian employee of the federal government or their reappointment to a GS position after a 90-day break in service.
• Recruitment, retention and relocation incentives: Commonly referred to as the 3 R’s, these incentives are intended to attract new employees, retain current ones or relocate those with unusually high or unique qualifications for unique or hard-to-fill positions. Total incentive payments may not exceed 25 percent of the employee’s annual rate of basic pay in effect at the beginning of the service period multiplied by the years of obligated service. The employee must agree to enter into a service agreement for a specified period for all authorized incentives. The agreement must be accepted by the employee and approved by the authorizing official before the employee’s entrance on duty (for new hires) or the effective date of the incentive (for current employees).

On Feb. 23, 2021, the Secretary of Defense (SD) established a 90-day Independent Review Commission (IRC) on Sexual Assault in the Military to review DOD policies and processes, as directed by the President. The IRC focused on four lines of effort: accountability, prevention, climate and culture, and victim care and support. The IRC report delivered 82 recommendations. The SD approved the implementation roadmap on Sept. 22, 2021 using a tiered approach. The Army is engaged in transformational efforts to rebuild trust in the SHARP program by establishing a comprehensive approach to professionalizing, strengthening, and resourcing the SHARP workforce at all echelons. These changes are being made to facilitate victim centered care which capitalizes on multidisciplinary support from the installation.

The new SHARP Program will move SHARP assets from all commands to work directly for the Installation Lead SARC, who works directly for a SHARP Program Manager, as GS employees. Much like the workforces of the Criminal Investigation Division and the Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC), SHARP Professionals support installations or areas of responsibility, but their leadership/supervisor is a higher-level Special Agent or Regional OSTC office.

HQDA will not be issuing any interim policy changes concerning the elimination of collateral duty. Current draft DOD policy will withhold all command authority to appoint collateral duty SHARP personnel. The SHARP Regulation will mirror DOD policy when it is released.

Yes. Soldiers serve a vital role in SHARP, and those who have completed the career course and are credentialed will continue to serve in the program. Transition to Civilian roles will take time, certain locations may have difficulty filling positions, and a decision regarding collateral-duty positions will not be made until fiscal year 2024.

For more detailed information on these and other updates, click here.

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In alignment with OSD guidance, the Army is moving to a 100% civilian workforce, except for some collateral duty SARCs and VAs at remote installations. Any military personnel still require the supervision of a Lead SARC. HQDA SHARP is working with Army Leadership and DOD SAPRO on the timeline and resourcing for this transition before the end of FY27.