The scandal of sexual assault and harassment at the 1991 Las Vegas Tailhook convention brought the United States Navy's problems to public attention. But rampant sexism and other abuses had gone on for some time and the Navy's response to the incidents was even more informative than the incident itself. Dismissing charges offhandedly, lying, failure to investigate, and cover-ups constituted the basis of the response. Overall the Navy's problems have clearly resolved themselves into a picture of failure of leadership. The ethical question of the greatest importance is not the responsibility of every individual member of the service who commits illegal acts, though they are serious in themselves. Instead the problem is that those who are mandated to lead are abusing their positions in acts that signal a desire for self-preservation but are, in the longer run, turning out to be self-destructive. Thus far many Navy leaders have perceived the preservation of the sexist "value system" and the Navy's isolationism as the keys to continued success. Clearly sexism renders relations between male and female colleagues extremely difficult (and undermines Naval preparedness) and, more importantly, it "brings negative reactions to male relations with women: disdain, disrespect, dislike, and a possessive regard for women as sex objects." But the arrogant refusal of the Navy leadership to conform to the demands of society and the needs of individuals is even more broad-based than the focus on sexism would suggest. The arrogance regarding the right of anyone to question Navy authority is a problem in other areas as well. The Navy's assumptions about its superior methods, for example, have hampered relief missions and sometimes reduced the effectiveness of the military in disaster situations. Yet the Navy has continued to dismiss its problems rather than addressing them straightforwardly.
The commanding officer of the first Tailhook vict...