The Pentagon has released details of a sharp increase in the number of sexual assaults at major US military academies, with two-thirds of female students describing harassment and one-fifth complaining of unwanted sexual contact.
The results of a anonymous survey covering Army, Navy and Air Force academies for the 2021-22 school year marked an overall increase of 18 percent from the previous year and was the highest since the Pentagon began collecting data.
The report echoes similar findings of widespread sexual assault and harassment against women serving in the US military, and comes as the Army and other forces struggle to attract new recruits as they prepare for a confrontation with China.
The military services and academies have fought for years to combat sexual assault and harassment, with countless prevention, education, and treatment programs.
But despite the vast amount of research and expanded programs, the numbers continue to grow.
An anonymous survey covering Army, Navy and Air Force academies for the 2021-22 school year marked an overall 18 percent increase in sexual complaints compared to the previous year.
Freshmen recruits at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, which had nearly double the number of reported assaults in 2022 compared to 2021
Calling the increase “extremely disappointing and upsetting,” defense officials said teams will visit all three academies in the coming weeks to look at improvements and changes to address the issue.
The rise was largely driven by the Navy, which nearly doubled the number of assaults reported in 2022 compared to 2021. It’s unclear whether the phasing out of COVID-19-related restrictions contributed to the rise, including at the Academy. US Navy which is close to bars in downtown Annapolis, Maryland.
Alcohol use was involved in 60 percent of reported incidents of unwanted sexual contact, the 44-page report says.
“These numbers are extremely disappointing and disturbing,” said Beth Foster, director of the Office of Force Resiliency.
“This year’s report shows a significant increase in the prevalence of sexual assault at military service academies…This is the highest estimated prevalence rate of sexual assault for women and men at military service academies since the department started measuring this in 2006.
A student survey that accompanied the report found increases in all types of unwanted sexual contact, from groping to rape, at all schools.
The military services and academies have fought for years to combat sexual assault and harassment, with countless prevention, education, and treatment programs. But despite the vast amount of research and expanded programs, the numbers continue to grow.
“Extremely disappointing and upsetting,” says Beth Foster
The increases have sparked outrage on Capitol Hill and a steady stream of legislation.
But so far, the changes don’t appear to make a dent in the problem, though officials argue that expanded assistance programs have encouraged more victims to report crimes.
According to US officials, 155 students reported assaults during the 2022 school year, up from 131 the year before. Of those, US Naval Academy students reported 61, nearly double the school’s total the year before, when there were 33.
Cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado reported 52, the same as the year before, and those at the US Military Academy at West Point in New York reported 42, a slight decrease from 46 last year. past.
Reports of sexual assaults at military academies have risen steadily since the Pentagon began collecting data in 2006.
Male and female US Marine Corps recruits during a training exercise last year at Parris Island, South Carolina
Army chiefs have spoken of “unprecedented challenges” in recruiting, leading to a shortfall of some 10,000 soldiers and bigger problems ahead. Pictured: Army recruiters at a job fair in Michigan
Not all of the assaults in the report occurred while the students were enrolled in the academies. Because students are encouraged to report assaults, they sometimes talk about events that happened in the years before they started school there.
As a result, 16 students reported an assault in the 2021-22 school year that occurred before joining the military.
The Pentagon publishes two reports each year on the number of sexual assaults reported by military academy students and by US service members. But because sexual assault is an unreported crime, the department also conducts anonymous surveys every two years to get a clearer picture of the problem.
According to surveys, academy students are less likely to report an assault than out-of-school service members. Students may worry more about the impact on their military career or even the career of their attacker.
According to the survey, attacks against women were more frequent by a man who was usually in the same class year and knew them from school or other activities more than half the time. Attacks on men were more frequent, 55 percent of the time, by a woman who was in the same year of class and knew them.
Alcohol use was involved in more than half of the cases reported in the survey, with a high of 65 percent at the Naval Academy. The report recommends additional policies on alcohol consumption.
The report also found that sophomores and juniors were most at risk. And women are still much more likely to report an assault than men.
Pentagon leaders have for years launched public campaigns urging students to report any attacks, arguing that an increase in assault reports suggests students are more comfortable seeking help.
According to the report, the rates of unwanted sexual contact reported in the survey are “at or above civilian rates” based on 2014 and 2018 statistics from the American Association of Universities.
A vigil for slain Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén in July 2020 in Austin, Texas. Guillén was allegedly killed at Fort Hood by a fellow soldier after speaking out against sexual harassment
In recent years, cases such as that of the Army specialist, Vanessa Guillén, have highlighted the issue. The 20-year-old, based in Fort Hood, Texas, was beaten to death, maimed and buried in a shallow grave after speaking out against sexual harassment.
The focus on sexual assaults comes at a difficult time for the US military, which is struggling to attract new recruits and faced a shortfall of about 10,000 soldiers this year and bigger problems ahead.
While some Republicans blame vaccine mandates or the “wake-up” for the Army’s recruiting woes, the military says young people are more often turned off by threats of death or injury, discrimination and other life stresses. military.
Research from the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) last year found that the number of military personnel who would advise others to enlist plunged nearly 12 points to 62.9 percent between 2019 and 2021.
Three-quarters of those surveyed were in debt, more than half could not save, 61 percent had trouble paying rent and a troubled 17 percent said they were so strapped for money that they couldn’t always put enough food on the table. .