A new Pentagon report based on an independent survey found that the prevalence of sexual assault in the military has dropped. The survey showed that 20,300 sexual assaults occurred within the military’s ranks in 2014, down from an all-time high of 26,000 in 2012 but still higher than the 19,000 reported in 2010. The 2014 figure represents 4.9 percent of women and 1 percent of men in the active duty forces.
The 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study also determined that reports of sexual assault are up 11 percent over the previous year and 70 percent over 2012, with one in four victims reporting the crime. The Defense Department said this is an indication that confidence in the military justice system has increased, prompting more victims to come forward.
Army Major General Jeffrey J. Snow, Director of the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, said, “While that’s progress … by no means do we think this constitutes success, because we know that we still have three of four victims not coming forward.”
Over the past few years, lawmakers in Congress have approved measures designed to boost report rates of these chronically under-reported crimes. Other measures have included the creation of a special victims’ counsel and an automatic review of commanders’ decisions not to prosecute sexual assault crimes.
In late April, the House Armed Services Committee defeated a Defense Department Authorization bill amendment to remove the military chain of command from the process of deciding whether serious crimes, including sexual misconduct cases, should go to trial. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY-D) has tried and failed in the past to enact similar legislation.
In response to the new Pentagon report, Senator Gillibrand said, “Incremental progress at best just isn’t good enough when the problem undermining the readiness of the military is this deep. The men and women of our military deserve a system of justice worthy of their sacrifice. We need actions to give them an unbiased military justice system that will root out and punish sexual predators — not the status quo, which continues to protect them.”
House Armed Services Committee Chair Mac Thornberry (TX-R ) said that many of the provisions enacted in recent years still need time to take effect.
For more background on this topic, see the October 2013 issue of Congressional Digest, “Sexual Assault in the Military.”
