Armed Forces News

Reports of unwanted sexual contact declined in 2014 at the service academies, the Pentagon reported Feb. 11. Gleaning results from a voluntary and anonymous survey, the Defense Surveys and Statistics Center determined that 200 fewer sexual assaults were reported in 2014 than in 2012. Roughly 66 percent of all students at the three schools responded. Eighty-two percent of all female cadets and midshipmen took part, compared to 63 percent of all males. Even though the numbers were encouraging, those who conducted the survey still said that sexual harassment remains a problem at the academies, and that perpetrators will be made to face the consequences when caught. “People that commit sexual assault aren’t particularly brave folks. They’re looking for the path of least resistance. And when they’re called to task for sexual harassment and other grooming behaviors, it lets an offender know the military is the last place they want to be,” said Dr. Nate Galbreath, senior advisor to the Defense Department’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program.