Though buoyed by the latest findings, DoD leaders believe more needs to be done. Image: Mark Van Scyoc/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe prevalence of sexual assaults among active-duty service members has shown a decline in 2023 when compared with statistics from two years earlier. The drop in incidences against women to 6.8 percent from 8.4 percent is the first such decrease in nearly 10 years, according to the Pentagon. Assaults against men declined slightly during the same time – to 1.3 percent from 1.5 percent. Total reports dropped by 7,000 during this period.
The results were released in the 2023 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military.
“That is 7,000 people that will not have to deal with the scourge of this crime,” said Beth Foster, executive director of the Office of Force Resiliency for the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
Defense Department (DoD) officials believe the positive change comes as a direct result of steps taken by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III that began as soon as he took office. These would include paying heed to 82 recommendations put forth by a commission that studied the issue, and changing the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to shift the authority for prosecuting 13 such crimes away from the chain of command.
The report showed that the Navy, Air Force and National Guard showed the most significant downward trends in sexual assault incidents involving women. Unhealthy command climate indicators – which frequently are linked to sexual-assault crimes – decreased significantly as well, according to the report. So did reports of women experiencing harassment, gender discrimination and low unit support when they did try to come forward with complaints. And while overall trust in military leadership increased for both men and women between 2021 and 2023, fewer women were willing to express trust than their male colleagues.
Though buoyed by the latest findings, DoD leaders believe more needs to be done.
“We’re making significant progress, but we must double down on our efforts to end sexual assault and sexual harassment,” Austin said in a statement that accompanied the report. “The only acceptable number of instances of sexual assault or sexual harassment in the U.S. military is zero.”
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