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Reported sexual assaults at U.S. military academies shot up during the 2021-22 school year, and one in five female students told an anonymous survey that they had experienced unwanted sexual contact, The Associated Press has learned.
A Pentagon report on reported assaults at the Army, Navy and Air Force academies shows an overall 18% jump in assaults reported by students compared with the previous year. The increase was driven largely by the Navy, which had nearly double the number of reported assaults in 2022, compared with 2021. It’s unclear whether the phasing out of COVID-19-related restrictions contributed to the increase, including at the U.S. Naval Academy, which is directly adjacent to bars in downtown Annapolis, Maryland.
An anonymous student survey accompanying the report shows increases in all types of unwanted sexual contact —- from touching to rape — at all the schools. And it cites alcohol as a key factor.
The military services and the academies have struggled for years to combat sexual assault and harassment, with a myriad of prevention, education and treatment programs every year. But despite reams of research, recommendations and a shift to more independent prosecutions, the numbers continue to grow.
The increases have triggered outrage on Capitol Hill and a steady stream of legislation. But as yet, the changes have not appeared to make a dent in the problem, although officials argue that improved treatment programs have encouraged more victims to report the crimes.
According to U.S. officials, 155 students reported assaults during the 2022 school year, compared with 131 the previous year. Of those, students at the U.S. Naval Academy reported 61 — nearly double the school’s total for the previous year, when there were 33, which was by far the lowest of all the academies for that year.
Cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado reported 52, the same as the previous year, and those at the U.
