US Military Sees Spike in Reports of Sexual Assault - Why the Pentagon Says That's a Good Thing

The Department of Defense saw a 10 percent increase in the number of sexual assaults reported last year based on surveys it conducted, Pentagon officials told CBN News.

However, those same officials believe the number of people in the military who experience the crime is declining.

In 2017, 6,769 service members reported being the victim of a sexual assault, though a tenth of those incidents occurred before they joined the military.

That marks an increase in reports of nearly 10 percent over the previous year.

The Pentagon says that's a good thing because it indicates that troops believe something will happen when they come forward to report an assault.

"We view this willingness to report as the result of a decade-long effort to improve victim support, criminal investigation and military justice," SAPRO chief Rear Adm. Ann Burkhardt said on Monday.

Officials said that of the 6,769 assaults, 4,193 involved female service members and 1,084 involve male service members, with others involving victims who were not in the military.

The number of female service members reporting sexual assault jumped 13 percent, the Pentagon said. The number of men reporting remained flat.

"While the progress we have seen provides some comfort, we neither take it for granted nor are we under any illusions that our work is done," said Elizabeth Van Winkle, principal director of the Pentagon's Office of Force Resiliency. "In fact, we see this progress as cautionary and recognize that one of the greatest threats to progress is complacency."

Nate Galbreath, deputy director of the Pentagon's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, said Monday that there is "no right number" when it comes to sexual assault prosecutions.