US military records 13% increase in reported sexual assaults: report

The U.S. military saw a 13% jump in reported sexual assaults in 2021, a dramatic spike over the one percent increase recorded in 2020.

The Army and Navy were the biggest drivers of the 13% increase in reported sexual assaults, with the Army seeing a nearly 26% jump in reported incidents and the Navy recording a 9% increase, according to an Associated Press report.

The Air Force and Marine Corps also saw a smaller bump in reported cases, the report found, with the Air Force seeing an increase of just over 2% and the Marines recording the smallest bump at under 2%.

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The jump comes at the same time as a confidential survey of service members found that close to 36,000 troops reported unwanted sexual contact in 2021, defense officials told the Associated Press. The number represents a dramatic increase over the 2018 survey, when about 20,000 service members reported unwanted sexual contact.

Reported case numbers for 2021 stand in stark contrast the more modest increases recorded in 2019 (3%) and 2020 (1%).

U.S. military officials have attempted in recent years to tackle the growing problem of sexual assaults within the ranks, which have seen an increase in incidents almost every year since 2006. Last year, the Pentagon took the controversial step of taking some prosecution authority away from individual military units in favor of using independent prosecutors.

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The Pentagon has also overhauled the way the military handles reported cases of sexual assault, aiming to make victims of assaults more comfortable with coming forward. Some defense officials have pointed to the increase in the number of reports as a sign that the new system is working, arguing that more cases are now being reported than otherwise would have been the case.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment on the numbers.