The Department of Defense said more service members reported sexual assaults in fiscal year 2019 than 2018 but acknowledged no survey was conducted this year to understand the rate of incidents that go unreported.
“Addressing sexual assault is really one of the most challenging topics that we face in the military, but it’s so critical that we get this right,” Dr. Nate Galbreath, acting director of the Defense Department’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, told Pentagon reporters Thursday.
The annual report on sexual assault in the military demonstrated a 3% uptick in the number of cases reported, but the number of assaults is trending down, Galbreath noted.
“Sexual assault happened much less than it ever had, and it’s reported at a much higher rate,” Galbreath said, meaning Defense Department measures to overcome the problem are making progress.
Statistics show that the reporting rate in the military has increased fourfold from 7% in 2006 to 30% in 2018.
In past years, Galbreath said the report would be accompanied by a prevalence survey of unreported cases.
“I can’t really tell you if I’m getting a larger percentage of people who’ve experienced sexual assault to come forward without that survey,” he said. “I’m cautiously optimistic that is good news.”
The military said in a statement that surveys are traditionally conducted every other year.
In fiscal year 2019, however, focus groups helped the Pentagon to learn what reporting options service members want.
“There is an interest potentially from victims in being able to access resources anonymously,” said Dr. Ashlea Klahr, director of Health and Resilience Research, Office of People Analytics. “This is coming from first responders.”
Klahr indicated that focus group feedback revealed a desire to call a helpline instead of coming in, have someone to talk to, and to be able to provide an anonymous report.
Also, a program called “CATCH a Serial Offender” designed to identify repeat offenders saw 239 cases reported and five matches, meaning an offender had been reported on another occasion.
Galbreath could not describe what happened after a match was identified.
The report also indicates that the youngest service members, aged 17 to 24, continue to be the most at risk and that the number of males reporting sexual assault has remained steady since 2006.
Galbreath also said the study found a correlation between unit climate and sexual assaults, noting that overall unit morale is tied to misbehavior.
