The number of reported sexual assaults in the military fell nearly 4% last year. New Pentagon Report It was released on Thursday.
Between 2023 and 2024, 8,195 sexual assaults were reported, compared with 8,195 cases of service members involved and 8,942 in 2022.
The decline was largely driven by a significant decrease in Army sexual assault, down 13% across services, according to the Associated Press.
However, in all other services, the Navy saw a 4.3% increase, the Air Force saw a 2.2% spike and the Marines saw a below 1% increase.
But defense officials said the decline was a positive sign, but they added that more needs to be done to address the issue as the numbers are still too high and enough casualties have not made it.
At that point, reports of sexual harassment rose slightly in 2024, up 3,014 from 2,980 in 2023, with most people denounced male perpetrators, but many accusing them of formal complaints.
Furthermore, the Pentagon can link sexual assaults to military preparation – the first of the year – showing that such criminal acts actually have a negative effect on the overall force. Using research and management data, authorities found that service members who had experienced sexual assault had a higher rate of separation from the military and were more likely to miss a demoted or promotion compared to those who had not experienced such an event.
“Sexual violence has no place in our military. According to a Pentagon statement accompanying the report, “it is not tolerated, tolerated, or ignored.” “Such actions are fundamentally inconsistent with efforts to undermine unity, preparation, lethality and restore warrior spirit.”
Nate Galbrace, director of the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, told reporters Thursday. Authorities are encouraged to improve reporting rates and the Pentagon's response process, but this issue appears to be far greater than the annual report shows.
Officials also acknowledge that the budget cuts hanging on the Trump administration's leading personnel and pentagon could affect future work on sexual assault prevention and prosecution.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses said he hopes to cut down tens of thousands of civilian jobs in Dodd by the fall, part of President Trump's efforts to significantly reduce the size of the federal workforce.
Galbreth said it is not clear how the reductions will affect the sexual assault prevention program and is seeking details on the number of employees working on issues where employees have been fired or offered to retire early.
Officials said when the Pentagon employment freeze came into effect earlier this year, some departments were able to receive exemptions, but about 300 preventive labor forces that need to be put on hold.
Reported by the Associated PressMonday, when personnel cut across the DOD, will delay plans to hire at least 1,000 civilians to prevent various behavioral issues within the military, including sexual assault and suicide. The plan to have around 2,500 employees across military services for such labor by fiscal year 2028 has slowed down due to job freezes and cuts, officials told the outlet.
The cut sparked concerns from Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (DN.Y.) and Lisa Markowski (R-Alaska). The two lawmakers have long pushed for better ways to rank writing letters to Hegses and military service leaders.
“Even a miner decline puts decades of progress in ending departmental sexual abuse and harassment,” the senator said in a letter reported by the Associated Press. “Speed action is essential to strengthen victims' beliefs about their leadership language.”
Until the past two years, reports of military sexual assaults have been steadily rising over the majority of the last decade – waived a slight decline in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, where the military is much less likely to interact.
The recent decline has helped officials and say they are encouraged by a downward trend, but more work needs to be done to reduce the number.
