Sex assault reports up at military schools; more unreported
Associated PressWASHINGTON — The total number of sexual assaults at the three U.S. military academies increased slightly last year, but an anonymous survey suggests far more encounters are going unreported, a new Pentagon report said Thursday. The survey, which is conducted every two years, said that the number of students at the Army, Navy and Air Force academies saying they experienced unwanted sexual contact increased by nearly 50 percent over the 2016 survey and more than half of the incidents involved alcohol. Nate Galbreath, deputy director of the Pentagon’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, said the three military services understand that high alcohol use is a key factor, and they are trying to come up with better ways to educate the students, encourage bystanders to step in, and deter the assaults. But the survey results showed a sharp spike in assaults, with 747 students saying they had experienced unwanted sexual contact last year, compared to 507 the year before.