Sexual-Assault Reports Spiked 18% At Military Academies Last School Year

Reported sexual assaults at U.S. military academies shot up during the 2021-22 school year, and one in five female students told an anonymous survey that they had experienced unwanted sexual contact, the Pentagon said Friday. The survey results were the highest since the Defense Department began collecting that data.

Defense and military leaders said student-reported assaults at the Army, Navy and Air Force academies jumped 18% overall compared with the previous year.

Calling the increase “extremely disappointing and upsetting,” defense officials said teams are visiting all three academies this month to try and target improvements and changes to address the problem.