US military sex assault cases much higher than official estimates

WASHINGTON: The number of sexual assaults in the US military is likely significantly higher than official government estimates, according to a new study released on Wednesday.

The Department of Defence estimated approximately 35,900 sexual assault cases in 2021 and 29,000 in 2023, but the study’s author said a synthesis of independent data yielded estimates of 75,569 cases in 2021 and 73,695 in 2023, more than twice as high.

On average, nearly one-quarter of active-duty women and 1.9 percent of active-duty men experienced sexual assault during the years of the Afghanistan war from 2001 to 2021, according to the study, which was published by the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

Black women and LGBTQ service members were more likely to experience sexual harassment and assault, according to the paper.

The prevalence of sexual assault has remained high despite years of efforts to address the problem, the study said. “During the post-9/11 wars, the prioritization of force readiness above all else allowed the problem of sexual assault to fester, papering over internal violence and gender inequalities within military institutions,” the study’s author, University of Sheffield Professor Jennifer Greenberg, wrote.