A congressionally mandated study concludes that sexual assault and harassment climbed at the service academies in 2009-2010, but the Pentagon questions whether the latest figures show problems are increasing or merely reflect a greater willingness by victims to report incidents.
According to the Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the United States Military Service Academies there were 41 sexual assaults on cadets or midshipmen, a 64 percent increase over the 2008-2009 period.
The academies have all implemented programs aimed at reducing sexual harassment and assaults, and officials note in the latest report that the focus on recognizing sexual harassment and assault may account for the upward spike for the latest school year.
An "unexpected result of prevention programming," the report argues, "is that education about a problem may enable individuals to better recognize it when it occurs. As a result, increases in surveyed incidence rates may reflect better identification of problem behaviors."
At the same time, the report also concedes that only a fraction of sexual assault or harassment incidents at the academies -- the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.; the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. -- are actually reported.
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