Reports of sex crimes in the military are down. Here's why that's a mixed blessing.
The 2023 reported sexual assaults amounted to about 25% of the incidents of unwanted sexual contact among troops, crimes that range from groping to rape. The total includes 15,000 women and 14,000 men
WASHINGTON — The number of troops reporting unwanted sexual contact to the military dropped last year, trend that may be viewed as a mixed blessing amid its years-long effort by the Pentagon to address sex crimes.
About 7,000 troops reported unwanted sexual contact in 2024, a 4% decrease in complaints compared with the previous year, according to data released by the Pentagon.
The figures announced May 1 likely represent fraction of the military’s sexual assault problem. In 2023, reported sexual assaults amounted to about 25% of the estimated 29,000 incidents of unwanted sexual contact among troops, crimes that range from groping to rape. That total includes 15,000 women and 14,000 men who reported sex crimes. It will take more data to determine how reports of sexual assaults in 2024 compare with estimates of sexual assault.
For years, the Pentagon and Congress have sought to reduce sexual assault by spending tens of millions of dollars to expand prevention programs and pass new laws designed to hold perpetrators accountable. The results have been mixed. In 2018, there were an estimated 20,500 assaults. Three years later, that number spiked to 35,900 before falling to 29,000 in 2023.
Pentagon wants more people reporting sexual assault
The Pentagon seeks an increase in troops willing to report sexual crimes, an indicator of confidence in the system. Nathan Galbreath, director of the Pentagon’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office, said he was satisfied with the number of reports despite the decrease.
“Overall, I would tell you that we're still reporting at historically high rates,” he said. “And so even though we'd like to see the number of reports increase, I'm still very satisfied that our military members know that they can come forward, they can participate, they can report in any number of ways and get the help that they need to recover.”
There were 6,973 reports of sexual assault in the military in 2024.
Under the Trump administration’s drive to cut government spending and a stated aversion to social equity - so-called woke - policies, advocates have raised concerns about the Pentagon’s commitment to dealing with sexual assault. An April 23 memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drew scorn from Protect Our Defenders, a non-profit group that advocates for victims of sexual assault in the military. They argue that Hegseth’s policy will make troops reluctant to file complaints.
Hegseth’s memo titled, “Restoring Good Order and Discipline Through Balanced Accountability,” calls for complaints filed against service members be dismissed if they lack actionable evidence, and that those knowingly filing false complaints be disciplined.
Rare false reporting on sexual assault
False reports are rare. The Pentagon found that 1% of sexual assault reports in 2024 were unfounded. Hegseth maintains that he was the victim of an unfounded complaint of sexual assault. He paid the woman who complained $50,000.
“This new policy sends a stark and chilling message: report misconduct at your own risk,” Josh Connolly, senior vice president at Protect Our Defenders. “By creating new barriers to justice and threatening retaliation against those who speak up, the Department of Defense is attempting to undo congressionally mandated legal protections — and tip the scales against survivors — with a memo.”
Galbreath said the memo would not affect how sexual assault and harassment complaints are handled.
“Not at this time, largely because at the end of the day, the standard of proof remains the same with regard to any sexual harassment complaint,” Galbreath said. “So to that end, all complaints are reviewed, the evidence is analyzed, and a legal officer often opines on whether or not action can be taken.”
Don Christensen, the former chief prosecutor for the Air Force, said the memo threatens to revictimize those who report sexual assault.
The memo ''put a target on the back of any victim that comes forward," Christensen said. I t ''is encouraging the worst instincts of those who think women falsely accuse men all the time and has green lighted prosecutions of victims who report."