Sexual assaults of active-duty U.S. military personnel are at their highest levels in the 15 years the Pentagon has been surveying uniformed servicemembers about these offenses, Defense Department officials said Thursday.
The disturbing update is likely to trigger further calls in Washington for new laws to address the problem.
Based on the results of a new fiscal 2021 survey made public Thursday, the Pentagon estimates 35,875 active-duty personnel, both women and men, were sexually assaulted — meaning, in essence, raped or groped, or an attempt was made to commit one of those crimes.
