A recent study from Brown University suggests that the prevalence of sexual assault in the U.S. military may be two to four times higher than official estimates. Conducted by the Costs of War Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute, the study analyzed Defense Department (DoD) data alongside independent sources to provide a more comprehensive picture of sexual assault within the military since 2001, NBC News reported.
The research estimates that there were approximately 75,569 sexual assault cases in 2021 and 73,695 cases in 2023, significantly higher than the DoD’s figures of about 35,900 cases in 2021 and 29,000 in 2023. The study’s authors argue that the true number of sexual assaults is likely in this higher range, based on comparisons between independent studies and DoD statistics.
A Defense Department spokesperson declined to comment on the study’s methodology but reiterated the Department’s commitment to addressing sexual assault. “The department continues our sustained progress to build strong command climates, support survivors, and hold offenders accountable,” the spokesperson said. “Sexual violence will not be tolerated, and we are focused on making lasting, meaningful change.”
The report also highlights high-profile cases, such as that of Vanessa Guillén, a soldier at Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos), Texas, who reported sexual harassment and was later killed by a fellow soldier, Spc. Aaron Robinson. Her death led to significant calls for military reform and the passage of the “I Am Vanessa Guillén Act” in 2022, which restructured how the military handles sexual abuse investigations.
Another case from Fort Hood involved Elder Fernandes, who died by suicide in 2020 following what the Army described as “abusive sexual contact.”
The Costs of War Project’s report follows a Pentagon finding that reports of sexual assault at the nation’s three military academies rose by more than 18% from 2021 to 2022. A 2021 Congressional Research Service report also indicated that a significant number of sexual offenses in the military might go unreported.
The I Am Vanessa Guillén Act, which removed military commanders from sexual assault investigations and placed them in the hands of independent prosecutors, is described in the report as “the largest change to the UCMJ since the military established its legal system in 1950.”
The report criticizes the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, noting that the focus on military readiness has overshadowed efforts to address the enduring issues of sexual assault and discrimination within the armed forces. “In the Secretary of the Army’s own words, going to war has prevented the military from institutionally reckoning with its long-standing epidemic of sexual assault,” the authors concluded.
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