By Amanda Miller
Reports of sexual assaults of service academy cadets and midshipmen have trended upward since 2014. Defense Department officials said Feb. 17 that record numbers reported in the most recent academic year could be due to a higher proportion of victims making official reports—something the academies have encouraged. But the officials won’t know if that’s what happened in 2020-2021—the year with the most reports ever totaling 131 at all three academies—until 2023. Meanwhile, the most recent available data, from 2018, showed the estimated prevalence of sexual assaults, reported or not, also going up, said Nathan W. Galbreath, acting director of the DOD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office.
Reports of sexual assaults of service academy cadets and midshipmen have trended upward since 2014. Defense Department officials said Feb. 17 that record numbers reported in the most recent academic year could be due to a higher proportion of victims making official reports—something the academies have encouraged. But the officials won’t know if that’s what happened in 2020-2021—the year with the most reports ever totaling 131 at all three academies—until 2023. Meanwhile, the most recent available data, from 2018, showed the estimated prevalence of sexual assaults, reported or not, also going up, said Nathan W. Galbreath, acting director of the DOD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office.