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A2 UP FRONT
Friday 3 May 2019
Reports of sexual assault in the military spike

By LOLITA C. BALDOR reporters Thursday that the spokeswoman, said lead-
Associated Press latest numbers are "dis- ers must enforce standards
WASHINGTON (AP) — Re- heartening and it person- to ensure a healthy com-
ports of military sexual as- ally makes me angry," but mand climate and prevent
saults jumped by 13% last he said he's "not without sexual misconduct by sol-
year, but an anonymous hope." diers.
survey of service members The sharp increase in report- The survey found that
released Thursday suggests ed Marine assaults comes young and junior enlisted
the problem is vastly larger. on the heels of two trou- women between 17 and
The survey results found bled years for the Corps. 20 were most likely to ex-
that more than 20,000 ser- In 2017, the service was perience sexual assault.
vice members said they rocked by a massive online In the vast majority of the
experienced some type of nude-photo sharing scan- cases the alleged perpe-
sexual assault, but only a dal, and later launched a trator was a military man,
third of those filed a formal large public campaign to often near the same rank
report. In this March 6, 2019, file photo, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., raise awareness of inappro- as the victim and usually
The survey number is about the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Subcom- priate behavior and beef someone she knows. The
mittee on Personnel, speaks during a hearing about prevention
37% higher than two years and response to sexual assault in the military, on Capitol Hill in up enforcement. Nearly report also found that near-
ago, when one was last Washington. 60 service members even- ly two-thirds of all incidents
done, fueling frustration Associated Press tually faced some type of involved alcohol use by the
within the department and punishment. victim and/or the offender.
outrage on Capitol Hill. that service saw a spike of survey every two years to Gen. Robert Neller, com- Galbreath said the depart-
"I am tired of the statement more than 18% in the num- get a clearer picture of the mandant of the Marine ment has to reassess why
I get over and over from ber of sexual assault reports problem. Corps, said Thursday that prevention programs are
the chain of command: filed last year. The Marine The increase in assaults has his troops "cannot truly be not working as well with
'We got this, madam, we Corps had the largest jump, triggered another round of loyal to our Nation without younger troops and ad-
got this.' You don't have at 23%, while the Navy saw Pentagon programs to try first being loyal to each just those efforts to better
it!" Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a a 7% increase and the Air to reduce misconduct. other. All Marines must be reach them. Programs that
New York Democrat, shout- Force was up by about 4% Nate Galbreath, deputy involved in preventing and worked a few years ago,
ed during a Senate Armed The Pentagon releases a director of the Pentagon's addressing sexual assault he said, are no longer ef-
Services Committee con- report every year on the Sexual Assault Prevention and harassment." fective.
firmation hearing Thursday number of sexual assaults and Response Office, told Col. Kathy Turner, an Army Continued on Next Page
for Army Gen. James Mc- reported by troops. But
Conville. "You're failing us." because sexual assault is
McConville has been nomi- a highly underreported
nated to be the next chief crime, the department
of staff of the Army, and sends out an anonymous