Pentagon Reports Increased Sexual Assault Reporting, Decreased Incidents Among Troops

A Pentagon report released on Friday shows an increase in US service members reporting unwanted sexual contact to authorities, while the overall frequency of these incidents has dropped.

An estimated 33 percent of active duty personnel who experienced unwanted sexual contact during fiscal year 2025 filed a report, an increase from 25 percent in fiscal year 2023. The report, which includes data from a biennial confidential survey, indicates this is another year of improving trends in tackling sexual assault in the military. The survey found that the number of active duty women who said they experienced unwanted sexual contact declined from 6.8% in fiscal year 2023 to 4.3% in fiscal year 2025.

For active duty men, the rate decreased from 1.3% to 1% in the same period. This marks the second consecutive survey showing a decrease in prevalence, following high rates of 8.4% for women and 1.6% for men in 2021. The Pentagon received 7,998 official reports of sexual assault involving service members as victims or offenders in fiscal year 2025.

This figure represents a decrease from 8,195 reports in 2024 and 8,515 in 2023. Out of an estimated 20,492 service members impacted by sexual assault in fiscal year 2025, 6,843 made official reports. Defense officials have long argued that an increase in reported assaults is a positive trend, indicating greater confidence in the reporting system and more support for victims.

Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Anthony J. Tata stated that sexual assault and sexual harassment undermine foundational values, eroding trust, and threatening the mission. The report is congressionally mandated.