U.S. MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT RATES 2 TO 4 TIMES HIGHER

By Phil Helsel and Courtney Kube The number of sexual assaults in the U.S. military is likely two to four times higher than government estimates, according to a new study out of Brown University. The study, completed by the Costs of War Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute, compared Defense Department data on sexual assaults with data that was not from the DOD to estimate sexual assault figures in the military since 2001. “During and beyond the 20 years of the post-9/11 wars, independent data suggest that actual sexual assault prevalence is two to four times higher than DoDestimations — 75,569 cases in 2021 and 73,695 cases in 2023,” the authors wrote in the report, which was released Wednesday. Defense Department figures estimate that there were approximately 35,900 cases in 2021 and around 29,000 military personnel assaulted in 2023, the study said. The Brown report said that independent studies show higher estimates of the number of active-duty service members experiencing sexual assault, and it compared those studies with Defense Department numbers. & “This report high-lights a middle range two to four times higher than DoDestimates — as likely providing the most accurate numbers,” it said. A Defense Department spokesperson said...