A new report from the US Air Force (USAF) has revealed that it received 1,355 reports of sexual assault in 2016, which is slightly more than the 1,312 reported in the 12 months previous to this.
The review claims that 0.21% of airmen reported an assault in 2016 compared to 0.20% in 2015, and 0.21% in 2014.
A flat trend for annual reports over the last three years was discovered.
The USAF chief of staff general David Goldfein said: “The crime of sexual assault shatters trust and has a direct and negative impact on our capabilities as a warfighting force. In my opinion, there is no such thing as a bystander in this fight. We are all in.
“From the newest airman to the most senior leader, every one of us has a responsibility to step forward and help stop sexual assault before it happens."
The US Department of Defense (DoD) has announced that, although sexual assaults in the military have decreased, reporting of such crimes has increased from previous years.
US DoD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office director and Navy rear admiral Ann Burkhardt said: “We’re encouraged that there was less of this horrible crime in 2016, however, there are still too many people experiencing sexual assault.
“We will continue to provide first-class support to those who have been victimised and further evolve our prevention efforts to stop the crime before it occurs.”
The DoD found that 4.3% of women and 0.6% of men experienced sexual assault in 2016, compared with the 2014 figures of 4.9% of women and 0.9% of men.
The results of the 2016 sexual assault report will be compared to data from the Defense Manpower Data Center’s 2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey, which is conducted every other year for the active duty service branches.
