US military sexual assault reports fell 4% in 2024

​​​​​​​By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The number of sexual assault reports by US service members dropped 4% last year, a Pentagon official said Thursday.

"Last year, we estimated that the nearly 7,300 reports represented about a quarter -- 25% of the 29,000 service members impacted by sexual assault.

"However, most of these reports were made by women as men tend to report at much lower rates," Dr. Nathan Galbreath, director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) told reporters virtually.

In 2024, Galbreath said 6,973 reports represented a 4% decrease from fiscal year 2023.

"However, DOD received more than just these reports of sexual assault this year," he said, adding there were 8,195 reported sexual assaults in 2024.

"This is also a 4% decrease compared to the 8,515 total reports we received in FY 23," Galbreath said.

He said the Pentagon assesses overall progress in the sexual assault prevention response mission with two primary metrics -- the prevalence of sexual assault and the sexual assault reporting rate.

The number of sexual harassment complaints was 3,014 in 2024, Galbreath said.

"The majority of the complaints in FY 24 were lodged by women, and substantiated offenders were most often men, with most complaints involving junior enlisted personnel," he added.

The Pentagon remains committed to sexual assault prevention and response, and will continue to take "decisive action" to counter sexual assault, he said.