Reports of sexual assault dip at military academies

• Air Force Academy had the most reported sexual assaults in the period
• A 2003 report called sexual assault a %22part of life%22 at the Air Force Academy
• Congress has bolstered protections for victims and prosecutions of perpetrators in military assaults

WASHINGTON — Reports of sexual assaults among cadets and midshipmen declined at two of the three military academies, according to a Pentagon report.

There were 53 sexual assaults reported at the academies during the 2012-13 school year compared with 58 reports in 2011-12. The Pentagon's study, scheduled for release Friday but obtained by USA TODAY, cautioned that officials cannot say with certainty that the decline "was due to fewer assaults occurring, or due to fewer victims willing to report."

Reports of sexual assault decreased at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. They rose at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

The reported attacks were for incidents that happened while the cadets and midshipmen were in military service.

Among the report's findings:

• There were 70 total sexual assault complaints at the academies in 2012-13.

Of those reports, 11 were for incidents that occurred before the cadets and midshipmen had joined the services, five reports involved citizens who alleged they were assaulted by a cadet or midshipman, and one cadet was the victim in two separate reports. Of the 70 reports, 45 came from the Air Force Academy, 15 from the Naval Academy and 10 from West Point.

• Alcohol consumption "remains a significant factor" in sexual assault reports, according to the report. Data from 2012 showed that alcohol played a role in 59% of the instances of unwanted sexual contact, a term that covers groping to rape.

• Among 15 investigations completed for an assault reported in the 2012-13 school year, one case was referred to court-martial for sexual assault and another for administrative discipline. Nine investigations remain open. Others were closed for various reasons, including the death of an alleged perpetrator and the inability of the victim to identify the attacker.

• Victims were mostly female. There were 38 women victims and four men among investigations completed during the 2012-13 school year. The offenders included 33 men and one woman.

Sexual assault in the military reached "crisis" proportions last year, according to top military officials. President Obama, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the Joint Chiefs of Staff vowed to stamp it out after a Pentagon report showed that instances of unwanted sexual contact totaled 26,000 in 2012, a 33% increase compared with 2010. All branches were hit by revelations. Among them, an enlisted soldier allegedly ran a prostitution ring while a three-star Air Force general overturned a rape conviction because he regarded the pilot as a good husband and father.

The higher number of reported assaults at the Air Force Academy stems partly from school officials encouraging victims to come forward, according to a military officer familiar with the report who spoke on condition of anonymity because it has not been officially released. However, a 2003 investigation there found sexual assault "a part of life" for cadets.

Congress has intervened to bolster protections for victims and prosecutions of perpetrators. Several changes, signed into law last month, limit the discretion of commanders to decide which cases are prosecuted and protecting victims from intrusive questioning.

"The historic reforms to curb military sexual assaults recently signed into law by the president extended to the service academies as well as the active-duty military," said Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat and member of the Armed Services Committee who advocated for the changes. "And we're going to continue to hold our academies to the same standards as the branches, requiring protection and empowerment of victims and aggressive, professional prosecution of perpetrators."

Every other year, the academies' report estimates the number of cadets and midshipmen who experienced unwanted sexual contact. There was no estimate this year, but in 2011-12, the number was 526. Based on trends, there likely were at least 500 this year, the military officer said.

Without that context this year, the current report "is totally inconclusive," said Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif, and a member of the Armed Services Committee. A measure enacted last month, and pushed by Speier, requires the estimate to be made annually.

The lack of convictions has a chilling effect on victims, Speier said.

"Until people have confidence that when they file a complaint that the assailant is going to be prosecuted, victims are not going to come forward," Speier said.

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