WASHINGTON _ Sexual assaults increased at two of the three U.S. military academies last year, and surveys show sexual misconduct reports increased at all three, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
The new data represent the latest setback for the military in its efforts to reduce sexual misconduct. The services have struggled to explain a series of recent problems, including disclosure of Marines and other military members sharing nude photos of servicewomen on websites and social media.
Misconduct reports increased at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and the U.S. Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Co., according to data from anonymous surveys the Pentagon conducts.
The study showed that assaults declined at the Air Force Academy, but increased at the two other schools.
The Pentagon has been under intense pressure for years to show progress in preventing and prosecuting sex crimes. While there have been a series of programs designed to halt the behavior, scandals continue to plague the military.
Lawmakers from both parties have rebuked the Pentagon, and some have argued that military commanders should be stripped of the power to decide whether or not to prosecute and punish offenders.
Pentagon officials have pushed back and established measures that they said were intended to ensure victims could lodge complaints without fear they would be ostracized in their units, their careers would suffer or their attackers would be protected by the chain of command.
