What better time than the dead week between Christmas and New Year’s to whisper to the world that reported allegations of sexual assault and harassment at the nation’s military academies soared from 41 during the 2010 academic year to 65 in the school year that ended in May?
The increase has triggered a policy change permitting those complaining publicly to request an expedited transfer to a new duty station. Pentagon officials have long acknowledged that those reporting such assaults – up to and including rape – represent only the tip of the iceberg.
This is plainly a moving target; such allegations jumped from 25 in 2009 to 41 last year. “The Department does not have the ability to conclusively identify the reasons for this increase in reporting behavior,” the congressional-mandated study said. “However, in prior years’ assessments, the Department identified steps the academies could take to encourage more victims to report.”
