More troops are reporting unwanted sexual contact, but numbers still fall, Pentagon says

WASHINGTON (AP) — More U.S. troops are reporting unwanted sexual contact to authorities, according to a Pentagon report released Friday, but even as more service members are willing to come forward, the prevalence of such incidents still went down overall last year.

An estimated 33% of active duty personnel who said they experienced unwanted sexual contact in fiscal year 2025 reported it, compared with 25% in fiscal year 2023, the report said. The findings are based on confidential surveys taken every two years as well as sexual assault reports made to authorities.

“In other words, about 1 in 3 Service members reported experiencing their sexual assault to a Department authority,” the r...