An estimated 20,492 members of the U.S. military experienced sexual assault in fiscal year 2025. That figure, however, was higher two years earlier. The data was disclosed in a Pentagon report published Friday.
According to the report, this pattern of assault was seen among both active-duty women and men between fiscal years 2023 and 2025. The figures were presented in the military’s annual report on sexual assault for fiscal year 2025, which is required to be published regularly under a mandate from the U.S. Congress.
The report also includes the results of a 2025 workplace-experiences survey, which measures the state of unwanted sexual contact, sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination in the military. The armed forces periodically conduct this kind of survey to get an estimated picture of incidents that are not formally reported to authorities.
Among active-duty women, the estimated rate of sexual harassment stood at 24.7 percent in 2023, falling to 17.5 percent in 2025. For men, the rate fell from 5.8 percent to 4.4 percent.
The rate at which sexual assault incidents are formally reported, however, has risen. In 2023, an estimated 25 percent of incidents among active-duty members were reported to authorities. That rate rose to 33 percent in 2025.
The Pentagon says reporting incidents is important for connecting affected members with medical care, mental health support and other rehabilitative services, and for investigating complaints and holding those responsible accountable.
Anthony J. Tata, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said dignity, respect and discipline are core military values and the foundation of overall readiness. Sexual assault and sexual harassment undermine these values, erode trust among service members, and threaten the functioning of the armed forces, he said.
He said the report reflects the department’s commitment to protecting service members, maintaining high standards of discipline, and building a unified, ready force.
However, the 20,492 victims cited in the report is not the same as the number of formal complaints filed with military authorities. The purpose of this survey-based estimate is to identify experiences among service members that were not formally reported.
In Friday’s announcement, the Pentagon did not release a service-by-service breakdown, detailed demographic data on victims, or the number of disciplinary actions taken. However, it said the full report contains various statistics, an analysis of changes over time, and updated information on programs to prevent sexual assault and harassment and on various initiatives to support victims.
Separately, the U.S. Congress has changed the prosecution process for sexual assault and certain other serious crimes. As a result, these cases are now prosecuted by independent military prosecutors rather than through the military’s traditional command structure.
While defense officials view the decline in the estimated rate of sexual assault and the number of victims in 2025 as positive progress, the figure of more than 20,000 affected service members makes clear that sexual assault remains a major problem in the U.S. military.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report