The US military revealed that women in its ranks were subjected to the highest level of sexual assaults ever last year.
The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) described this data as tragic, frustrating and devastating.
The unveiling of the US military - which is already facing difficulties in achieving its recruitment goals after long wars - comes just months after announcing new reforms to resolve the crisis, which critics described as slow and too limited.
According to the US military, reports of sexual assault increased by about 13% in 2021 compared to the previous year.
It is estimated that 8.4% of women in military service experienced some form of unwanted sexual intercourse in fiscal year 2021, while the number of men nearly doubled to 1.5%, according to a survey in a Pentagon report published Thursday.
Although the report made it clear that these results could not be scientifically compared to previous years due to a government-directed adjustment in measurement methods, a senior US Defense Department official said it was the highest rate of sexual assaults for women since 2006 and the second-highest for men.
The survey showed that the prevalence of sexual assaults in the Marine Corps reached 13.4 percent among women in 2021, up from about 10.7 percent.
“These numbers are tragic and extremely frustrating on an individual level, and it is devastating to imagine that these numbers mean that the lives and careers of more than 35,000 soldiers have been irreversibly changed because of these crimes".