New Report Indicates Sexual Assault In Military Increased Staggeringly; 1 In 16 Women Victims Within Last Year

Sexual assaults within the military are an epidemic, and they're growing exponentially. The Pentagon admitted this week in a report that assaults are "rising". Full details are not yet known-the report will be released in full later this week-but what is known is shocking. The number of service members who say they've been sexually assaulted during the last year is about 26,000. That means it's increased by over a third in two years' time.

In a 2010 study, 19,300 service members indicated they had been assaulted in the last year.

"Sexual assault is a persistent problem and there is more work to be done," the Pentagon acknowledged in a statement obtained by USA Today.

Barack Obama and some Congressmembers have already responded, expressing shock and disappointment. Hours after the findings were published, Obama responded during a conversation with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

"I've directly spoken to Secretary Hagel already today and indicated to him that we not only have to step up our game but exponentially go after it," Obama said.

Hagel's got a lot on his hands. The report comes just days after the Air Force's head of sexual assault prevention was arrested and charged with sexual assault. Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski of the Air Force's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office was arrested for allegedly groping a woman in a suburban Washington, DC parking lot in northern Virginia. Apparently, Hegel called Air Force Secretary Michael Donley to "express outrage and disgust," and insist the issue be dealt with "swiftly and decisively."

  There's also been a recent debate over whether commanders should be able to overturn verdicts of military juries, as one did after a recent conviction for sexual assault.

Not only have the numbers of incidents that have allegedly occurred gone up, the number reported have too. The number of sexual assaults actually reported by members of the military rose six  percent in the last year alone.

Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said Tuesday that "The American people, including our service members, should expect a culture of absolutely no tolerance for this deplorable behavior that violates not only the law, but basic principles of respect, honor, and dignity in our society and its military,". "

The study's overall numbers indicate that the rate of female victims victimized in sexual assaults shot up from about 1-in-26 to 1-in-16 between the 2010 study and the most recent report. Previous studies have suggested that accurate data on sexual assault is chronically under-reported, particularly in the Defense Department. The actual number of incidents is likely far greater.

Following the report's release, Hagel issued a statement saying, "Sexual assault is a crime that is incompatible with military service and has no place in this department."

"It is an affront to the American values we defend, and it is a stain on our honor," added Hagel. "DoD needs to be a national leader in combating sexual assault and we will establish an environment of dignity and respect, where sexual assault is not tolerated, condoned or ignored."

Regarding the accusations that Lt. Col. Krusinski drunkenly groped a woman, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said sarcastically, "This arrest speaks volumes about the status and effectiveness of the Department of Defense's efforts to address the plague of sexual assaults in the military."