Pentagon releases data on sex assault

The report, provided by the Department of Defense's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, details the total number of reports of sexual assault made across U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and joint bases, as well in combat zones like Iraq and Afghanistan.

The number of reports doesn't necessarily mean the alleged incident occurred at that installation, but rather point to where the service member is getting assistance with their sexual assault report. The incident could have occurred "while on deployment, while away on leave, or even prior to entering the military," the Pentagon said.

According to the press release, the data was published now "due to recent requests for this information under the Freedom of Information Act." However, it also occurs as reports of sexual harassment and assault have been leveled against powerful men in politics, the media and Hollywood.

For each of the military branches, as well as the joint bases and combat zones, the total number of reports in 2016 were largely identical to those in 2015.

Released in May of this year, the latest Pentagon survey of sexual assault in the military, which estimates the "prevalence” or rate of sexual assault, showed the estimated number of sexual assaults had decreased to 14,900 in 2016, down from the 20,300 measured in the last survey conducted in 2014.

Meanwhile, the number of sexual assaults reported by victims in 2016 rose slightly to 6,172, an increase that Pentagon officials said indicated greater awareness of the care and responses available to victims.

In the report released on Friday, the Pentagon estimated that for the 2016 fiscal year, 32 percent of service members who experience sexual assault now report it, up from 25 percent in fiscal years 2014 and 2015.