Responding to a “disturbing and unacceptable” recent rise in reported sexual attacks and sexual harassment at the nation’s leading service academies, a new Pentagon report Thursday called for stronger leadership, better training and changes to such traditional practices such as the hazing of incoming cadets and plebes.
The study released Thursday warns that the current system contributes to a toxic environment that can increase the incidence of gender-related assault and other forms of misconduct.
In 2021, some 21% of women and 4.4% of men said they had experienced “unwanted sexual contact” at a military service academy. The figure is much higher than the average throughout the Department of Defense: 8.4% for women and 1.5% for men, the researchers said. “The peer leadership structure is actually creating unhealthy power dynamics that lead to hazing that further exacerbates this risk,” said Andra Tharp, senior prevention advisor for the Defense Department’s Office of Force Resiliency.
Freshmen at the Air Force Academy aren’t even referred to as “cadets” and are routinely subjected to hazing from the older students. While defenders of the traditional approach say the system helps create a class bond from shared adversity, that view isn’t shared by all, Ms. Tharp said. The active-duty military officers assigned to the individual cadet or midshipmen units were often seen more as disciplinarians rather than mentors, the Pentagon researchers said.
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