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Services Point to Integrated Prevention Workforces but Disagree With External Prevalence Estimates for Sexual Assault
Summary
Witnesses described integrated primary prevention hires, leadership training and data improvements but said discrepancies remain between DoD surveys and outside prevalence estimates such as the Brown University 'Costs of War' figure.
Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz and other members pressed the panel on efforts to reduce sexual assault. Committee discussion contrasted Defense Department prevalence estimates and reporting rates with outside studies.
Witnesses described new prevention investments: an integrated primary prevention (IPP) workforce hired across the services, expanded prevention‑focused training, new prevention‑response contracts and leadership development that emphasizes command responsibility for climate and culture. The Navy and Air Force noted expanded prevention programs and assigned hundreds to more than 1,000 prevention‑oriented billets across installations.
Committee members cited the 2023 DoD annual report (a decline in reported assaults) and a Brown University Costs of War estimate that placed prevalence higher; one member calculated a reporting rate near 1 in 4. Witnesses said they are “deep diving” methodological differences between surveys and the Brown estimate, and several suggested committee briefings from the Defense Department’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) to reconcile data.
The Marine Corps described a culture‑focused initiative called Marine Corps Total Fitness and said command leader development now includes data review to help incoming commanders understand command climate. The Air Force noted contracts to modernize prevention training and an aim to integrate training across professional military education pipelines.
All witnesses agreed reporting and prevention work must continue and that prevention is preferable to response, but they also acknowledged that more analytic clarity is needed to reconcile varying prevalence estimates and to increase service members’ trust in reporting channels.
