WASHINGTON — Since 2010, approximately 135,000 active duty service members have been sexually assaulted and about 509,000 active duty personnel have experienced sexual harassment, according to Department of Defense (DoD) statistics.
As sexual assaults in the military have continued to increase, Congress, the DoD and Coast Guard have taken actions to prevent and address the crimes.
In fact, lawmakers passed 249 statutory requirements between 2004 and 2019.
In a new report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the DoD and the Coast Guard have met most of these requirements, but not all of them.
"So they do not know what's effective or what's not effective," said Brenda Farrell, a director in GAO's Defense Capabilities and Management team.
She continued: "They need a mechanism in place to identify, track and help ensure that these laws are being implemented."
The GAO said until the military fully implements all of these laws, the DoD and the Coast Guard may be unable to ensure they are fully meeting their responsibilities.
The GAO recommends 23 changes to improve oversight of the DoD and Coast Guard's sexual assault prevention and response efforts.