Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Military

Report: Military Sexual Assaults Up 35 Percent Since 2010 (Video)

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A new Pentagon report shows sexual assault in the military has jumped 35 percent since 2010.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is holding a news conference today to discuss the survey, called the fiscal 2012 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military.

USA Today was provided an advance summary of the report. According to the newspaper's website, roughly one in 16 female service members was the victim of a sexual assault last year.

Advertisement

The survey also finds sexual assaults are vastly underreported:

"Far fewer victims report sexual assault that are estimated to experience it on an annual basis."

The report's release comes one day after the Air Force announced the official in charge of its sexual assault prevention program was arrested for sexual battery.

Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski, 41, allegedly groped a woman he did not know in an Arlington, Virginia parking lot just after midnight on Sunday, according to NBC News.

When news of the arrest broke, the Pentagon quickly released a response from the top brass:

Secretary Hagel expressed outrage and disgust over the troubling allegations and emphasized that this matter will be dealt with swiftly and decisively.

Krusinski has been removed from his position while an investigation into the groping incident is underway. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.