The number of sexual assaults reported to the military last year was slightly less than the number reported in 2014, which means efforts to curb sex crimes “are having an impact,” though there are “still many hurdles to overcome,” the head of the Pentagon’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office said. Army Maj. Gen. Camille Nichols said in a press release that reporting sexual assaults “is essential” to helping survivors and holding attackers responsible. Of the 6,083 reports made in Fiscal 2015, 5,240 were made by service members, according to the DOD report. About 10 percent of those service members were reporting an incident that happened before they joined the military, according to the report. In Fiscal 2014, 6,131 sexual assaults were reported—up significantly from 5,518 in 2013 and 3,604 in 2012.
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.