Research Examining Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military

Combatting problems of sexual assault and harassment in the U.S. military requires a thorough understanding of the problem. RAND research over the past decade has examined the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment in the U.S. armed forces, risk factors for victimization, and the long-term effects on the individual and the service.

Within RAND, research on sexual assault and harassment within the U.S. military has been conducted by the RAND National Security Research Division (NSRD) as well as by RAND Project AIR FORCE, and the RAND Army Research Division.

By Research Division

National Security Research Division
Project AIR FORCE
Army Research Division

NSRD Publications on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military

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  Countering Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Lessons from RAND Research 2021

  Joie D. Acosta, Matthew Chinman, Amy L. Shearer

  The authors discuss recent statistics for sexual assault and sexual harassment within the Department of Defense (DoD) and summarize the policies and steps that DoD has taken to address these problem behaviors. Official reports of sexual assault and sexual harassment within DoD have significantly increased. Although DoD has taken steps to address this, the authors recommend multiple activities to improve DoD's prevention and response activities.

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  Sexual Assault of Sexual Minorities in the U.S. Military 2021

  Andrew R. Morral, Terry L. Schell

  The authors of this report estimate the proportion of all sexually assaulted military service members who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, or who do not indicate they identify as heterosexual. They find that although this group makes up only 12 percent of the active duty population, it accounted for approximately 43 percent of all sexually assaulted service members in 2018.

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  Risk Factors for Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Findings from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study 2021

  Terry L. Schell, Andrew R. Morral, Matthew Cefalu, Coreen Farris, Miriam Matthews

  This report describes analyses designed to identify service member and environmental characteristics that are associated with service members' risk of sexual assault or sexual harassment. These analyses draw on data from one of the largest surveys ever conducted on sexual assault and harassment experiences, the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study.

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  Healthy Relationship Approaches to Sexual Assault Prevention: Programs and Strategies for Use Within the U.S. Military 2021

  Coreen Farris, Melissa Marie Labriola, Sierra Smucker, Thomas E. Trail, Samuel Peterson, Brandon Crosby, Terry L. Schell

  The U.S. Department of Defense and the military services continue to prioritize sexual assault prevention. This guide aims to provide prevention teams and leaders with an overview of a healthy relationship approach to sexual assault prevention, why it could be an effective tool, and strategies for implementing a program as part of their prevention portfolio.

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  Perceived Retaliation Against Military Sexual Assault Victims 2021

  Coreen Farris, Terry L. Schell, Lisa H. Jaycox, Robin L. Beckman

  This research documents the characteristics of sexual assault incidents, victims, and perpetrators that increase risk for perceived retaliation against service women who are victims of sexual assault. The authors also explored the relationship between disclosure choices and retaliation and subsequently controlled for disclosure choices when identifying risk factors for retaliation.

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  The Relationship Between Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Findings from the RAND Military Workplace Study 2021

  Terry L. Schell, Matthew Cefalu, Coreen Farris, Andrew R. Morral

  This report describes analyses designed to identify how the sexual harassment of others in a service member's work environment affects his or her own risk of being sexually assaulted. These analyses draw on data from one of the largest surveys ever conducted on sexual assault and harassment experiences, the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study.

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  Effects of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment on Separation from the U.S. Military: Findings from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study 2021

  Andrew R. Morral, Miriam Matthews, Matthew Cefalu, Terry L. Schell, Linda Cottrell

  This report describes analyses, using data from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study, designed to assess the effects of sexual assault and sexual harassment on service members' decisions to separate from the military. Among other findings, this study demonstrates that more than 8,000 separations over a 28-month period (4 percent of all separations) were associated with sexual assault or harassment experiences.

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  Development of a Short Form Measure of Sexual Harassment Risk in the Military: Findings from the RAND Military Workplace Study 2019

  Terry L. Schell, Matthew Cefalu, Andrew R. Morral

  RAND has developed a new version of a Department of Defense survey used to estimate the prevalence of sexual harassment in the military. In this short version of the sexual harassment measure, the authors document a five-question sexual harassment measure that reliably predicts scores on the longer instrument. The five-item sexual harassment measure seems to be appropriate for use in military organizational climate surveys.

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  Measures of Performance and Effectiveness for the Marine Corps' Sexual Assault Prevention Programs 2019

  Coreen Farris, Terry L. Schell, Margaret Tankard, Lisa H. Jaycox, Barbara Bicksler, Angela Clague, Dionne Barnes-Proby

  To assist the U.S. Marine Corps in evaluating its sexual assault prevention programs, the authors of this report identify and develop measures of performance and measures of effectiveness with which to assess the programs. The research team created a logic model framework to guide evaluations and mapped program goals to measures that assess the degree to which each outcome has been achieved.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Volume 5. Estimates for Installation- and Command-Level Risk of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study 2018

  Andrew R. Morral, Terry L. Schell, Matthew Cefalu, Jessica Hwang, Andrew Gelman

  The Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office asked the RAND Corporation to conduct an assessment of the rates of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the U.S. military. This volume presents survey estimates of how risk of sexual assault and sexual harassment varies across military installations and major commands using data from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Annex to Volume 5. Tabular Results from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study for Installation- and Command-Level Risk of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment 2018

  Andrew R. Morral, Terry L. Schell, Matthew Cefalu, Jessica Hwang, Andrew Gelman

  The Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office asked the RAND Corporation to conduct an assessment of the rates of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the U.S. military. This Annex to Volume 5 contains detailed tabular results for risk of sexual assault and sexual harassment across military installations and major commands using data from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study.

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  2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey: Mental and Emotional Health Among U.S. Active-Duty Service Members 2018

  Sarah O. Meadows, Charles C. Engel, Rebecca L. Collins, Robin L. Beckman, Matthew Cefalu, Jennifer Hawes-Dawson, Molly Waymouth, Amii M. Kress, Lisa Sontag-Padilla, Rajeev Ramchand, et al.

  The 2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey sought information on the health, health-related behaviors, and well-being of active-duty service members. This brief reviews results for mental and emotional health.

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  Needs of Male Sexual Assault Victims in the U.S. Armed Forces 2018

  Miriam Matthews, Coreen Farris, Margaret Tankard, Michael Stephen Dunbar

  This report reviews previous research on sexual assault against men and describes results from RAND researchers' interviews with military service providers and civilian experts. These interviews addressed victim needs, reporting, resources, public perceptions, outreach, and service provider training. The report concludes with recommendations for improving support to male sexual assault victims in the U.S. military.

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  Hazing Prevention and Response: Training for Military Leaders 2017

  Kirsten M. Keller, Miriam Matthews, Kimberly Curry Hall, Melissa Bauman

  This instructor guide provides content for leading Hazing Prevention and Response: Training for Military Leaders, an adaptable, interactive class to help with hazing prevention and response efforts. The class defines hazing, gives examples of hazing in a military context, and summarizes several hazing misconceptions. It also describes hazing-related policies and discusses strategies for leaders to help prevent and respond effectively to hazing.

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  Improving Oversight and Coordination of Department of Defense Programs That Address Problematic Behaviors Among Military Personnel: Final Report 2017

  Jefferson P. Marquis, Coreen Farris, Kimberly Curry Hall, Kristy N. Kamarck, Nelson Lim, Douglas Shontz, Paul S. Steinberg, Robert Stewart, Thomas E. Trail, Jennie W. Wenger, et al.

  A RAND study examined programs to address sexual harassment, sexual assault, unlawful discrimination, substance abuse, suicide, and hazing. This report discusses findings, then makes recommendations for the Office of the Secretary of Defense to better understand the relationships among these problematic behaviors and its oversight and coordination of programs to address those behaviors.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Volume 2. Estimates for Department of Defense Service Members from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study 2016

  The Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office asked the RAND Corporation to conduct an independent assessment of the rates of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the U.S. military. This volume presents survey results from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study for active- and reserve-component service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Evaluating Estimates from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study 2016

  This research brief describes the methodological review of sources of potential bias in the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study, an independent assessment of the rates of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the U.S. military,

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Volume 4. Investigations of Potential Bias in Estimates from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study 2016

  The Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office asked the RAND Corporation to independently assess rates of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the military. This volume presents the results of methodological investigations into sources of potential bias in estimates produced from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study for active- and reserve-component members in the U.S. military.

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  Hazing in the U.S. Armed Forces: Recommendations for Hazing Prevention Policy and Practice 2015

  Kirsten M. Keller, Miriam Matthews, Kimberly Curry Hall, William Marcellino, Jacqueline A. Mauro, Nelson Lim

  This report documents research focused on helping the Department of Defense build a more-systematic approach to hazing prevention and response. The report documents theory and research on the root causes of hazing and findings and recommendations regarding how best to define hazing, practices to prevent and respond to incidents of hazing, and how the armed forces can improve the tracking of hazing incidents.

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  A Commander's Guide to Hazing Prevention 2015

  Miriam Matthews, Kimberly Curry Hall, Nelson Lim

  This tool provides a short overview of hazing for military commanders and was derived from research documented in Hazing in the U.S. Armed Forces: Recommendations for Hazing Prevention Policy and Practice, by Kirsten M. Keller, Miriam Matthews, Kimberly Curry Hall, William Marcellino, Jacqueline A. Mauro, and Nelson Lim, RR-941-OSD, RAND Corporation, 2015.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Findings from the RAND Military Workplace Study 2015

  Kristie L. Gore

  In this presentation, RAND co-project leader Kristie L. Gore presents an overview of the final findings from the RAND Military Workplace Study, which included a survey of 560,000 U.S. service members fielded in August and September of 2014.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Annex to Volume 3. Tabular Results from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study for Coast Guard Service Members 2015

  The Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office asked the RAND Corporation to conduct an independent assessment of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the U.S. military. The Coast Guard also requested inclusion of its members. This Annex to Volume 3 contains detailed tabular results from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study for the U.S. Coast Guard active component.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Volume 3. Estimates for Coast Guard Service Members from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study 2015

  The Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office asked the RAND Corporation to conduct an independent assessment of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the U.S. military. The Coast Guard also requested inclusion of its members. This volume presents survey results from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study for the U.S. Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Reserve.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Highlights from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study 2015

  Andrew R. Morral, Kristie L. Gore, Terry L. Schell, Barbara Bicksler, Coreen Farris, Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar, Lisa H. Jaycox, Dean Kilpatrick, Steve Kistler, Amy Street, et al.

  This brief presents major conclusions for Department of Defense service members from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study, an independent assessment of the rates of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the U.S. military.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Annex to Volume 2. Tabular Results from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study for Department of Defense Service Members 2015

  The Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office asked the RAND Corporation to conduct an independent assessment of the rates of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the U.S. military. This Annex to Volume 2 contains detailed tabular results for the DoD active component from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: A Review of Top-Line Findings from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study 2014

  Andrew R. Morral, Kristie L. Gore

  In early 2014, the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office asked the RAND Corporation to conduct an independent assessment of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the military. This video presents initial top-line estimates from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study, an independent assessment of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the military.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Top-Line Estimates for Active-Duty Coast Guard Members from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study 2014

  National Defense Research Institute

  Coast Guard active duty and reserve members were surveyed as part of an independent RAND assessment of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the military. This report provides initial top-line active-duty Coast Guard estimates from the resulting RAND Military Workplace Study, which invited close to 560,000 service members to participate in a survey fielded in August and September of 2014.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Volume 1. Design of the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study 2014

  The Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office asked the RAND Corporation to conduct an independent assessment of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the US military. This volume documents the methodology used in the resulting RAND Military Workplace Study, which invited close to 560,000 service members to participate in a survey fielded in August and September of 2014.

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Top-Line Estimates for Active-Duty Service Members from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study 2014

  National Defense Research Institute

  In early 2014, the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office asked the RAND Corporation to conduct an independent assessment of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination in the military. This report provides preliminary top-line estimates from the resulting RAND Military Workplace Study, which invited close to 560,000 service members to participate in a survey fielded in August and September of 2014.

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  Targeting Alcohol Misuse: A Promising Strategy for Reducing Military Sexual Assaults? 2014

  Coreen Farris, Kimberly A. Hepner

  Sexual assaults in the U.S. military have not declined despite the implementation of universal prevention programs. Alcohol misuse is also a greater problem among service members than among their civilian counterparts. A review of the civilian research provides some guidance for implementing and evaluating efforts to reduce alcohol misuse as part of a larger strategy to reduce the incidence of sexual assault in the military.

Project AIR FORCE Publications on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military

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  Getting To Outcomes® Operations Guide for U.S. Air Force Community Action Teams: Content Area Module for Air Force Sexual Harassment Prevention 2020

  Coreen Farris

  This content area module (CAM) for Air Force sexual harassment prevention is a companion volume to the Getting To Outcomes Operations Guide for U.S. Air Force Community Action Teams. It includes guidance, resources, and examples of completed tools for Community Action Teams that have an interest in planning, implementing, and evaluating sexual harassment prevention initiatives as part of a Community Action Plan.

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  Using Getting To Outcomes® to Build Strong Community Action Plans and Enhance U.S. Air Force Resilience and Violence Prevention Efforts: Three GTO Training Videos 2020

  Patricia A. Ebener, Joie D. Acosta, Matthew Chinman

  These videos explain how to use Getting To Outcomes® (GTO) to build a Community Action Plan (CAP). The first overviews using GTO to create CAPs for implementing resilience and prevention initiatives. It explains what a CAP is and how GTO is used to create one; it also covers the ten-step GTO process. The second video provides detail about the steps in planning a CAP, and the third covers evaluating and improving a CAP after implementation.

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  Getting to Outcomes® Operations Guide for U.S. Air Force Community Action Teams 2020

  Matthew Chinman, Patricia A. Ebener, Amy L. Shearer, Joie D. Acosta, Sarah B. Hunter

  This guide will lead the user through the ten steps of Getting To Outcomes (GTO) to assist with the planning, implementation, evaluation, continuous quality improvement, and sustainability of U.S. Air Force Community Action Plans. Each chapter in the guide contains blank tools for that chapter's GTO step and detailed instructions for completing the tools.

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  Getting To Outcomes® Operations Guide for U.S. Air Force Community Action Teams: Content Area Module for Workplace Stress Prevention and Reduction in the Air Force 2020

  Chaitra M. Hardison, Christine Anne Vaughan, Lisa S. Meredith, Sarah Weilant, Rachel Ross

  This content area module (CAM) for workplace stress prevention and reduction in the Air Force is a companion volume to the Getting To Outcomes Operations Guide for U.S. Air Force Community Action Teams. It includes guidance, resources, and examples of completed tools for Community Action Teams that have an interest in planning, implementing, and evaluating workplace stress prevention and reduction initiatives as part of a Community Action Plan.

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  A Survey System to Assess Abuse and Misconduct Toward Air Force Students in Occupational Specialty Training 2019

  Laura L. Miller, Coreen Farris, Marek N. Posard, Miriam Matthews, Kirsten M. Keller, Sean Robson, Stephanie Brooks Holliday, Mauri Matsuda, Rachel M. Burns, Lisa Wagner, et al.

  This report provides recommendations for how the Air Force's survey system for monitoring abuse and misconduct in Basic Military Training can best be adapted for use in technical training and flying training environments. The report also provides background on the training environments, revisions to tailor the survey content for these environments, survey pretest results, strategies to promote participation, and recommendations for future use.

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  Air Force Sexual Assault Situations, Settings, and Offender Behaviors 2018

  Laura L. Miller, Kirsten M. Keller, Lisa Wagner, William Marcellino, Amy Grace Donohue, Sarah Michal Greathouse, Miriam Matthews, Lynsay Ayer

  Concern about sexual assault within the U.S. military is ongoing. To assist Air Force prevention and response efforts, this report focuses on providing a better understanding of sexual assaults committed by airmen, including suspect characteristics and behaviors, the suspect's relationship to the victim, victim characteristics, the settings and circumstances of sexual assaults, and behavior and justifications following sexual assaults.

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  Enhancing Professionalism in the U.S. Air Force 2017

  Jennifer J. Li, Tracy C. Krueger, Lawrence M. Hanser, Andrew M. Naber, Judith Babcock LaValley

  This report considers the U.S. Air Force definition of professionalism — "A personal commitment and loyalty to Air Force standards and expectations framed within an environment of shared trust, guided by Air Force Core Values" — as a starting point to address the question: What can the Air Force do to increase the professionalism of its personnel?

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  Assessing the Use of Employment Screening for Sexual Assault Prevention 2017

  Miriam Matthews

  This report reviews various employment screening policies and procedures to assess how helpful these may be for Air Force sexual assault prevention efforts. Reviewed measures include self-reporting of behaviors, background checks, and personality tests. The report concludes with specific recommendations for improving existing Air Force procedures.

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  A Review of the Literature on Sexual Assault Perpetrator Characteristics and Behaviors 2016

  Sarah Michal Greathouse, Jessica Saunders, Miriam Matthews, Kirsten M. Keller, Laura L. Miller

  This report aims to assist the Air Force in its continued efforts to combat sexual assault perpetration within its ranks by examining the existing empirical literature on adult perpetrators who commit sexual assault against other adults, with a particular focus on research published in 2000 or later. The literature search focused on the current state of scientific knowledge and was not limited to studies focusing on military populations.

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  An Integrated Survey System for Addressing Abuse and Misconduct Toward Air Force Trainees During Basic Military Training 2015

  Kirsten M. Keller, Laura L. Miller, Sean Robson, Coreen Farris, Brian D. Stucky, Marian Oshiro, Sarah O. Meadows

  The U.S. Air Force's Air Education and Training Command asked RAND to develop an integrated survey system to help address abuse and misconduct by military training instructors (MTIs) toward trainees during Basic Military Training. RAND developed two complementary surveys, one for trainees and one for MTIs. The report also includes recommendations about survey administration, reporting the results, and tracking and monitoring abuse and misconduct.

Army Research Division Publications on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military

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  Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Army: Where Cases are Highest and Why 2021

  Miriam Matthews, Andrew R. Morral, Terry L. Schell, Matthew Cefalu, Joshua Snoke, R. J. Briggs

  This research summarizes estimates of sexual assault risk and sexual harassment risk across U.S. Army installations and command, showing variation in these risks across groups of soldiers.

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  Organizational Characteristics Associated with Risk of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Army 2021

  Miriam Matthews, Andrew R. Morral, Terry L. Schell, Matthew Cefalu, Joshua Snoke, R. J. Briggs

  Researchers extended previous RAND analyses that produced estimates of sexual assault risk and sexual harassment risk across installations and commands. The results of these extended analyses showed considerable variation in the risk of sexual assault and sexual harassment across groups of soldiers, primarily among Army women—at installations, commands, and in career fields—and identified characteristics of groups in which risk level was higher.