Pentagon Report: Almost 6,000 Sexual Assault Cases Seen in the Military in 2014

Statistics from the Pentagon released Thursday show that the number of sexual assaults reported in the military rose to almost 6,000 in the 2014 fiscal year, an 8-percent increase from the previous year. However, more encouragingly, the report also mentioned a significant drop of unwanted sexual contacts from 26,000 in 2012 to 19,000.

Defense officials confirmed that the 5,983 sexual assault reports were filed for the last year, which ended on Sept. 30. ABC News reports that in last year's statistics, there were 5,061 cases filed for sexual abuse. The 2013 results were an unprecedented 50-percent jump up from 2012's figures of just 3,374 reports.

The military defines sexual assault as any form of intentional sexual contact that could range from sexual harassment to rape. The staggering increase last year was attributed to a massive increase in reporting among victims due to growing confidence that the military would prosecute these sexual assault cases, according to Pentagon officials at the time.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will officially reveal the new statistics at a Pentagon news conference Thursday. The results of a survey conducted every other year will also be released, which estimates the prevalence of unwanted sexual contacts in the military.

This report, also known as the "Military Workplace Study," will show a 27-percent decrease in this kind of contact from 26,000 in 2012 to 19,000 this past year.

Multiple high-profile incidents in 2013 led to Congress passing legislation that changed the way sexual assault cases were reviewed by the military. It also led the armed services to change how officers are chosen in their units to handle sexual assault cases.

The issue has become a topic of hot debate, as last year in the Senate an amendment from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was rejected that would have removed military commanders from the chain of command in who decides to prosecute sexual assault reports. Senior military leaders opposed the change, stating it would affect the overall chain of command.