Students at the U.S. military academies often believe they have to put up with sexist and offensive behavior, according to a Pentagon report released Friday, reflecting a culture of disrespect that permeates the schools and their sports teams and fuels reports of sexual harassment and assaults. The report points to scandals involving sports teams at all three academies during the last school year as examples of the problems, and it urges leaders to do more to improve training and prevention programs. According to NBC News, A total of 17 of the 70 reports occurred before the cadet or midshipman was at the U.S. Naval Academy, West Point, or the U.S. Air Force Academy. Athletes and sports teams came under increased scrutiny in light of separate harassment and assault incidents at the all three schools. The issue of sexual assaults has gripped the military in the last year after a series of high-profile cases from academy students to generals.
