Pentagon spending on sex assault programs quadruples, yet incidents creep back up in latest report

Pentagon spending on sexual assault prevention and response programs has quadrupled since 2008, according to figures released by the Defense Department.
Whether that investment has paid dividends depends on where you stand:
Pentagon officials point to a long-term trend of lower estimates of sexual assaults in the ranks over the last decade.
Critics of the military's approach to prevention, however, note that the Pentagon's report on sexual assault released recently showed a nearly 38% increase in the estimated number of sexual assaults between 2016 and 2018 – the latest period available. There were an estimated 20,500 assaults in 2018.