Reports of sexual assault in the military have increased 50 percent. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the rise means more victims are choosing to come forward following efforts to address the issue. Hagel said he has ordered further steps.

Chuck Hagel: “They also require new methods to better encourage male victims to report assaults and seek assistance. With estimates that men comprise more than half the victims of sexual assault in the military, we have to fight the cultural stigmas that discourage reporting and be clear that sexual assault does not occur because a victim is weak, but rather because an offender disregards our values and the law.”