ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the contested history and the contemporary struggles surrounding rape and sexual violence in the US armed forces. It examines sexual violence committed by service members against other service members within the US military, focusing on the factors that distinguish sexual assault within the military from in civilian communities. Scholarship that improves the empirical knowledge of incidence and prevalence, that enables comparative analysis across communities, jurisdictions, and time periods, and that assesses the effectiveness of various prevention and response systems can help to keep military policy, law, and cultural norms aligned in reducing military sexual violence. The chapter looks at the broader impact of rape and sexual violence on military culture, training, and operations. It examines the impact of both formal and informal training on creating military cultures. The chapter discusses the consequences of integrating women, gays and lesbians, and transgender people into the armed forces, acknowledging formal progress as well as cultural resistance.
