WASHINGTON — When a tweet or Instagram photo can be wielded as a weapon, the Pentagon is struggling to define retaliation and rein in bullying or other behavior that victims perceive as vengeful.
On Friday, the Pentagon released an analysis of the sexual assault survey data made public in December. The report acknowledges the difficulties in gathering data about retaliation, including problems with how some of the survey questions might have been misinterpreted and that incidents of retaliation might have been overcounted.
It’s a thorny problem for the military, in the aftermath of a RAND study that concluded that about 60 percent of sexual assault victims think they have faced retaliation from commanders or peers.
Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Snow, director of the Pentagon’s sexual assault prevention program, said the military services are working to get better information about the assaults and retaliation so they can improve training.
