UK military vows reform after survey reveals high rates of sexual harassment

LONDON (Reuters) -Two-thirds of women in the British army reported experiencing sexualised behaviour in the past year, according to a survey released on Thursday, findings that the government said were "wholly unacceptable"

Britain's first ever military-wide survey found that 67% of female personnel had encountered generalised sexualised behaviours, such as inappropriate jokes or comments, while 21% reported targeted behaviours including unwanted touching or sexual advances.

Among men, 32% reported generalised behaviours, and 6% targeted ones.

"All those who choose to serve our country must be able to do so with dignity and respect, which is why today’s survey results are wholly unacceptable," Veterans Minister Louise Sandher-Jones said in a statement.

The Ministry of Defence said it would deploy specialist prevention teams to training bases in northern and southwest England, with plans to expand to Cyprus and a Royal Air Force base by 2026 before a wider roll out.

The programme will focus on educating recruits about consent, misogyny and harmful online influences.

According to the latest data, the British military has about 137,000 regular personnel, of whom approximately 16,300 were women, making up just under 12% of the total force.

There have been a number of high-profile cases in Britain in recent years which have exposed bullying, abuse, and the sexual harassment of young recruits.

Last month, a former army sergeant major was jailed for six months for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old soldier who later took her own life.

Thursday's announcement also follows criticism of the Armed Forces complaints system, with the Service Complaints Ombudsman saying was not "efficient, effective or fair".

"The results of the survey show just how much more I, and leaders at every level, need to do to stamp out behaviour which has no place in the UK Armed Forces," said Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, the head of Britain's armed forces.

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; editing by Michael Holden)