More than 25% of all sex assaults involving US troops took place in this country
More than a quarter of sexual assaults involving US troops deployed overseas last year took place in Poland — a growing hub of the nation’s security posture in Europe, jarring new military data reveal.Reported assaults in Poland hit 73 last year as the US added 10,000 troops to bolster NATO’s eastern flank from the neighboring war in Ukraine and where new bases are under consideration, according to the data — which also show sexual assaults among US servicemembers down slightly worldwide by about 2%.The data comes from an annual report on sexual reports in the military required by Congress.The number of sex assaults in Poland is twice as many as any other country where US troops are deployed, and it’s the third year it has led all nations, Task and Purpose reported.There are currently three times as many US troops in Germany as there are in Poland, without about 35,000 stationed there.
Congressional aides who closely monitor the issue could not readily explain why the problem is so acute in Poland — with individual cases underscoring the problem.The country has seen a rapid expansion of US forces, and has had some close calls with Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.
In just one incident in Poland, Army Sgt.Ulrich Kameni, a petroleum supply specialist, pleaded guilty in June to assaulting two women and maltreatment of another.
He was sentenced to three years in prison after a military court martial at Camp Kosciuskzko.In a 2023 incident, Kameni berated and physically assaulted a female soldier under his supervision after she rebuffed his romantic advances, according to Army prosecutors.There was an earlier incident with a female soldier in Georgia.Then in 2024, while at a bar in Zielona Gora, Poland, a “highly intoxicated” Kameni began flirting with a Polish civilian.
Later that night, when the two were alone, Kameni became aggressive and grabbed the woman by the neck, injuring her, prosecutors said.Across the entire War Department, inc...