Probe looks into sexual abuse of military kids

The children of US military members are victims in hundreds of incidents of sexual abuse each year, according to data the US Defense Department provided exclusively to The Associated Press.

The abuse of military dependents is committed most often by male enlisted troops, the data show, followed by family members.

The figures offer greater insight into the sexual abuse of children committed by service members, a problem of uncertain scale due to a lack of transparency into the military's legal proceedings. With more than 1 million military dependents, the number of cases appears statistically small. But for a profession that prides itself on honor and discipline, any episodes of abuse cast a pall.