WASHINGTON, May 6 (Xinhuanet) -- US military criminal investigators received 1,700 allegations of sexual assault involving members of the American armed forces worldwide in 2004, the Pentagon announced Friday.

    Of the 1,700 sexual assaults, 1,275 involved a serviceperson asa victim and 1,305 involved a service member as an alleged offender.

    In 2002 and 2003, US military criminal investigators received 901 and 1012 allegations respectively of sexual assault involving only uniformed service member victims.

    As of Dec. 31, 2004, authorities had completed 1,232 of 1,700 investigations of alleged assaults, which led commanders to take punitive action against 393 offenders.

    Of those punished, 113 were court-martialed, 132 received nonjudicial punishment, and 97 received administrative actions anddischarge.

    The Pentagon defines sexual assault as intentional sexual contact, characterized by use of force, physical threat or abuse of authority, or when the victim does not or cannot consent, and sexual assault includes rape, nonconsensual sodomy, indecent assault, and attempts to commit such acts. Enditem