Positive development?

"The Pentagon's annual report on sexual assault shows a sharp 8 percent increase in reports of sexual assault over last year's survey and an even sharper 17 percent increase in combat zones. Defense officials attribute the increase in part to greater awareness to report sexual assault and rules that make it easier to report sexual assaults." So Defense officials--if I understand the last sentence correctly--are saying that the sharp rise in sexual assaults as a positive development?