More than 80 whistleblowers testified before senators investigating US Coast Guard misbehavior, their accounts describing “systemic sexual assault and harassment, including a culture of silencing, retaliation, and failed accountability,” as outlined in a report disclosed on Wednesday.
This 48-page report was compiled by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Homeland Security Committee. It is the first in a series of continuing government investigations that have been sparked by AWN’s coverage of a clandestine investigation into sexual assault at the esteemed Coast Guard Academy. Even though it confirmed dozens of prior attacks, the investigation—named Operation Fouled Anchor—was kept under wraps from the general public and even Congress.
“A Pervasive Problem: Voices of Coast Guard Sexual Assault and Harassment Survivors.” is the name of the report that senators reviewed, which details allegations of sexual assault and harassment that occurred anywhere in the Coast Guard, from the academy to the full service, and which lasted from the 1970s to the 2020s.
According to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, chair of the subcommittee representing Connecticut, the state where the academy is located, “The voices of these whistleblowers make clear that sexual assault and sexual harassment in the Coast Guard are fleet-wide problems, impacting enlisted members and officers just as pervasively as cadets.” (Blumstein, 2005). Too long have many who have survived the Coast Guard missions felt invisible and ignored. They were disregarded and kept quiet.
“The horrifying ordeal that survivors of sexual harassment and assault have been through is tragic, and we are moved by their bravery to come forward with their tales,” the Coast Guard stated in a statement issued after the report’s publication.
Reforms ordered by Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan are presently being put into action, the service announced. In addition, the statement expressed gratitude to Congress for listening to survivors’ stories and keeping an eye on the Coast Guard’s important efforts to fortify our military culture.
Senators claimed their research proved the Coast Guard had poor investigations into allegations of wrongdoing, had no system in place to punish those responsible, and had institutionalized a culture that encouraged malfeasance.
According to Blumenthal, “meaningful accountability” for wrongdoers and cover-up artists is essential to altering the culture of the agency. He concluded by stating that “our continuing investigation is likely to provide evidence that will assist and motivate the Coast Guard to impose discipline.”
One story told to the subcommittee involved a female enlisted member who, after telling a boss about “months of sexual misconduct,” was told to “think about these men and their careers.” The woman recounted hearing the following: “They could lose their jobs over this, and you could ruin their lives.”. “You will be believed by no one. How about that? Before you choose to inform anyone else, I want you to give this some serious thought.
The study states that the Coast Guard informed one whistleblower that the accusations of sexual misconduct against her accused offender would not be pursued due to the passage of time during the inquiry.
After Coast Guard investigators supposedly cast doubt on his credibility and informed him they believed his alleged attacker’s story was “believable,” another service member who claimed to have been sexually assaulted while serving in the military criticized “an investigation process that was retraumatizing, belittling, and ultimately did not provide meaningful justice.”
In the context of their experiences with sexual assault or harassment, female military members recalled being called sluts, “bitch,” or “whore” on multiple occasions.
According to a former cadet, she was compelled to reside just 100 feet away from the room where she claims her accused attacker raped her after her request for removal was denied.
The accuser was so closely quartered that she “saw him on a daily basis in duties, in the halls, on the bulkhead… and even at meals,” she stated, as reported. “I would get a panic attack the moment I laid eyes on him.”
A woman who was allegedly assaulted and received serious injuries, including a displaced pelvis, ribs, and vertebra as well as a strained shoulder, was allegedly made to work midnight shifts and informed she would have to find someone to take her place if she couldn’t tolerate the pressure, as stated in the report.
Following a heated session in June, during which senators criticized Fagan for allegedly encouraging a “culture of concealment” within the agency, the Senate report follows suit. Senators have stated that sexual assault is clearly “persistent and unbelievably prevalent” within the Coast Guard, despite the fact that Fagan and other Coast Guard commanders have boasted about numerous reforms to the agency’s approach to misconduct.
On Thursday, the subcommittee will hold its second public hearing to hear directly from service members. Coast Guard members who claimed to have been abused at the academy were the main witnesses at the last committee hearing.
Two other investigations are still going strong: one by the House Oversight Committee and another by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General. The former committee sent letters to numerous high-ranking Coast Guard officials, including the agency’s head at the time—Karl Schultz—requesting their testimony regarding the concealment of Fouled Anchor’s damning conclusions. Schultz had already told AWN he wouldn’t comment.
