WASHINGTON — A new report from a federal subcommittee documents testimony from dozens of sexual assault and harassment survivors is urging a culture change in the Coast Guard and New London's Coast Guard Academy.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the nearly 50-page report Wednesday on behalf of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), which he chairs. PSI is a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs.
Blumenthal said in an interview in Hartford Wednesday that the "shocking, heartbreaking" stories in the report depict a "pattern of discouraging and shaming and disregarding victims and survivors of sexual assault and also revenge and retribution against them for coming forward."
The subcommittee received accounts from more than 80 "whistleblowers" who came forward between September 2023 and May 2024 to share their stories - spanning five decades - of their time at the Academy or in a Coast Guard fleet. At least 39 came forward to PSI to share accounts of sexual assault and at least 27 of them came forward to share accounts of sexual harassment in the Coast Guard, according to the report.
The report argues that the culture of mishandling cases and the discouragement of reporting cases, as well as not placing enough accountability on the perpetrator or even placing blame on the victim, is an ongoing problem that persists today.
"I want you to think about these men and their careers. They could lose their jobs over this, and you could ruin their lives," a whistleblower was told by a superior months after a sexual misconduct incident. "No one will believe you."
PSI alleges that leadership in the military branch discourages victims from reporting the abuse they faced, which can leave victims feeling betrayed by the Coast Guard.
Other accounts expressed disappointment that the mishandling of cases continues in the Coast Guard: "I am heartbroken the Coast Guard had 24 years during my career to fix their 'culture'...We are now on the 3rd or even 4th generation of females serving in the Coast Guard, and this 'culture' is still not a priority. When will the Coast Guard make changing their 'culture' a priority?"
"A culture of coverup that needs to be changed and what we will see in our continuing investigation is hopefully a change in course for the Coast Guard," Blumenthal said in the interview. "More transparency, more accountability for the perpetrators and anybody who helped covered up or helped discouraged survivors from coming forward."
The report also examines "Operation Fouled Anchor," an internal Coast Guard investigation into the Academy's mishandling of sexual assault cases from 1990 to 2006. PSI notes that "no action was taken" to change the "culture" of the Coast Guard after OFA concluded the Academy failed to protect its female cadets.
FOX61 reached out to the Coast Guard for comment, and a spokesperson said, "The profound trauma and suffering victims and survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment have endured is heartbreaking, and we are inspired by their courage to share their stories. The Coast Guard acknowledges that this is not only a problem of the past, and we are actively implementing the Commandant’s 33 directed actions announced in November 2023 to strengthen our service culture, improve support and care of victims, and hold perpetrators accountable. Our progress completing 18 of these directed actions so far represents the early stages of enduring change that will ensure every person in the Coast Guard experiences a safe work environment where they are respected and valued. We thank Congress for lifting up voices of survivors and for oversight of the Coast Guard’s vital work to strengthen our service culture."
The Coast Guard also shared a page on its website dedicated to "strengthening service culture."
Leah Myers is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at LMyers@fox61.com
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