Coast Guard reckons with a years-long coverup of sexual abuse

An extensive, years-long coverup of sexual abuse allegations at the prestigious U.S. Coast Guard Academy underscores that “change is necessary,” officials determined, after an internal review affirmed revelations that senior leaders worked to downplay the prevalence of such crimes and shield the institution from public scrutiny.

The findings are detailed in a report, released Wednesday, that concludes the military service has created an environment where trust in leadership is “eroding” and “too many” personnel lack a safe workplace. It recommends sweeping changes to how service members are held accountable for not only sexual assaults, but also harassment, inappropriate jokes and other bad behavior.

“Every Coast Guard member must adhere to our core values of honor, respect and devotion to duty at all times,” the service’s top officer, Adm. Linda Fagan, said in memo released alongside the report.

The internal review was ordered by Fagan, the first woman to lead a military service in the United States, after CNN detailed in July how the service had scrutinized years of sexual assault allegations but buried the findings, shielding them from both Congress and the public.

An associated report was completed in 2020, during the tenure of Fagan’s predecessor, Adm. Karl Schultz, and remained secret during Fagan’s first year as commandant, Coast Guard officials later acknowledged. Fagan apologized to lawmakers in July for not making Congress aware of the report, saying that she did not initially know about the “totality” of its findings.

In the 2020 report, officials said an investigation, code-named Fouled Anchor, was opened in 2014 after an unidentified officer disclosed she was raped at the Coast Guard Academy, in New London, Conn., in 1997. The inquiry eventually expanded to examine allegations made against 43 people. It uncovered a “disturbing pattern” in which service leaders favored conducting administrative reviews of the claims rather than criminal investigations and said that in 33 of the 43 cases, no action was taken.

Coast Guard officials said in their findings released Wednesday that they visited installations nationwide as part of the review ordered by Fagan.

“You made it very clear to our team that these failures and lack of accountability are entirely unacceptable, and you let us know the Coast Guard must do something about it,” senior officials involved in the review wrote.

Those most likely to experience “improper conduct” were 18 to 21 years old, the report said. The majority of offenders were higher in rank than the victims.