WASHINGTON — Coast Guard members face "systemic sexual assault and harassment," including "a culture of silencing, retaliation, and failed accountability."
That's the conclusion of new report out this week from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
The report—based upon testimony of 80 whistleblowers —says sexual assault and harassment have been "fleet-wide problems" for the Coast Guard—"impacting enlisted members and officers just as pervasively as cadets."
The accounts of wrong-doing date back to the 1970's through the 2020's and extend beyond the previously disclosed misdeeds at the Coast Guard Academy to the entire service.
The release followed a subcommittee hearing in June in which Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan pledged to help get to the truth.
"This is not a cover-up. I am committed to providing documents in good faith," she said.
On Thursday, five former and current members of the US Coast Guard testified about their experiences with sexual assault and harassment while serving.
"Unfortunately, I am one of many who experienced sexual assaults. Like others, my experience also involved harassment as well as a hostile workplace" said Retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Shawna Christine Ward. "“I love the Coast Guard; I still do but there’s a certain part of the Coast Guard that’s completely broken."
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D- Connecticut), who chairs the subcommittee, wrote in the report: "For far too long, Coast Guard survivors have felt unheard and unseen. They have been brushed aside and silenced. This report seeks to redress that harm."
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