The Coast Guard is years behind on its annual reporting requirements to Congress regarding sexual misconduct in the ranks and could do more to improve the effectiveness of reforms implemented in the wake of an exposed cover-up, according to two reports released Wednesday by a government watchdog. (David M. Santos/U.S. Coast Guard)
The Coast Guard is years behind on its annual reporting requirements to Congress regarding sexual misconduct in the ranks and could do more to improve the effectiveness of reforms implemented in the wake of an exposed cover-up, according to two reports released Wednesday by a government watchdog.
“Sexual misconduct has been a challenge within the U.S. Coast Guard for decades,” according to the Government Accountability Office. “We found that it has taken steps to make improvements, including establishing a policy to protect victims and others who report an incident. But more can be done to maintain progress and achieve lasting results.”
One of the reports focused on transparency and found that the service last filed a mandatory report to lawmakers about sexual assault in 2022 — leaving two reports past due and a third required this month.
The second report looked at implementation of reforms to report, investigate and prevent sexual misconduct. In the last couple years, 49 actions were mandated with 32 of them implemented, according to the GAO.
The GAO conducted the reviews following public revelations in 2023 that the service had been mishandling reports of sexual misconduct and later covered up an internal report on the failures. The report — completed in 2020 and known as Operation Fouled Anchor — was an internal review of sexual assault and harassment cases that occurred between 1990 and 2006 at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. It found the academy knew of 30 people with accusations of misconduct, yet only five were reported to criminal investigators, as required.
Numerous investigations followed CNN’s reporting to expose Operation Fouled Anchor, which was buried from the public and Congress by former Coast Guard leadership, including one investigation spearheaded by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
“I am deeply disappointed that [U.S. Coast Guard] has dropped the ball on basic reporting requirements that would provide transparency about sexual misconduct in the Coast Guard. GAO’s findings reveal that the Coast Guard’s culture of cover-up —exposed by my PSI investigation — continues to this day. While the Coast Guard has taken some steps to support survivors, it is clear more work needs to be done to adequately protect cadets and Coasties,” he said in a statement.
A Coast Guard spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday the service appreciates the work of Congress to provide transparency and oversight following Fouled Anchor.
“The men and women of the Coast Guard must have trust in a system that prevents and reduces these devastating crimes, provides the care and support needed to survivors, and holds perpetrators accountable while respecting due process. Sexual assault and harassment have absolutely no place in the Coast Guard and will not be tolerated,” the spokesperson said.
The two reports offered a combined five recommendations. The service agreed with each and outlined plans and deadlines for implementation.
In response to the GAO report on transparency, titled “Actions Needed to Ensure Complete and Timely Reports to Congress Regarding Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment,” the service pledged to file all late reports by December and begin filing on time with the fiscal year 2026 report.
Fiscal years end in September, and the reports are due the following January, according to the GAO.
In the 2022 report, the Coast Guard reported 226 incidents of sexual assault and 88 incidents of sexual harassment, according to the GAO. Having complete and timely information enables Congressional oversight, according to the GAO.
Of the 11 required elements for the report, the 2022 edition only had five fully included. Another four were partially included and two were missing, according to the GAO.
In the second report on reform implementation, titled “Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Reform Efforts to Address Sexual Misconduct,” the GAO found that for the service to keep its positive momentum on reforms, it needs to fill in some gaps to have lasting results.
The commandant should establish a feedback system for service members to share the effects of reforms, make sure an implementation team is managing the efforts, and develop plans, milestones and timelines for reform actions, according to the GAO.
The report cited a steering committee established to guide the reforms but noted it had not met since November 2024.
The Coast Guard agreed with the recommendations and told the GAO it “remains committed to the timely implementation of reform efforts aimed at safeguarding the workforce from sexual assault and harassment within the Coast Guard.”
It pledged to have the recommendations in place by June 30.
“We cooperated fully with the Government Accountability Office audit and are taking actions to address their recommendations while continuing to implement reforms to address sexual misconduct,” the Coast Guard spokesperson said.
