{"id":21130,"date":"2023-12-08T01:48:46","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T07:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=21130"},"modified":"2023-12-08T01:48:52","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T07:48:52","slug":"us-coast-guard-service-members-dont-feel-safe-new-review-says-officials-are-promising-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=21130","title":{"rendered":"US Coast Guard service members don\u2019t feel safe, new review says. Officials are promising changes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) \u2014 U.S. Coast Guard officials are promising reforms after an internal review sparked by reports of sexual assault and harassment<\/u><\/a> found that \u201ctoo many\u201d of its members don\u2019t feel safe and trust in leadership is eroding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wide-ranging 90-day review, released Wednesday, calls for an end to a \u201cpermissive environment\u201d that extends to inappropriate jokes and comments, and a greater focus on preventing \u201cinappropriate or unhealthy behavior\u201d at the earliest stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the recommendations in the report stem from interviews with hundreds of Coast Guard members at locations throughout the service, including from victims of sexual assault and harassment dating from the 1960s to the present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese victims expressed deep rooted feelings of pain and a loss of trust in the organization,\u201d the report says. \u201cAcknowledging this broken trust is an important first step in reestablishing it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>The review was ordered by Adm. Linda Fagan, commandant<\/u><\/a> of the U.S. Coast Guard, after the service came under fire<\/u><\/a> for not widely disclosing a six-year internal investigation into dozens of cases of sexual assault and harassment at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut from 1988 to 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>The investigation, first revealed by CNN<\/u><\/a>, was known as \u201cOperation Fouled Anchor\u201d and identified 62 substantiated incidents of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment that occurred at the New London academy, or by academy cadets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut and chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, criticized the new review in a statement Wednesday, saying it \u201cstill does not hold anyone accountable for past failures – particularly those at the Coast Guard Academy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, also a Democrat from Connecticut, said it was \u201cunacceptable\u201d the report did not recommend accountability measures for that past \u201cmisconduct and coverup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murphy said that while it lays out a \u201cmodest plan\u201d to improve oversight, training and support for survivors, the report \u201cis nothing more than paper until concrete steps are taken.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murphy pointed to recent reporting by CNN<\/u><\/a> that found the Coast Guard had concealed a 2015 report exposing gender and race discrimination, hazing and sexual assault throughout the service. That report warned that a \u201cboys will be boys\u201d attitude \u201cis very much still around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToo many Coast Guard members are not experiencing the safe, empowering workplace they expect and deserve,\u201d the internal report released Wednesday said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A memorandum<\/u><\/a> from Fagan released with it acknowledges the actions she has ordered to address improper conduct will not impact cases stemming from Operation Fouled Anchor. But the memo said the service is responding to congressional requests concerning those cases while the Coast Guard Investigative Service is conducting additional inquiries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the memo, Fagan required specific actions be taken, including \u201ctailored training\u201d to help personnel, \u201cfrom the newest recruits to senior executives,\u201d cultivate a positive workplace climate. That also includes developing more effective leadership courses and increasing oversight of the cadet corps at the academy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fagan ordered plans to be developed by 2025 that expand in-person bystander intervention training and provide sexual assault prevention, response and recovery training for all Coast Guard personnel. She also ordered improved physical security throughout the cadet dormitory at the academy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe each must ensure EVERY Coast Guard workplace has a climate that deters harmful behaviors.\u201d Fagan\u2019s memo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apnews<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) \u2014 U.S. Coast Guard officials are promising reforms after an internal review sparked by reports of sexual assault and harassment found that \u201ctoo many\u201d of its members don\u2019t feel safe and trust in leadership is eroding. The wide-ranging 90-day review, released Wednesday, calls for an end to a \u201cpermissive environment\u201d that extends to inappropriate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":21131,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1153],"tags":[4446,4232,24836,7304],"class_list":["post-21130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military","tag-leadership","tag-trust","tag-us-coast-guard","tag-weakening"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21130"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21132,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21130\/revisions\/21132"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}