US Coast Guard Leaders Suppressed Damning Findings on Racism, Hazing, and Sexual Misconduct

For almost ten years, leaders of the US Coast Guard have hidden a damning report revealing widespread racism, hazing, discrimination, and sexual assault within the agency.

The "Culture of Respect" study from 2015, which CNN obtained a copy of, detailed how employees reported a culture of "boys will be boys" and "I got through it so can you." Many expressed fear of facing retaliation and ostracism for reporting abuse, and those who did come forward often had their complaints dismissed by their supervisors.

The core findings of some reports were similar to those of another covert investigation into rapes and sexual assaults at the Coast Guards academy, known as Operation Fouled Anchor, which concluded in 2019 and was made public by CNN earlier this year. The investigation uncovered serious misconduct that had been overlooked and, in some cases, concealed by high-ranking officials, allowing alleged offenders to advance within the ranks of the Coast Guard and other military branches.

After CNN's coverage of the Fouled Anchor investigation and subsequent Congressional uproar, Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan issued an apology to cadets and the workforce. She acknowledged that the Coast Guard needed to improve transparency with service members, Congress, and the public on such matters.

She emphasized that trust and respect are upheld through transparency but destroyed by silence. Despite being urged to release it long before the Fouled Anchor controversy unfolded this summer, the Coast Guard under her leadership kept the report hidden from the public. Multiple current and recent Coast Guard employees and academy cadets informed CNN that many of the issues identified in the eight-year-old Culture of Respect study still persist within the agency.

US Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan took the helm last year and has acknowledged that the agency needs to be more transparent to service members and Congress.

Bonnie Cash/Pool/Sipa/Reuters

When asked by CNN this week, a spokesperson for Fagan stated that the commandant intends to release the report to the public next week as part of her dedication to transparency. This release will also include the results of a 90-day internal investigation into sexual assault and harassment within the agency, which was initiated as a result of the Fouled Anchor report.

The Culture of Respect report was not initially meant to be widely shared with the workforce, but rather used by senior leaders to guide policy decisions, Coast Guard officials explained in a statement. However, they did not clarify why the report had not been made available sooner, especially since neither alleged victims nor perpetrators were named in the report.

The document has always been shrouded in secrecy. The version obtained by CNN indicated that it was to be kept in "a locked container or area offering sufficient protection against theft, compromise, inadvertent access and unauthorized disclosure." It was to be shared only with those with a "need to know" and should not be made public under the Freedom of Information Act, the report stated.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters/FILE

An internal criminal investigation at the Coast Guard Academy exposed years of concealing sexual assault cases, yet the findings were kept confidential. The study, which involved interviews with nearly 300 individuals within the organization, revealed a culture in which "blatant sexual harassment of women" and hazing were routinely tolerated. Those accused of discrimination, assault, and other forms of misconduct were allowed to evade responsibility by resigning, retiring, or transferring, and in some cases, were even rehired in civil service positions after leaving the military. Employees expressed concern that dangerous individuals were being reintegrated into society without facing consequences. They also criticized senior leaders for ignoring serious issues and prioritizing their own careers over the well-being of their subordinates.

The report authors observed a shared concern among victims of misconduct, expressing fear that speaking out would jeopardize their careers and lead to minimal consequences for their alleged perpetrators. One interviewee shared, "Victims are ostracized and stigmatized. They are not believed or supported." Additionally, seeking mental health treatment was seen as a potential risk, as the Coast Guard could potentially "involuntarily discharge" employees diagnosed with a mental health condition following a traumatic experience on the job.

Trust and respect thrive in transparency but are shattered by silence

Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan

The examples mentioned in the report illustrate a culture where service members experienced widespread assault, harassment, sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination. For instance, in one instance, several witnesses observed a supervisor physically assaulting a subordinate, but no one came forward to report it due to fear of retaliation.

The report concluded that improving the Coast Guard's culture would, in some cases, necessitate "radically different approaches." The Coast Guard announced this week that it had implemented or partially implemented 60 out of 129 recommendations, which included providing additional training and support services for victims. Additionally, nine more recommendations are currently being worked on, and the agency has also "found better ways to achieve the desired result" for 20 others.

The original report also suggested a new review every four years, which has not occurred. Instead, the Coast Guard has conducted other studies of the workforce culture.

Kimberly Young-McLear informed Congress in 2021 that if the Coast Guard had taken the 2015 Culture of Respect report results seriously, the years of bullying, harassment, intimidation, and retaliation she endured could have been prevented altogether.

Recent government data and records reveal that dangerous and discriminatory behavior within the agency is seldom met with appropriate consequences. According to a 2021 military survey, nearly half of female service members who reported cases of sexual harassment stated that no action was taken by the person they reported it to. Additionally, almost a third said they faced punishment for speaking up about the harassment. Furthermore, the majority of women who reported experiencing "unwanted sexual contact" opted not to report it due to concerns about potential negative repercussions and doubts about the fairness of the process and the likelihood of any meaningful resolution.

Records reveal that employees who were found to have committed serious misconduct have managed to avoid facing court martial proceedings or military discharge. Consequently, the individuals accused of wrongdoing were able to evade criminal records and maintain their retirement benefits.

Hats are displayed on a table during the commencement for the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, on May 19, 2021.

Andrew Harnik/AP

CNN revealed a shocking, confidential investigation of sexual assault at the US Coast Guard Academy, which was sparked by the case of a female cadet. For instance, in the 2019-20 school year, a cadet accused of sexual assault by two different classmates was expelled from the academy but permitted to join the Coast Guard to repay the cost of his education. Also during this time, a lieutenant commander was allowed to resign instead of facing trial for military offenses, including sexual assault and disorderly conduct. Additionally, despite being found guilty at a court martial of using his rank to "obtain sexual favors from a subordinate," another officer only received a reprimand letter.

The Coast Guard did not comment on concerns that problems remain at the agency, or the statistics or examples cited by CNN.

Calls for transparency

Access to the Culture of Respect has been a controversial issue for both the workforce and Congress for years. Last year, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman questioned Fagan about the report during Congressional testimony, criticizing the agency for not releasing it publicly. She argued that this lack of transparency was hindering both the workforce and the public from seeing the identified problems and recommended solutions.

Watson Coleman also insisted that Fagan, who assumed leadership of the Coast Guard in June 2022, commit to completing and publicly releasing a new study. However, Fagan avoided directly addressing the question and instead referred to other recent studies.

At a later date, Fagan was questioned about releasing the report during a faculty meeting at the Coast Guard Academy. Her presence at the meeting followed the Fouled Anchor incident, during which she pledged to enhance transparency. Multiple attendees reported that a captain who was a faculty member at the school urged her to release the Culture of Respect report.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman questioned US Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan shortly after she became the first female head of the agency in June 2022.

Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters/File

Retired Coast Guard Commander Kimberly Young-McLear, who is a Black lesbian woman, has been perhaps the most vocal in requesting that the report be released.

She is determined to make sure the report is widely known due to her personal experiences with "extreme and widespread bullying, harassment, and discrimination" based on her race, gender, sexual orientation, and advocacy for equal opportunity in the Coast Guard.

In 2017, she filed a whistleblower complaint, and the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General confirmed that she had been subjected to unlawful retaliation. Despite this, the individuals accused in her case have not faced any repercussions. Despite requests from Congress, she has not received a written apology from Coast Guard leaders, and the years of harassment and lack of accountability have taken a significant toll on her mental well-being.

She learned about the Culture of Respect report during her time at the Coast Guards academy and was able to read it at a small summit in 2019. Seeing that it exposed the same issues she had previously reported, she was outraged.

Potentially dangerous members are being allowed back into society without any punishment.

In a 2021 Congressional hearing on diversity and accountability within the Coast Guard, Young-McLear expressed frustration that the 2015 Culture of Respect report had not been taken seriously, stating that if it had been, the bullying, harassment, intimidation, and retaliation she endured could have been prevented. She also questioned why the report had not been made public.

Over the past four years, Young-McLear has requested the release of the report more than twenty-four times to various admirals and to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard. Several other academy employees have also made similar pleas at faculty meetings with the schools superintendent, she added. "We've been saying it over and over again."

According to her, the Coast Guard's secrecy and inaction reflect the same issues that the Culture of Respect report and other studies have repeatedly highlighted, demonstrating that the agency has not held itself accountable in the same way perpetrators have been excused.

Do you have any information or a story to share about the Coast Guard, past or present? Please email us at melanie.hicken@cnn.com and Blake.Ellis@cnn.com.