HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A report released by a U.S. Senate subcommittee has accused former top Coast Guard officials of deliberately concealing a lengthy investigation into sexual assault and harassment at the service’s academy. The investigation, named Operation Fouled Anchor, was kept from Congress and the public despite the growing number of allegations over several years. The report suggests that top leaders debated the potential fallout from releasing the findings and ultimately decided to withhold details of the investigation.
According to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Coast Guard officials also removed references to the investigation from records submitted to Congress. These findings came on the heels of similar disclosures by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, highlighting significant failures in the Coast Guard’s handling of sexual misconduct cases.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut and the chair of the subcommittee, called the actions “deliberate and purposeful,” stressing that the public and survivors deserved an explanation. The Coast Guard acknowledged the serious nature of the crimes outlined in the report, affirming that steps are being taken to prevent further assaults and provide support to victims.
Operation Fouled Anchor, which ran from 2014 to 2019, reviewed more than 100 allegations of sexual assault at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. These allegations spanned from the early 1990s to 2006 and examined how the academy had mishandled cases, sometimes preventing perpetrators from being prosecuted. The investigation was kept secret until 2023, when it was first reported by CNN.
The Senate report indicated that, in 2018, Coast Guard Admiral Karl Schultz, who was the commandant at the time, made the decision to suppress the investigation’s details, arguing that the investigation was incomplete. The subcommittee also reported that Admiral Charles Ray, who was the vice commandant at the time, had weighed the pros and cons of disclosing the investigation. One of the major concerns raised by Ray was that revealing the investigation might lead to endless inquiries and further victimization of survivors.
Despite recommendations from some officials to disclose the investigation, the Coast Guard chose to keep the matter internal. The report accused the Coast Guard of not fully complying with congressional investigations, citing aggressive document redactions and claims of privileged information to block transparency.
Schultz, in an interview, defended his actions, stating he withheld the report out of concern for protecting victims’ privacy. He denied allegations of a cover-up, maintaining that there was no legal obligation to present the investigation’s findings to Congress at the time.
The Senate subcommittee’s findings also highlighted the Coast Guard’s failure to properly disclose or act upon the findings of the investigation. At least 17 versions of a final report were drafted, with the final version heavily redacted and containing far fewer details than earlier drafts. The subcommittee’s investigation remains ongoing.
The full consequences of these revelations are yet to unfold, but the report underscores the Coast Guard’s systemic issues in addressing sexual assault and harassment at its prestigious academy. The subcommittee’s investigation is continuing, and the Coast Guard has pledged to increase efforts to address sexual misconduct within its ranks.
For further details on sexual assault prevention and support, visit National Sexual Assault Hotline.
