(UnitedVoice.com) – Scandals involving US military service branches are nothing new. For instance, in 1991, media outlets exploded with the news of the Tailhook Scandal, which involved the alleged assault of dozens of women and seven men at a Las Vegas hotel by US Navy and Marine Corps aviation officers. In early March, The Associated Press revealed that claims of sexual assaults at the Air Force, Army, and Navy academies increased 18% overall during the 2021 to 2022 school year over the previous term. A recent report indicated that military officials buried another assault report.
On June 30, CNN published a stunning exposé revealing efforts by top US Coast Guard brass to keep the results of an investigation into sexual abuse allegations at its academy hidden from the public for years. The probe, called “Operation Fouled Anchor,” began in 2014. Investigators published their final report in 2019.
Operation Fouled Anchor was an investigation launched in 2014 after the Coast Guard Investigative Service, or CGIS, became aware of a sexual assault allegation that happened at the service’s academy in Connecticut, a Coast Guard spokesperson said.https://t.co/AOeZ5axzD2
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) July 2, 2023
The report documented over 90 sexual assaults from the late 1980s through 2006 alone. It also noted dozens of instances where the Coast Guard no longer had jurisdiction over the reported attackers. Additionally, state and federal criminal statutes of limitations had kicked in, so no action was taken against the alleged perpetrators of the attacks.
When the Coast Guard did take action, it was usually in the form of non-judicial punishments involving reprimands, additional homework, and loss of class ranking. In a few instances, the academy discharged alleged perpetrators but didn’t pursue criminal charges. Disturbingly, CNN reported that some of the accused rose within the ranks to assume top roles in the Coast Guard and other service branches.
The Coast Guard confirmed to CNN that the publication of the draft report wasn’t “disclosed widely at the time” of its publication. It noted that “transparency is critical” to building and maintaining the trust of the victims as well as “all cadets and personnel” at its academy.
Coast Guard officials said it would be “open and transparent” moving forward about the outcomes of its inquiries into sexual assault allegations. They also vowed to keep guardsmen apprised of its efforts to “prevent and address this scourge.”
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