To our Fellow Coast Guard Members:Recent news accounts have reported on past sexual assaults that occurred at the Coast Guard Academy and how we did not address them correctly. The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard and I write to assure you we have advanced as an organization since then, having taken many important steps to better ensure everyone here feels safe from sexual assault and harassment. Support for your safety, wellbeing, and inclusion, regardless of who you are, is a bedrock of our service character and a critical component of our core values of honor, respect, and dedication to duty.
In 2014, our Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) was made aware of a sexual assault allegation at our Coast Guard Academy that was alleged to have occurred years earlier and was mishandled at the time. In response, CGIS began an investigation which followed up on all leads related to sexual assaults at the Coast Guard Academy that were alleged to have occurred between 1988 and 2006, a period preceding our implementation of key changes to our policies and practices regarding sexual assault and response.
At the conclusion of CGIS’s investigation, the Coast Guard took action to hold accountable those known perpetrators who remained within its jurisdiction. In addition, we reached out to all known victims and offered them individual, in-person meetings to provide each of them with information on their specific cases and access to support services.
The CGIS investigation was not widely disclosed at the time. We recognize transparency is critical to building trust not only of victims, but all cadets and personnel at the Academy and across the Coast Guard. Transparency helps drive accountability and the realization of the organization’s core values. As your Commandant, I am personally committed to a culture of transparency and accountability regarding our efforts to prevent and address the scourge of sexual assault.
Over the past several years, we have made major improvements to our policies regarding sexual assault, including prevention training, investigative procedures, prosecution, victim care, and recovery services. We have worked closely with the Department of Defense to establish new structures to support the historic reforms to the military justice system, which will remove the prosecution of sexual assault and sexual harassment from the chain of command. A number of these improvements are described here. Information on sexual assault reporting and recovery services, and other resources, can be found here. I encourage any workforce member who has or is experiencing sexual assault or harassment to seek assistance immediately. We remain committed to supporting the needs of victims, improving access to justice, holding perpetrators accountable, and delivering a coordinated response to any sexual assault or harassment.
By not taking appropriate action at the time, we may have further traumatized the victims, delayed access to care and recovery, and prevented some cases from being referred to the military justice system for appropriate accountability. We own this failure, and on behalf of the United States Coast Guard, MCPOCG and I apologize to each victim and your loved ones.
The United States Coast Guard holds every one of us to the highest personal and professional standards and does not tolerate any form of abuse. As your Commandant, I will do everything in my power to ensure those high standards are met.
Yours in service,
ADM Linda Fagan
Commandant
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