NEW LONDON, CT – Five enlisted Coast Guard whistleblowers gave emotional testimony at a field hearing of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations at Connecticut College on Thursday in an event chaired by US Senator Richard Blumenthal.
The hearing was a continuation of the subcommittee’s investigation into a history of sexual assaults and misconduct at the US Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Academy, based in New London, dating back to the 1990s.
Thursday’s witnesses consisted of four women and one man. Three of the five are now retired from the service but two are currently on active duty.
Several federal investigations have been launched into the allegations after a 2023 CNN news story detailing how the Coast Guard had conducted its own investigation into the service’s history of sexual assault and misconduct, called “Operation Fouled Anchor,” and then buried it.
On Wednesday, Blumenthal released a 49-page report that included excerpts from the personal accounts of 80 Coast Guard whistleblowers.
Blumenthal referenced the report as he brought the hearing to order Thursday.
“The experiences relayed in this report underscore what this investigation has already made abundantly clear – the problem of sexual assault and harassment in the Coast Guard is still far too pervasive. Tt is persistent and ongoing,” Blumenthal said. “And it affects officers and enlisted in present service. In fact, well over half the whistleblowers who shared their experiences with the subcommittee...
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