COAST GUARD

Congressional Report Finds Coast Guard Failed at Investigating Harassment

"If the service does not know how to take care of its own people, it cannot execute its critical mission to protect our homeland," the Homeland Security chairman said of the Coast Guard

Congress Investigates Coast Guard Harrasment
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The U.S. Coast Guard's leadership has failed to conduct prompt, thorough and impartial investigations of harassment and bullying allegations, according to a congressional investigation released Wednesday. 

The report, called "Righting the Ship," also found Coast Guard leaders didn't hold officials accountable for deficient and incomplete investigations and didn't take corrective action to address retaliation against people who report harassment and bullying. It concludes that the service needs to make "significant improvements" in its policies and procedures. 

The U.S. House Oversight and Homeland Security Committees launched the 18-month investigation after questions were raised about how complaints were handled at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. 

A Coast Guard spokesman said the service has made changes this year to the way it handles allegations, including updating its civil rights manual to ensure appropriate oversight and visibility and creating new, required training. The Coast Guard will give any recommendations from Congress due consideration, Lt. Cmdr. Scott McBride said.

Subcommittees for the two committees discussed the findings Wednesday during a joint hearing. U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said the Coast Guard must make major changes to address its climate and cultural challenges and ensure accountability.

"The Coast Guard's biggest asset is not its fleet, but its people," said Thompson, the Homeland Security Committee chairman. "If the service does not know how to take care of its own people, it cannot execute its critical mission to protect our homeland." 

The GOP didn't sign onto the report because Republican representatives were given only a few days to review it, said Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, arguing the report should have been issued after the hearing, to include information presented Wednesday.

Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko, an Arizona Republican, called it a "one-sided report" that should have included feedback from the Coast Guard. She praised the service for its commitment to improving and said the Democratic majority spent considerable time and expense investigating an issue that had been already investigated.

The report includes a lengthy discussion about a case involving a member of the permanent teaching staff at the Coast Guard Academy, Lt. Cmdr. Kimberly Young-McLear. She reported in 2015 that her supervisor harassed her and created a hostile work environment, partly because she is a lesbian and a black woman. The report says the academy never investigated her allegations, instead using an alternative dispute resolution process.

Young-McLear, who testified Wednesday, said she turned to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General after she suffered retaliation for making the complaints. The Coast Guard, she said, did not hold those responsible accountable or provide a safe working environment. Her case is not isolated, she said, and such issues are happening across the Coast Guard. 

"Many Coast Guard individuals, who are overwhelmingly talented, devoted people of color, women and LGBTQ, have reached out me to share their experiences and to convey that these systemic issues up and down the ranks are not unique to the Coast Guard Academy," said Young-McLear, who is serving in a cybersecurity fellowship in Washington but plans to return to the academy.

Young-McLear was asked how she found the strength to "fight the Coast Guard" for years.

"I don't see it as I'm fighting the Coast Guard," she said. "I see it as I'm fighting for a better Coast Guard."

The inspector general's 2018 report substantiated Young-McLear's claim that she was retaliated against on the basis of her discrimination and harassment complaints, in violation of the Military Whistleblower Protection Act. It recommended additional training for all supervisors about the service's bullying, harassment and discrimination policies. 

The congressional report also finds fault with how a related bullying case at the academy was handled, and notes that 45% of female cadets reported experiencing sexual harassment in 2018.

The committees said that although the cases they most closely examined involved faculty and leadership at the academy, the policy and processes used to address allegations apply to the entire Coast Guard. 

Adm. Karl Schultz, the head of the Coast Guard, was asked to testify Wednesday. The Coast Guard said Vice Adm. Michael McAllister will speak for the service because he is in charge of human resources, training and personnel policy.

The committee leaders said Schultz declining to appear reinforces their concerns that the Coast Guard leadership does not takes the issues seriously enough. They have also criticized the Coast Guard for delaying the delivery of requested documents and heavily redacting them during the investigation.

McBride, the service spokesman, said Schultz acted on recommendations from the Office of Inspector General report and that one of the Coast Guard's top priorities is pursuing a diverse, inclusive and effective service.

The congressional investigation was launched by the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat who worked on Coast Guard diversity issues throughout his career, and Thompson. 

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