[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND
TRANSPARENCY REVIEW AND EFFORTS TO EASE COAST GUARD MANPOWER SHORTAGES

=======================================================================

(118-47)

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON
COAST GUARD AND MARITIME TRANSPORTATION

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON
TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

__________

MARCH 6, 2024

__________

Printed for the use of the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

Available online at: https://www.govinfo.gov/committee/house-
transportation?path=/browsecommittee/chamber/house/committee/
transportation

______

U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
55-660 WASHINGTON : 2024

COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Sam Graves, Missouri, Chairman
Rick Larsen, Washington, Ranking
Member
Eleanor Holmes Norton, Eric A. ``Rick'' Crawford,
District of Columbia Arkansas
Grace F. Napolitano, California Daniel Webster, Florida
Steve Cohen, Tennessee Thomas Massie, Kentucky
John Garamendi, California Scott Perry, Pennsylvania
Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr., Georgiaian Babin, Texas
Andre Carson, Indiana Garret Graves, Louisiana
Dina Titus, Nevada David Rouzer, North Carolina
Jared Huffman, California Mike Bost, Illinois
Julia Brownley, California Doug LaMalfa, California
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida Bruce Westerman, Arkansas
Donald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey Brian J. Mast, Florida
Mark DeSaulnier, California Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon,
Salud O. Carbajal, California Puerto Rico
Greg Stanton, Arizona, Pete Stauber, Minnesota
Vice Ranking Member Tim Burchett, Tennessee
Colin Z. Allred, Texas Dusty Johnson, South Dakota
Sharice Davids, Kansas Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey,
Jesus G. ``Chuy'' Garcia, Illinois Vice Chairman
Chris Pappas, New Hampshire Troy E. Nehls, Texas
Seth Moulton, Massachusetts Tracey Mann, Kansas
Jake Auchincloss, Massachusetts Burgess Owens, Utah
Marilyn Strickland, Washington Rudy Yakym III, Indiana
Troy A. Carter, Louisiana Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Oregon
Patrick Ryan, New York Thomas H. Kean, Jr., New Jersey
Mary Sattler Peltola, Alaska Anthony D'Esposito, New York
Robert Menendez, New Jersey Eric Burlison, Missouri
Val T. Hoyle, Oregon John James, Michigan
Emilia Strong Sykes, Ohio Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin
Hillary J. Scholten, Michigan Brandon Williams, New York
Valerie P. Foushee, North Carolina Marcus J. Molinaro, New York
Mike Collins, Georgia
Mike Ezell, Mississippi
John S. Duarte, California
Aaron Bean, Florida
Celeste Maloy, Utah
Vacancy
------ 7

Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation

Daniel Webster, Florida, Chairman
Salud O. Carbajal, California, Ranking Member
Brian Babin, Texas John Garamendi, California
Brian J. Mast, Florida Chris Pappas, New Hampshire
Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, Jake Auchincloss, Massachusetts
Puerto Rico Mary Sattler Peltola, Alaska
Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey Hillary J. Scholten, Michigan,
Mike Ezell, Mississippi, Vice Vice Ranking Member
Chairman Rick Larsen, Washington (Ex
Aaron Bean, Florida Officio)
Sam Graves, Missouri (Ex Officio)
<

CONTENTS

Page

Summary of Subject Matter........................................ v

STATEMENTS OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

Hon. Daniel Webster, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Florida, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and
Maritime Transportation, opening statement..................... 1
Prepared statement........................................... 3
Hon. Salud O. Carbajal, a Representative in Congress from the
State of California, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Coast
Guard and Maritime Transportation, opening statement........... 4
Prepared statement........................................... 5
Hon. Rick Larsen, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Washington, and Ranking Member, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, opening statement.............................. 6
Prepared statement........................................... 7

WITNESSES

Vice Admiral Paul F. Thomas, Deputy Commandant for Mission
Support, U.S. Coast Guard, oral statement...................... 8
Prepared statement........................................... 10
Heather MacLeod, Director, Homeland Security and Justice, U.S.
Government Accountability Office, oral statement............... 13
Prepared statement........................................... 15

SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD

Post-Hearing Clarification of Remarks from Vice Admiral Paul F.
Thomas, Deputy Commandmant for Mission Support, U.S. Coast
Guard.......................................................... 32

March 1, 2024

SUMMARY OF SUBJECT MATTER

TO: LMembers, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime
Transportation
FROM: LStaff, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime
Transportation
RE: LSubcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime
Transportation Hearing on ``Implementation of the
Recommendations of the Accountability and Transparency Review
and Efforts to Ease Coast Guard Manpower Shortages''
_______________________________________________________________________

I. PURPOSE

The Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will meet
on March 6, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. ET in 2167 Rayburn House Office
Building to receive testimony at a hearing entitled,
``Implementation of the Recommendations of the Accountability
and Transparency Review and Efforts to Ease Coast Guard
Manpower Shortages.'' The Subcommittee will receive testimony
from the United States Coast Guard (Coast Guard or Service) and
the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the
implementation of recommendations of the Accountability and
Transparency Review that was conducted after ``Operation Fouled
Anchor,'' the Service's investigation into sexual assault and
sexual harassment at the United States Coast Guard Academy, and
efforts to reduce manpower shortages within the Coast Guard.

II. BACKGROUND

Coast Guard personnel deficits are widespread and threaten
to impede the ability of the Service to execute its
obligations. In recent years, these challenges have only been
exacerbated by improper handling of reports of sexual assault
and sexual harassment.

OPERATION FOULED ANCHOR AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY REVIEW

Operation Fouled Anchor was a Coast Guard investigation
initiated in 2014 that revealed incidents of rape, assault, and
other misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy (Academy) occurring
from 1990 until 2006.\1\ The report uncovered a repeated
pattern of mishandling cases and not holding perpetrators
accountable, in part driven by efforts to protect the
reputation of the Academy.\2\ The investigation identified 63
potential victims and allegations against 43 separate
individuals who were subject to investigation.\3\ The results
of the investigation were made public only after the report was
leaked to CNN.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Memorandum, United States Coast Guard, ``Fouled Anchor''
Investigation--Final Report, (Jan. 31, 2020), available at https://
www.uscg.mil/Portals/0/documents/FOULED_
ANCHOR_INVESTIGATION_FINAL_REPORT_AND_ENCLOSURE-508Compliant.pdf.
\2\ Id.
\3\ Id.
\4\ Blake Ellis, Melanie Hicken and Audrey Ash, Criminal
investigation into Coast Guard Academy revealed years of sexual assault
cover-ups, but findings were kept secret, CNN, (June 30, 2023),
available at https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/30/politics/coast-guard-
academy-secret-sexual-assault-investigation-invs/index.html.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Coast Guard chose not to disclose the existence of
Operation Fouled Anchor to the Congress despite Congress'
demonstrated interest in curbing sexual harassment and sexual
harassment. Further, the decision to bury the report resulted
in a failure to implement the recommendations from Operation
Fouled Anchor.
After the report became public, the Service undertook an
Accountability and Transparency Review (ATR), which included
recommendations to prevent and better respond to future sexual
assault and sexual harassment incidents.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Memorandum, Coast Guard, Commandant's Directed Actions--
Accountability and Transparency; (Nov. 27, 2023), available at https://
media.defense.gov/2023/Nov/30/2003349064/
-1/-1/0/CCG'S%20DIRECTED%20ACTIONS%20-%20ACCOUNTABILITY%20AND%20TRANS
PARENCY%20W%20ENCL.508-COMPLIANT.PDF [hereinafter Commandant's Directed
Actions--Accountability and Transparency].
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

MANPOWER SHORTAGES

The Coast Guard is currently authorized for an active duty
end-strength of 44,500.\6\ However, it is operating with a
deficit of approximately 4,800 members across its workforce.\7\
Approximately 3,000 of the 4,800 member deficit are for active-
duty personnel.\8\ In fiscal year (FY) 2023, the Coast Guard
sought a total of 59,854 personnel positions to carry out its
statutory missions.\9\ Increased mission demands and the
limited growth in Coast Guard ranks makes it even more
difficult to carry out its mission effectively.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ 14 U.S.C. Sec. 4904.
\7\ United States Coast Guard, FY 2024 Congressional Budget
Justification 28 (2023), available at https://www.uscg.mil/Portals/0/
documents/budget/2024/Coast_Guard_FY2024_
Congressional_Justification.pdf.
\8\ United States Coast Guard Briefing to Congress, Coast Guard
Recruiting & Retention (Feb. 14, 2023) (on file with Comm.)
[hereinafter Briefing].
\9\ Coast Guard, Report to Congress, Manpower Requirements Plan,
(Mar. 9, 2023) (on file with Comm.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND
TRANSPARENCY REVIEW

In response to Operation Fouled Anchor, the Coast Guard
Commandant, Admiral Linda Fagan, chartered a 90-day ATR on July
14, 2023.\10\ The ATR included a review of current laws,
policies, practices and culture designed to prevent and respond
to instances of sexual assault and harassment within the
Service.\11\ The ATR team visited Coast Guard units across the
country to solicit member feedback from all ranks; incorporated
anonymous comments and climate surveys, like the defense
organizational climate survey; and engaged with other Services
and organizations with shared goals and values.\12\ The team
also examined previous studies dating from 1990 to the present,
including a 2015 Culture of Respect Report.\13\ On November 27,
2023, the Coast Guard released the ATR, along with the
Commandant's Directed Actions, which seek to mitigate instances
of harassment, assault, and other mistreatment.\14\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ Memorandum, from Adm. Linda Fagan, on Accountability and
Transparency Review, (July 14, 2023) (on file with Comm.).
\11\ Commandant's Directed Actions--Accountability and
Transparency, supra note 5.
\12\ Id.
\13\ Id.
\14\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a 95-page report, the ATR identifies four key themes and
provides specific findings and recommendations for improvement
along five lines of effort to build Coast Guard competence and
capabilities related to sexual assault and harassment
prevention, response, and recovery.\15\ The key themes are:
increasing the focus on prevention and intervention; skills
based training and leadership development; effective use of
survey information; and obligation to care for victims.\16\ The
lines of effort are: climate and culture; prevention;
awareness; accountability and transparency; and victim support
and recovery.\17\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\15\ Id.
\16\ Id.
\17\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Commandant reviewed the ATR and issued the memorandum
titled ``Commandant's Directed Actions--Accountability and
Transparency,'' to address workforce training and culture,
strengthen support for victims, improve accountability within
the workforce and at the Academy, and strengthen
transparency.\18\ Splitting the directed actions into those
completed and those outstanding, she directed the
implementation of over 30 outstanding directed actions along
with quarterly updates and a one-year progress brief. Each
directed action was assigned a line of effort correlating to
the ATR and either a completion date or date to brief the Vice
Commandant as appropriate.\19\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\18\ Id.
\19\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A RAND study published in 2021 found that exposure to
sexual assault in the United States military doubled the odds
that a service member would leave the military within 28
months, and sexual harassment was associated with roughly four
percent of all military separations during the same time
period.\20\ The report estimated that sexual assaults were
associated with 2,000 more separations than would normally be
expected, and an additional 8,000 separations were associated
with sexual harassment.\21\ Most of these separations were
voluntary, meaning that in addition to harming the members
involved, sexual assault and sexual harassment contributes to
higher attrition rates and weakens military force
readiness.\22\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\20\ Andrew R. Morral, Miriam Matthews, Matthew Cefalu, Terry L.
Schell, Linda Cottrell, 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study Effects of
Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment on Separation From the U.S.
Military, (Feb. 8, 2021), available at https://www.rand.org/pubs/
research_reports/RR870z10.html.
\21\ Id.
\22\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Commandant's directed actions in support of the ATR are
intended to address, mitigate, and prevent sexual assault and
sexual harassment in the Coast Guard--making members feel safe
and wanting to continue to serve.
Upon learning of ``Operation Fouled Anchor'' in June 2023,
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Committee)
opened an investigation into the Coast Guard's conduct,
including failures to investigate and properly address sexual
assaults at the Coast Guard Academy (Academy).\23\ Given the
Coast Guard's past lack of transparency on these issues, the
Committee will continue to closely follow the Service's efforts
to fulfill its commitments to ensure successful implementation
over the long term.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\23\ Letter from Sam Graves, Chairman, H. Comm. on Transp. and
Infrastructure and Rick Larsen, Ranking Member, H. Comm. on Transp. and
Infrastructure, to Admiral Linda L. Fagan, Commandant, Coast Guard,
(Aug. 28, 2023) (on file with Comm.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

IV. RECRUITING AND RETENTION CHALLENGES IN THE UNITED STATES COAST
GUARD AND RESPONSE

Like other military services, the Coast Guard has fallen
short of its recruitment targets, failing to meet its goals by
an average of 20 percent each year since 2018.\24\ The gap is
expected to increase in the coming years and is especially
acute in the enlisted ranks. By 2025, the Coast Guard expects
to be short several hundred officers and nearly 6,000 enlisted
members.\25\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\24\ Caitlin Yilek, Norah O'Donnel, & Angel Canales, How the Coast
Guard plans to boost recruitment after years of shortfalls, CBS News,
(Dec. 7, 2022), available at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coast-guard-
recruitment-challenges-shortfalls/.
\25\ Briefing, supra note 8.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Service is confronting a landscape where the pool of
eligible candidates for military service is shrinking.
According to the Department of Defense, only 23 percent of
Americans ages 17 to 24 are qualified to serve without a
waiver.\26\ Physical fitness concerns, criminal history, and
prescription and illegal drug-related issues are the primary
disqualifiers for many individuals.\27\ Moreover, just nine
percent of those eligible to serve have an interest in doing
so.\28\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\26\ Molly Boigon & Courtney Kube, Every branch of the military is
struggling to make its 2022 recruiting goals, officials say, NBC News,
(June 27, 2022), available at https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/
every-branch-us-military-struggling-meet-2022-recruiting-goals-officia-
rcna35078.
\27\ Id.
\28\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To address these challenges, the Coast Guard sought $12
million in its FY 2024 budget request to fund additional
personnel and offices to augment its recruiting efforts.\29\
Additionally, the Coast Guard intends to implement a multi-
tiered strategy to address its recruiting and retention
challenges.\30\ This includes relaxing certain requirements,
like age restrictions, to expand the aperture of qualified
candidates and adjusting personnel policies, including those
related to parental leave and promotions, in an effort to
retain personnel.\31\ To support the Coast Guard's efforts, the
Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2023, as reported by the
Committee, authorizes for FYs 2024 and 2025, $11.98 million to
fund additional recruiting personnel and offices for Coast
Guard recruiting Command and $9 million to enhance Coast Guard
recruiting capabilities.\32\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\29\ Coast Guard, 2024 Budget Fact Sheet, available at https://
www.uscg.mil/Portals/0/documents/budget/2024/
Coast_Guard_FY2024_Posture_Statement_FINAL.pdf.
\30\ See 46 U.S.C. Sec. Sec. 53101-54012.
\31\ Id.
\32\ Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2023, H.R. 2741, 118th Cong.
(2023).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Organically, on January 17, 2024, the Coast Guard announced
the creation of a new Talent Acquisition Specialist (TA) rating
with the aim of improving its recruitment strategy.\33\ The TA
rating transforms recruiting into a dedicated and specialized
field focused on attracting the best talent in the United
States.\34\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\33\ Bulletin, Coast Guard, ALCOAST 018/24--Creation of New Talent
Acquisition Specialist (TA) rating, (Jan. 17, 2024) available at
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/3856b5a.
\34\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additionally, the James M. Inhofe National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (P.L. 117-263) directs
the Coast Guard to establish at least one Junior Reserve
Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program in each Coast Guard
district by December 31, 2025.\35\ To date, the Coast Guard
maintains six JROTC units at high schools on the East
Coast.\36\ It has plans to launch four more programs this year,
including the first program to be stood up on the West
Coast.\37\ The expectation is that such programs will raise the
Coast Guard's visibility and augment recruiting numbers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\35\ James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2023, Pub. L. No. 117-263, 136 Stat. 3691.
\36\ Coast Guard, JROTC Units, available at https://www.uscg.mil/
Community/JROTC/JROTC-Units/.
\37\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operationally, the Coast Guard has addressed manpower
shortages by reducing staffing standards at shoreside stations,
reassigning personnel at redundant and seasonal stations,
decommissioning cutters ahead of schedule, and gapping some
positions.\38\ Short nearly 10 percent of the entire enlisted
workforce the Coast Guard cannot continue to operate as it
historically has with fewer people.\39\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\38\ AJ Pulkkinen, Coast Guard adjusts operations plan to mitigate
2024 workforce shortage, MyCG, available at https://www.mycg.uscg.mil/
News/Article/3575592/coast-guard-adjusts-operations-plan-to-mitigate-
2024-workforce-shortage/.
\39\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

V. WITNESSES

LVice Admiral Paul Thomas, Deputy Commandant for
Mission Support, United States Coast Guard
LHeather MacLeod, Director, Homeland Security and
Justice, United States Government Accountability Office

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND
TRANSPARENCY REVIEW AND EFFORTS TO EASE COAST GUARD MANPOWER SHORTAGES

----------

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2024

House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime
Transportation,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:09 a.m. in
room 2167 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Daniel Webster
(Chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Mr. Webster of Florida. The Subcommittee on Coast Guard and
Maritime Transportation will come to order.
I ask unanimous consent that the chairman be authorized to
declare a recess any time during the hearing.
Without objection, show that done.
I also ask unanimous consent that Members not on the
subcommittee be present. If they are present, they can
participate in the subcommittee.
As a reminder, if Members have anything to insert to the
document, please email that to DocumentsTI@mail.house.gov.
So, I now recognize myself for the purpose of an opening
statement for 5 minutes.

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL WEBSTER OF FLORIDA, CHAIRMAN,
SUBCOMMITTEE ON COAST GUARD AND MARITIME TRANSPORTATION

Mr. Webster of Florida. We meet here today to examine the
Coast Guard's implementation of the recommendations from the
Accountability and Transparency Review, as well as the
Service's efforts to ease its manpower shortages.
I would like to welcome our witnesses joining us today:
Vice Admiral Paul Thomas is here, and he is the Deputy
Commandant for Mission Support, United States Coast Guard; and
Heather MacLeod, Director of Homeland Security and Justice at
the United States Government Accountability Office. We welcome
you both back to the subcommittee. Good to see you again.
In June of 2023, the Coast Guard briefed the Transportation
and Infrastructure Committee on Operation Fouled Anchor, the
Service's years-long investigation into sexual harassment and
assault cases, and other misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy
that occurred between 1990 and 2006. The investigation
uncovered a pattern of not handling cases as they would be
handled today. As a result, perpetrators were not held properly
accountable, and victims were not treated with the respect and
care they deserved.
Unfortunately, the Coast Guard's efforts to inform Congress
and the public of these findings were not prompted by
transparency, nor did it come up during the last two Congresses
while working with the committee to curb sexual assault and
sexual harassment. Instead, the committee found out through a
news report. That's where I find out most of my information.
During the course of the committee's investigation, it has
become apparent that some of the Service's critical disclosures
and document production continued to be driven by leaks and
news reports, rather than true transparency and accountability.
In July of 2023, after the public release of the Operation
Fouled Anchor Report, the Commandant directed a 90-day review
of current laws, policies, practices, and culture designed to
prevent and respond to instances of sexual assault and
harassment within the Service.
On November 27th, the Coast Guard released the result of
the 90-day review, along with more than 30 Directed Actions by
the Commandant, which seek to mitigate instances of harassment,
assault, and other misconduct within the Service.
While the Coast Guard's lack of transparency appeared to be
driven in part by a desire to protect the Service and
reputation of the Academy, its failure to be forthcoming
achieved the opposite effect.
The men and women serving in our Coast Guard, who we ask so
much of, deserve better from their leadership. So today, we are
going to look towards the future and discuss the Service's
efforts to implement practices that will meaningfully address
these issues.
The Commandant's Directed Actions, released along with the
Accountability and Transparency Report, provide a solid
starting place to strengthen protections for victims and uphold
the Service's values.
To ensure these practices are implemented, and to provide
the Service with the authorities it requires to carry out the
recommendations, yesterday, Ranking Member Carbajal and I
introduced the Coast Guard Accountability and Transparency Act.
Vice Admiral Thomas, this legislation will hold the
Service's feet to the fire to make sure those recommendations
are carried out.
The Coast Guard's struggles with transparency and
accountability are occurring as it also struggles to retain and
recruit servicemembers. Despite increasing mission demands, the
Service is operating with a deficit of approximately 4,800
members across its ranks.
Short nearly 10 percent of its workforce, the Coast Guard
has been forced to reduce staffing standards at the shoreside
stations, temporarily close seasonal stations, and decommission
cutters ahead of schedule. With fewer people, the Coast Guard
cannot continue to operate as it has historically without
either reducing its missions or degrading its capabilities.
Recognizing these challenges, in the Coast Guard
Authorization Act of 2023, the committee authorized for fiscal
years 2024 and 2025 $12 million to fund additional recruiting
personnel and officers for the Coast Guard Recruiting Command
and $9 million to enhance Coast Guard recruiting capabilities.
I look forward to hearing more about the Coast Guard's
multitiered effort to mitigate its recruiting challenges,
including efforts to retain personnel and improve recruiting
capabilities.
[Mr. Webster of Florida's prepared statement follows:]

Prepared Statement of Hon. Daniel Webster of Florida, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
We meet today to examine the Coast Guard's implementation of the
recommendations from the Accountability and Transparency Review, as
well as the Service's efforts to ease its manpower shortages.
I'd like to welcome our witnesses joining us today--Vice Admiral
Paul Thomas, Deputy Commandant for Mission Support, United States Coast
Guard, and Heather MacLeod, Director, Homeland Security and Justice at
the United States Government Accountability Office. We welcome you both
back to the Subcommittee.
In June 2023, the Coast Guard briefed the Transportation Committee
on Operation Fouled Anchor, the Service's years-long investigation into
sexual assault and harassment cases and other misconduct at the Coast
Guard Academy that occurred between 1990 and 2006. The investigation
uncovered a pattern of not handling cases as they would be handled
today. As a result, perpetrators were not held properly accountable,
and victims were not treated with the respect and care they deserved.
Unfortunately, the Coast Guard's efforts to inform Congress and the
public of these findings were not prompted by transparency, or even
while working with this committee to curb sexual assault and sexual
harassment in the merchant marine fleet over the previous two
Congresses, but rather by a forthcoming news report.
During the course of the Committee's investigation, it has become
apparent that some of the Service's critical disclosures and document
production continued to be driven by leaks and news reports, rather
than true transparency and accountability.
In July 2023, after the public release of the Operation Fouled
Anchor Report, the Commandant directed a 90-day review of current laws,
policies, practices, and culture designed to prevent and respond to
instances of sexual assault and harassment within the Service.
On November 27, the Coast Guard released the results of the 90-day
review, along with more than 30 directed actions by the Commandant,
which seek to mitigate instances of harassment, assault, and other
misconduct within the Service. While the Coast Guard's lack of
transparency appeared to be driven in part by a desire to protect the
Service and the reputation of the Academy, its failure to be
forthcoming achieved the opposite effect.
The men and women serving in our Coast Guard, whom we ask so much
of, deserve better from their leadership. So today, we are going to
look towards the future and discuss the Service's efforts to implement
practices that will meaningfully address these issues.
The Commandant's Directed Actions, released along with the
Accountability and Transparency Report, provide a solid starting place
to strengthen protections for victims and uphold the Service's values.
To ensure these practices are implemented, and to provide the Service
with the authorities it requires to carry out the recommendations,
yesterday, Ranking Member Carbajal and I introduced the Coast Guard
Accountability and Transparency Act [https://transportation.house.gov/
news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=407255].
Vice Admiral Thomas--this legislation will hold the Service's feet
to the fire to make sure those recommendations are carried out.
The Coast Guard's struggles with transparency and accountability
are occurring as it also struggles to retain and recruit Service
members. Despite increasing mission demands, the Service is operating
with a deficit of approximately 4,800 members across its ranks.
Short nearly 10 percent of its workforce, the Coast Guard has been
forced to reduce staffing standards at shoreside stations, temporarily
close seasonal stations, and decommission cutters ahead of schedule.
With fewer people, the Coast Guard cannot continue to operate as it has
historically without either reducing its missions or degrading its
capabilities.
Recognizing these challenges, in the Coast Guard Authorization Act
of 2023, the Committee authorized for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025, $12
million to fund additional recruiting personnel and offices for Coast
Guard Recruiting Command and $9 million to enhance Coast Guard
recruiting capabilities.
I look forward to hearing more about the Coast Guard's multi-tiered
effort to mitigate its recruiting challenges, including efforts to
retain personnel and improve recruiting capabilities.

Mr. Webster of Florida. So, I now recognize Ranking Member
Carbajal.

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SALUD O. CARBAJAL OF CALIFORNIA,
RANKING MEMBER, SUBCOMMITTEE ON COAST GUARD AND MARITIME
TRANSPORTATION

Mr. Carbajal. Thank you, Chairman Webster, and thank you
for calling today's hearing. The issues we are examining today
are paramount to the success of the Coast Guard.
Over the past 3 years, I have had the opportunity to visit
Coast Guard stations across the country. I have been on
icebreakers, National Security Cutters, Fast Response Cutters,
various aircraft, and small boats. While I enjoy seeing Coast
Guard assets, I leave every visit struck by the professionalism
of Coasties. I am sure that anyone who has a chance to interact
with members of the Coast Guard feels the same.
Unfortunately, we are here today to talk about the small
minority in the Coast Guard whose actions have affected morale,
safety, recruitment, and retention in the Service. As a
veteran, I know firsthand the importance of morale in the
military. Those choosing to serve our country sacrifice so
much, and they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
Perpetrators of sexual assault and sexual harassment, and the
command leaders who permit those actions, must be held
accountable. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today
on how the Coast Guard plans to do that.
It is unacceptable that the Coast Guard decided to hide
Operation Fouled Anchor. Let me repeat that: hid Operation
Fouled Anchor. This subcommittee conducts oversight of the
Coast Guard, and we should have been told. I look forward to
hearing today about the systems you put in place to ensure this
never happens again, regardless of who is leading the Service.
More importantly though, those involved with burying the
findings and recommendations are responsible for 5 years of
inaction from the Service. I want to be clear: If the former
leadership had treated this issue with the seriousness it
deserves, the seriousness in which Admiral Fagan is addressing
the issue, incidents of sexual assault and sexual harassment
would have been greatly prevented. Instead, the former
leadership appears to have prioritized the reputation of the
Coast Guard over the Coasties. That cannot happen again.
I would like to applaud the actions taken by Admiral Fagan
since learning of Operation Fouled Anchor. The Directed Actions
in the Accountability and Transparency Review are comprehensive
and serve as a good starting point to effecting cultural change
and eradicating this behavior from the Service.
I am, however, concerned that the Coast Guard is able and
willing to make the long-term commitment necessary to effect
real change. Leadership at the Coast Guard is constantly
changing, so, future leaders must continue what Admiral Fagan
has started.
I look forward to hearing from the GAO today on structural
impediments in the Coast Guard. Implementation of reforms must
be tracked, measured, and adjusted as necessary. Without the
appropriate IT infrastructure, this will be difficult, and
challenging, at best.
And that leads me to my last concern: funding. Many of the
Directed Actions in the ATR [Accountability and Transparency
Review] will require funding. Congress must provide the
appropriate funding to ensure a shift in culture within the
Coast Guard. Recruitment and retention and the success of every
mission depends on it.
Mr. Chair, I yield back.
[Mr. Carbajal's prepared statement follows:]

Prepared Statement of Hon. Salud O. Carbajal of California, Ranking
Member, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
Thank you, Chair Webster, for calling today's hearing. The issues
we're examining today are paramount to the success of the Coast Guard.
Over the past three years, I've had the opportunity to visit Coast
Guard stations across the country. I've been on icebreakers, National
Security Cutters, Fast Response Cutters, various aircraft, and small
boats.
While I enjoy seeing Coast Guard assets, I leave every visit struck
by the professionalism of Coasties. I'm sure that anyone who has a
chance to interact with members of the Coast Guard feels the same.
Unfortunately, we're here today to talk about the small minority in
the Coast Guard whose actions have affected morale, safety, recruiting,
and retention in the Service.
As a veteran, I know firsthand the importance of morale in the
military. Those choosing to serve our country sacrifice so much and
they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Perpetrators of
sexual assault and sexual harassment and the command leaders who permit
those actions must be held accountable. I look forward to hearing from
our witness today on how the Coast Guard plans to do that.
It is unacceptable that the Coast Guard decided to hide Operation
Fouled Anchor. This Subcommittee conducts oversight of the Coast Guard,
and we should have been told. I look forward to hearing today about the
systems you've put in place to ensure this never happens again--
regardless of who is leading the Service.
More importantly though, those involved with burying the findings
and recommendations are responsible for five years of inaction from the
Service. I want to be clear--if the former leadership had treated this
issue with the seriousness it deserves, the seriousness in which
Admiral Fagan is addressing the issue, incidents of sexual assault and
sexual harassment would have been prevented. Instead, the former
leadership appears to have prioritized the reputation of the Coast
Guard over Coasties. That cannot happen again.
I would like to applaud the actions taken by Admiral Fagan since
learning of Operation Fouled Anchor. The directed actions in the
Accountability and Transparency Review are comprehensive and serve as a
good starting point to affecting culture change and eradicating this
behavior from the service.
I am, however, concerned that the Coast Guard is able and willing
to make the long-term commitment necessary to affect real change.
Leadership at the Coast Guard is constantly changing so future leaders
must continue what Admiral Fagan has started.
I look forward to hearing from the GAO today on structural
impediments in the Coast Guard. Implementation of reforms must be
tracked, measured, and adjusted as necessary. Without the appropriate
IT infrastructure, this will be difficult.
And that leads me to my last concern--funding. Many of the directed
actions in the ATR will require funding. Congress must provide the
appropriate funding to ensure a shift in culture within the Coast
Guard. Recruitment and retention and the success of every mission
depend on it.
Thank you, and I yield back.

Mr. Webster of Florida. I now recognize the ranking member
of the full committee, Mr. Larsen, for 5 minutes.

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RICK LARSEN OF WASHINGTON, RANKING
MEMBER, COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Mr. Larsen of Washington. Thank you, Chair Webster and
Ranking Member Carbajal, for holding this hearing.
The decision by former Coast Guard leadership to conceal
the existence of Operation Fouled Anchor hurt the Coast Guard,
its reputation, and the Coasties serving our country. Former
Coast Guard leadership chose not to inform Congress of
Operation Fouled Anchor and then hid the findings and
recommendations from the public and other Coasties. Had the
findings and recommendations from OFA been acted upon in 2018,
the Coast Guard could have already implemented meaningful
reforms. Instead, these actions sowed distrust among its
workforce.
So, we want to hear today from the Deputy Commandant on how
the Service plans to rebuild trust and ensure its workforce is
supported in the future. Culture change can create a more
tolerant, accepting, and supportive workforce and one that is
better prepared to complete its mission.
With an estimated shortage of roughly 4,800 members, the
Coast Guard has both a moral and functional need to implement
culture change so women and men want to join and stay in the
Service.
While culture change is ultimately about changing the
behavior of people, getting there is going to require
significant resources.
For instance, the Coast Guard recently started an
Integrated Primary Prevention Program to help prevent suicide,
sexual assault, harassment, domestic abuse, and child abuse
through community engagement, policy, programs, and improved
practices. However, this Coast Guard program is staffed by 1
person, while the Department of Defense has over 1,000 staff
for a similar program.
Ranking Member Carbajal and I sent a letter to the
Appropriations Committee last month urging the inclusion of an
additional $21.8 million for the Integrated Primary Prevention
Program in the final fiscal year 2024 funding bill. If
included, that funding would enable the Coast Guard to
immediately begin hiring new civilian employees.
In addition, the Service needs funding for improvements to
human resources information technology, improvements to
governance and oversight at the Academy, enhanced training and
professional development for the workforce, and more robust and
sustained support for victims.
While the Coast Guard deserves criticism and increased
oversight for its handling of sexual assault and sexual
harassment, I believe that under the leadership of Admiral
Fagan, the Service is now on the right path. The Coast Guard,
therefore, deserves the support of Congress in addressing this
issue.
It is facing a budget shortfall that includes a $3 billion
shoreside infrastructure backlog and ballooning costs
associated with the construction of Polar Security Cutters.
Especially when it comes to sexual assault and sexual
harassment, we cannot ask the Coast Guard to do more with less.
The Coast Guard is a $20 billion Service operating on a $13
billion budget, and the women and men who serve in the Coast
Guard deserve better. They deserve dorm rooms that are free of
asbestos. They deserve access to affordable housing and
childcare. They deserve workplaces and technology that assist,
rather than hinder, their mission. And above all, they deserve
a work environment free from sexual assault and harassment.
So, I hope my colleagues will join me in making the case
for increased funding for the Coast Guard to address these and
other issues.
Thank you, and I yield back.
[Mr. Larsen of Washington's prepared statement follows:]

Prepared Statement of Hon. Rick Larsen of Washington, Ranking Member,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Thank you, Chairman Webster and Ranking Member Carbajal, for
holding this hearing.
The decision by former Coast Guard leadership to conceal the
existence of Operation Fouled Anchor (OFA) hurt the Coast Guard, its
reputation, and the Coasties serving our country.
Former Coast Guard leadership chose not to inform Congress of OFA
and then hid the findings and recommendations from the public and other
Coasties. Had the findings and recommendations from OFA been acted upon
in 2018, the Coast Guard could have already implemented meaningful
reforms.
Instead, the Coast Guard's actions sowed distrust among its
workforce. I want to hear today from the Deputy Commandant on how the
Service plans to rebuild trust and ensure its workforce is supported in
the future.
Culture change can create a more tolerant, accepting, and
supportive workforce and one that is better prepared to complete its
mission.
With an estimated shortage of roughly 4,800 members, the Coast
Guard has both a moral and a functional need to implement culture
change, so women and men want to join and stay in the Service.
While culture change is ultimately about changing the behavior of
people, getting there is going to require significant resources.
For instance, the Coast Guard recently started an Integrated
Primary Prevention Program to help prevent suicide, sexual assault,
harassment, domestic abuse, and child abuse through community
engagement, policy, programs, and improved practices. However, this
Coast Guard program is staffed by one person, while the Department of
Defense has over 1,000 staff for a similar program.
Ranking Member Carbajal and I sent a letter to the Appropriations
Committee last month urging the inclusion of an additional $21.8
million for the Integrated Primary Prevention Program in the final FY24
funding bill. If included, that funding would enable the Coast Guard to
immediately begin hiring new civilian employees.
In addition, the Service needs funding for improvements to human
resources information technology, improvements to governance and
oversight at the Coast Guard Academy, enhanced training and
professional development for the workforce, and more robust and
sustained support for victims.
While the Coast Guard deserves criticism and increased oversight
for its handling of sexual assault and sexual harassment, I believe
that, under the leadership of Admiral Fagan, the Service is now on the
right path. The Coast Guard therefore deserves the support of Congress
in addressing this issue.
The Coast Guard is facing a budget shortfall that includes a $3
billion shoreside infrastructure backlog and ballooning costs
associated with the construction of Polar Security Cutters. Especially
when it comes to sexual assault and sexual harassment, we cannot ask
the Coast Guard to do more with less.
The Coast Guard is a $20 billion Service operating on a $13 billion
budget and those who serve in the Coast Guard deserve better.
They deserve dorm rooms that are free of asbestos. They deserve
access to affordable housing and childcare. They deserve workplaces and
technology that assist rather than hinder their mission.
And, above all, they deserve a work environment free from sexual
assault and harassment.
I hope my colleagues will join me in making the case for increased
funding for the Coast Guard to address these and other issues.
Thank you, and I yield back.

Mr. Webster of Florida. I want to thank and welcome our
witnesses, and thank them for being here today. I appreciate
that.
And I would like to take a moment to explain our lighting
system. Green is go, yellow is slow up, and red, stop.
I ask unanimous consent that the witnesses' full
testimonies and statements be included in the record.
Without objection, show that ordered.
I ask unanimous consent that the record of today's hearing
remain open until such time as our witnesses have provided
answers to any questions that may be submitted to them in
writing.
Without objection, show that ordered.
I ask unanimous consent that the record remain open for 15
days for additional comments and information submitted by the
Members or the witnesses to be included in the record of
today's hearing.
Without objection, show that ordered.
As your written testimony has been made part of the record,
the committee asks that you limit your time and remarks to 5
minutes.
With that, Vice Admiral Thomas, you are recognized for 5
minutes.

TESTIMONY OF VICE ADMIRAL PAUL F. THOMAS, DEPUTY COMMANDANT FOR
MISSION SUPPORT, U.S. COAST GUARD; AND HEATHER MacLEOD,
DIRECTOR, HOMELAND SECURITY AND JUSTICE, U.S. GOVERNMENT
ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE

TESTIMONY OF VICE ADMIRAL PAUL F. THOMAS, DEPUTY COMMANDANT FOR
MISSION SUPPORT, U.S. COAST GUARD

Admiral Thomas. Good morning, Chairman Webster, Ranking
Member Carbajal, and distinguished members of the subcommittee.
I truly appreciate this opportunity to testify today on these
very important topics.
As you know, the Coast Guard helps to enable the Nation's
economic prosperity, enforces our laws at sea, protects the
maritime environment, and performs lifesaving missions that are
vital to preserving America's maritime interests. To do this,
we must employ the very best and brightest our Nation has to
offer.
Implementation of the Accountability and Transparency
Review recommendations and other initiatives the Commandant has
directed are critically linked to our efforts to recruit and
retain those who will perform Coast Guard missions in the 21st
century. And as you have mentioned, over the last several
months, the Service has responded to questions and concerns
about the handling and findings of investigations of prior
sexual misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy.
But over the course of the last two decades, we have taken
lessons learned from those investigations to heart, and we have
aggressively increased the intensity of our focus on prevention
of sexual assault and sexual harassment, not just at the
Academy, but across our Service.
That work continues. We are maturing policies on
accountability, listening to and increasing support to
survivors and victims, taking concrete actions towards
strengthening the Service culture and commitment to our core
values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty. From our senior
leaders to our most junior recruits, everyone in our Service
must be committed to focusing on fostering a culture where each
member is valued, empowered, trusted, and supported.
Following the completion of the 90-day Accountability and
Transparency Review, the Commandant directed over 30 actions
intended to improve transparency, accountability, awareness,
prevention, climate and culture, and victim support. And we are
taking action now without delay. And while we have completed
several of the Commandant's Directed Actions, we have made a
long-term commitment to strengthening our culture.
Ongoing initiatives include working with Congress to
identify and address gaps in Coast Guard authorities related to
accountability; building an integrated prevention program; and
creating a new enterprise victim advocate position, which is
the first of its kind amongst the armed services. We believe
these measures will be a strong step toward strengthening our
Service culture and ensuring a work environment that is free of
sexual assault, harassment, bullying, hazing, retaliation, and
reprisal for all Coast Guard members always.
But we recognize this cannot be only a surge effort around
the Commandant's Directed Actions. It cannot be one and done.
We are committed to continuous improvement as an essential part
of our culture. Let me assure you, we will sustain this effort.
This work will help us better align our actions with our
values, and better define who we are and what we stand for. And
that work is necessary to attract, recruit, and retain today's
talents.
Like many employers and all of our military services, we
face fierce competition for talent. The Coast Guard is
currently 10 percent below authorized strength within our
enlisted workforce, and we anticipate that shortage may grow in
2024. Our workforce shortage has had an impact on our
operations and our personnel. In response, we are taking
decisive action to reduce operational risk and mitigate the
burden shouldered by a frontline workforce. This summer, we are
aligning the workforce to prioritize lifesaving missions,
national security, and protection of the Marine Transportation
System. And going forward, we will continue to evaluate force
strength, mission demands, and staffing priorities.
And while we are currently cautiously optimistic about our
fiscal year 2024 recruiting efforts, we must continue ongoing
efforts to increase awareness of the Coast Guard's value to the
Nation, the benefits of military service, and we must identify
more candidates for recruitment. To this end and with your
help, we are increasing resources aimed at building recruiting
capacity and performance, generating more leads, and improving
overall recruiting processes. We are also focused on reducing
barriers to entry to our Service.
And while recruiting is critically important, retaining our
workforce is equally so, and it requires similar focus. We have
recently seen our attrition numbers increase, which contributes
to our workforce gaps. The Coast Guard has taken action to
ensure our workforce policies, processes, and infrastructure
provides better flexibility, transparency, predictability, and
support to our members and their families. We simply must make
it easier to serve for a full career.
I thank you for this opportunity to highlight workforce
challenges and the strong linkage between strengthening Service
culture and building a workforce for the future. I look forward
to your questions.
[Vice Admiral Thomas' prepared statement follows:]

Prepared Statement of Vice Admiral Paul F. Thomas, Deputy Commandant
for Mission Support, U.S. Coast Guard
Introduction
Good morning, Chairman Webster, Ranking Member Carbajal, and
distinguished members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the
opportunity to testify today and thank you for your enduring support of
the United States Coast Guard.
The U.S. Coast Guard is the world's premier, multi-mission,
maritime service responsible for the safety, security, and stewardship
of the maritime domain. The Service's 57,000 active duty, reserve, and
civilian personnel, supported by 21,000 Auxiliary volunteers, conduct
dynamic homeland security and defense missions around the globe on a
24/7 basis 365 days-a-year. Our status as the world's best Coast Guard
depends on the ability to attract, recruit, and retain talent with the
motivation to perform these missions.
Over the last several months, the Coast Guard has responded to
questions about the handling of investigations of prior sexual
misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy. Consequently, the Service has
focused on prevention of sexual harassment and sexual assault; matured
policies to hold members and leaders accountable; and listened to and
supported victims and survivors. From Senior Leaders to the most junior
recruit, everyone in our Service must be committed to fostering a
culture where each member of our workforce is valued, empowered,
trusted, and supported.
The Coast Guard's homeland security and defense operations enable
the Nation's economic prosperity, enforce our laws at sea, protect the
marine environment, and perform vital lifesaving missions to ensure the
safety, security, and resiliency of America's far-reaching maritime
interests. Strengthening the Coast Guard's culture and reaffirming our
commitment to our core values of Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty
is critically linked to Service readiness, efforts to retain those who
serve today, and our ability to recruit those who will perform Coast
Guard missions in the future.
Accountability and Transparency
We must ensure every member of the Coast Guard adheres to our core
values of Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty through a culture that
deters harmful behaviors and gives everyone the positive Coast Guard
experience they expect and deserve. Over the past two decades, the
Coast Guard has adopted policies, enhanced training, dedicated
personnel, expanded victim services, and sought accountability for
sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other harassing or harmful
behaviors. While the Service has made great strides, there is still
much work to be done and we are committed to continuing our efforts.
In 2014, a former Coast Guard Academy (CGA) cadet reported to the
Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) that she was sexually
assaulted by a fellow cadet in the 1990s. During the investigation, the
Service learned of other potential victims of sexual misconduct at the
CGA from 1988 to 2006 whose cases were either not investigated,
mishandled, or not reported at the time. CGIS reached out to potential
victims and opened numerous criminal investigations. This effort
resulted in hundreds of leads and 20,000 investigative hours spanning
over six years.
Given the passage of time between the alleged offenses and the
investigations, as well as jurisdictional limitations, criminal
prosecutions were not possible in any of these cases. However, the
Coast Guard took action to hold offenders accountable through
administrative means where the evidence was sufficient to support the
allegations and the individual remained within the Coast Guard's
jurisdiction. The Coast Guard did not notify Congress of these cases
while this work was ongoing or when it was complete. As the Commandant
has previously stated, the failure to disclose the investigations or
the findings deprived Congress of the opportunity to conduct proper
oversight, and the Coast Guard is committed to cooperating with the
Committee's inquiry.
In July 2023, the Commandant directed a 90-day review covering six
lines of effort: Transparency, Accountability, Awareness, Prevention,
Climate and Culture, and Victim Support. The team conducted a
retrospective review of the laws, policies, processes, practices,
resources, and Service culture relevant to countering sexual assault
and harassment within the Service. The team made key findings in the
areas of Sexual Assault Prevention, Response, and Recovery (SAPRR)
training and leadership development, Integrated Primary Prevention,
effective use of climate and gender relations data, and care for
survivors. Many of these findings and recommendations align with those
of the Department of Defense 90-Day Independent Review Commission (IRC)
on Sexual Assault in the Military, and build on Coast Guard's
implementation of adapted recommendations from the IRC.
Actions Taken--Accountability and Transparency
In response to these findings, the Commandant directed 33 initial
actions to further cultural norms around respect, transparency, and
accountability across six areas: workforce training, culture, and
professional development; Integrated Primary Prevention; core values;
accountability; the CGA; and information, data, and transparency. The
Service is working to implement the Commandant's directed actions, with
several initiatives already complete: Senior Executive Implementation
Summit, Senior Leader Engagement through the 2024 Commanding Officer
Conference Cycle, Online Mandated SAPRR Training, Academy Reporting
Structure, and the Coast Guard-wide Climate Survey.
In addition to those directed actions, the Service identified other
opportunities to further support our workforce and enhance our culture,
including working with Congress to identify gaps in Coast Guard
authorities related to accountability, increasing the number of
behavioral health professionals in the Service, and creating a new
Enterprise Victim Advocate (EVA) position, the first of its kind in the
armed forces. The EVA advises senior leaders and connects with victims,
championing enterprise actions in response to issues affecting the
workforce. Additionally, the Coast Guard recently established the
Office of the Chief Prosecutor, ensuring experienced military
prosecutors handle the disposition of the most serious crimes--
furthering the Service's commitment to accountability. The Service is
confident these measures will improve organizational culture and
further our goal of ensuring an environment free from sexual assault,
harassment, bullying, hazing, retaliation, and reprisal. The Coast
Guard is committed to continuous improvement to ensure the safety and
wellbeing of our people.
Recruiting, Retention, and Force Alignment
Like all military services and many employers, the Coast Guard
faces fierce competition for talent in today's economy. The Coast Guard
is currently 10 percent below authorized strength within the enlisted
workforce. This is one of the largest workforce shortages in the Coast
Guard's 233-year history, and it is significantly impacting our daily
operations. We expect the shortage to grow throughout 2024. While we
continue to work to bolster recruiting efforts, improve retention, and
make risk-based adjustments to operations, the workforce is feeling the
strain.
It remains true that non-military employers often provide more
attractive pay and, because of the highly competitive labor market,
many now offer other non-compensation benefits like college tuition
assistance, workplace flexibility, expanded healthcare services, and
childcare benefits. The Coast Guard is committed to working with the
Department of Defense (DoD) and Congress to ensure military pay and
benefits appropriately compensate the women and men who serve the
Nation. However, regardless of compensation, recent DoD data shows that
more than 75 percent of 17 to 21-year-old Americans are ineligible for
military service without a waiver. As a result, the Coast Guard must be
committed to reviewing policies related to the most frequent
disqualifiers (i.e., medical history, drug use, body modifications, and
fitness) to ensure we continue to enable every appropriately qualified
individual the opportunity to serve.
Actions Taken--Recruiting
Since May 2022, the Coast Guard has staffed an Incident Management
Team to help focus Service-wide resources on recruiting. This team has
supported the Coast Guard Recruiting Command across three lines of
effort to bolster recruiting: generate more leads, improve the
recruiting process, and increase recruiting capacity and performance.
The last 20 months of effort provided valuable insights into the most
effective strategies for long-term changes, and the Coast Guard is
committed to building that capacity into the recruiting enterprise, so
it is poised to continue recent successes.
While the Service is cautiously optimistic regarding FY 2024
recruiting efforts, we must continue to generate more awareness of the
Coast Guard's value to the Nation, message the benefits of military
service, and identify more candidates for potential recruitment. When
the Service updated its messaging and recruiting logos in March 2023 to
ensure the Coast Guard brand resonates with those we are trying to
recruit, the impact was uncertain. We now know that those changes and
the others described below are beginning to pay off.
As of February 13, 2024, the Coast Guard has achieved more than 50
percent of its active duty recruiting goal for FY 2024 and continues to
surge marketing efforts and recruiting capacity into untapped markets;
deliver targeted content across the web, social media, and streaming
platforms; and provide local contacts for potential recruits when they
are ready to learn about what opportunities the Service offers.
To improve the recruiting process, we remain focused on removing
barriers to entry. In the last 18 months, the Coast Guard changed
accession standards, including standards regarding maximum age, debt-
to-income ratio, and dependency status. The recruiting enterprise also
continues its effort to meet recruits where they are with a mobile
application that modernizes the recruiting process. The initial version
will include an online applicant portal, digital forms, and the ability
to collect digital signatures. When fully implemented, it will have the
capacity to track all application package details, which will greatly
improve transparency and management of Coast Guard applications.
To increase the Coast Guard's recruiting capacity and performance,
we will continue to open additional recruiting offices and place
independent duty recruiters in locations with less historical awareness
of the Coast Guard's missions and role as a military service. Virtual
recruiters and a dedicated call center continue to further the Coast
Guard's ability to reach and recruit individuals across the country,
particularly those not located near a physical recruiting office.
Additionally, we are partnering with technical schools and mariner
training programs that graduate young people with complementary
skillsets to our enlisted ratings. To professionalize the recruiting
workforce, the Coast Guard recently established a permanent recruiter
rate and will begin to fill the most senior enlisted recruiting
positions across the country with Talent Acquisition Specialists this
summer.
We are also beginning to place officer recruiters in geographic
areas that have had historically high levels of interest for those who
want to earn a commission. By the end of the summer, we will have five
junior officers located across the country who will be able to attract
the best talent for our officer corps, while allowing the remainder of
the recruiters to focus on the needs of the enlisted workforce.
Further, the Coast Guard is working to establish additional training
resources and provide incentive pay to recruiters like the other Armed
Services. These efforts are increasing the Coast Guard's recruiting
footprint across the country, maximizing exposure of the Service to the
very best young women and men our Nation has to offer.
Actions Taken--Retention
Retention of Coast Guard members is also essential to conducting
and supporting missions around the globe. The Coast Guard has taken
significant steps to transform its talent management system, ensuring
there are opportunities for flexible assignments, advancements,
workplaces, and careers. These policy changes enable the workforce to
serve our Nation to their best potential, while balancing other needs
and demands on their lives.
Providing key support services to the workforce and their
families--in the form of housing, healthcare, and childcare services--
is essential to improving our personnel loss rates. The Coast Guard has
enhanced the workforce's quality of life through improved support
programs. We have modified assignment policies to better facilitate the
co-location of dual military families, enhanced parental leave policies
and expanded the childcare fee assistance subsidy program.
The Service also continues to improve healthcare services and
access to care for our workforce and their families by expanding access
to telehealth services, offering online appointment scheduling,
migrating to electronic health records, and expanding key health
services such as physical therapy and behavioral health services.
Finally, the Coast Guard's Workforce Planning Teams monitor and
evaluate the total active duty, reserve, and civilian workforce to
identify trends, assess gaps, and provide recommendations for policy
modifications, as well as monetary and non-monetary interventions, to
ensure the Coast Guard is best positioned to meet future needs. These
teams carefully consider organizational and programmatic equities and
risks to optimize service readiness. To maintain a competitive edge,
the Coast Guard must continue modernization efforts for personnel
management and family support services.
Actions Taken--Force Alignment
In September 2023, the Coast Guard initiated a holistic evaluation
of the workforce shortage and its impact on Coast Guard operations and
personnel and developed a series of actions to reduce operational risk
and minimize the burden to those currently serving. This effort
evaluated force posture in Search and Rescue (SAR) and the Marine
Transportation System (MTS), and provided opportunities to adjust force
strength, mission demands, and staffing. We will prioritize our
lifesaving missions, national security, and protection of the MTS.
Beginning this summer, the Service will temporarily transition all
seasonal stations into forward operating locations, pause operations at
western river units, and reduce manning requirements at stations with
overlapping coverage. In total, the initiative identified 1,500
positions that will temporarily be left vacant, allowing the Coast
Guard to distribute specialized personnel to ensure the integrity and
continuity of SAR operations. The actions are temporary and reversible.
Going forward the Service will continue to evaluate force laydown,
mission demands, and staffing priorities to address workforce
challenges.
Conclusion
The U.S. Coast Guard provides services that benefit the American
public, national security, and the global economy. To do so, the
Service must build a strong and robust Coast Guard while simultaneously
providing each member an experience that is free from harmful behaviors
and ensures they are treated with courtesy, dignity, and respect.
Preserving American prosperity and contributing to global stability
requires the Service to focus on key initiatives to meet the challenges
of recruiting and retention alongside efforts to find new and better
ways to support Coast Guard personnel and their families.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today and thank you for
your continued support of the United States Coast Guard. I look forward
to your questions.

Mr. Webster of Florida. Ms. MacLeod, you are recognized for
5 minutes for your testimony.

TESTIMONY OF HEATHER MacLEOD, DIRECTOR, HOMELAND SECURITY AND
JUSTICE, U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE

Ms. MacLeod. Chairman Webster, Ranking Member Carbajal,
members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to
be here today. My testimony is based on our preliminary
observations of the Coast Guard's recent efforts to implement
actions associated with the Accountability and Transparency
Review.
The issue of sexual assault and harassment in the Coast
Guard is not new. Over the last two decades, Congress has taken
steps to address these issues. For example, Congress has
established numerous requirements to help DoD and the Coast
Guard efforts for preventing and responding to incidents of
sexual assault in the military. Congress passed a total of 249
statutory requirements directing DoD and the Coast Guard to
address prevention and response to sexual assault incidents.
More than 30 of these requirements applied to the Coast Guard.
For years, GAO has also made recommendations to military
services to improve their sexual assault and harassment
prevention and response efforts. Since 2014, we have made over
80 recommendations in this area. Most of these recommendations
were specific to DoD, but they provide insights across military
services. We plan to initiate a review specific to Coast Guard
sexual assault prevention and response later this year.
The Coast Guard has taken some steps to address these
issues. For example, between 2002 and 2023, the Coast Guard
established 19 policies and initiatives, 10 trainings, and 6
victims services efforts intended to prevent, respond to, and
support victims of sexual assault and harassment.
Despite these actions, the problems persist. In an internal
investigation called Operation Fouled Anchor, the Coast Guard
examined 102 separate allegations of sexual assault from 1990
to 2006 at the Coast Guard Academy. The investigation concluded
that the Academy often mishandled these cases.
After media reporting on Operation Fouled Anchor in June
2023, the Commandant directed a 90-day review of policy
processes, practices, and Service culture relevant to
countering sexual assault and harassment in the Coast Guard.
The resulting report identified areas for improvement across
the Service to ensure a culture of accountability and
transparency.
In November 2023, the Commandant directed the Coast Guard
to implement 33 initial actions to address the findings of the
review and to help ensure servicemembers have an experience
free from sexual assault and harassment. As of February 2024,
the Coast Guard has completed five actions. For example,
officials told us that in December, the Coast Guard
administered a survey across the Service on unit climate,
harassment and discrimination, diversity and inclusion, and
other aspects of organizational climate.
Swift implementation of defined actions is important, but
it must be balanced with effective controls for ensuring the
anticipated improvements to the culture of accountability and
transparency is achieved. Even though it has already
implemented certain actions, the Service has not developed a
plan to evaluate its efforts. As a result, GAO is making a
recommendation to the Coast Guard to develop a plan to evaluate
the actions that the Service is taking to improve its culture
of accountability and transparency. This will help ensure that
the actions taken are achieving the intended outcomes.
We acknowledge that measuring the effectiveness of actions
taken to improve Coast Guard culture may be difficult, but the
Coast Guard already has resources, including regular employee
surveys and contacts with experts in DoD, that could prove
useful in this effort. The information would help the Coast
Guard management understand the impact of these actions on
servicemembers.
Taking these steps will help ensure the Service is
improving its culture, which could assist in the recruitment
and retention of its workforce. Given the challenges the Coast
Guard faces with fully staffing its workforce, it is incumbent
upon the Service to not only establish actions, but to ensure
they are effective.
Chairman Webster, Ranking Member Carbajal, and members of
the subcommittee, this completes my prepared statement. I would
be pleased to respond to any questions you may have.
[Ms. MacLeod's prepared statement follows:]

Prepared Statement of Heather MacLeod, Director, Homeland Security and
Justice, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Coast Guard: Action Needed To Evaluate Efforts To Address Sexual
Assault and Harassment
Highlights
Why GAO Did This Study
The Coast Guard is a maritime military service within the
Department of Homeland Security that employs more than 55,000
personnel. Sexual assault and harassment have a negative effect on the
victims, negatively affect retention, and disrupt mission readiness.
This statement discusses the Coast Guard's recent efforts to
address sexual assault and harassment.
GAO analyzed Coast Guard documents, interviewed agency officials,
and reviewed prior GAO reports on Department of Defense and Coast Guard
efforts to prevent sexual assault and harassment. We also compared
Coast Guard efforts to the Commandant instruction on internal controls
as well as federal internal control standards.
What GAO Recommends
Previously, GAO has made four recommendations to the Coast Guard
regarding implementation of laws pertaining to sexual assault. The
Coast Guard has fully addressed one of them and GAO continues to
monitor implementation.
In this statement, GAO recommends that the Coast Guard develop an
evaluation plan and mechanisms for assessing the effectiveness of
actions taken to help ensure service members have an experience free
from sexual assault and harassment.
The Department of Homeland Security provided technical comments,
which we incorporated as appropriate.
What GAO Found
The Coast Guard has taken action to address sexual assault and
harassment but has not developed a plan to assess its efforts. In a
2020 internal investigation called ``Operation Fouled Anchor,'' the
Coast Guard examined 102 separate allegations of sexual assault from
1990 to 2006 at the Coast Guard Academy and concluded that the academy
often mishandled these cases. More recently, service members reported a
total of 263 sexual harassment allegations between September 2020
through April 2023, according to Coast Guard data. After media
reporting on Operation Fouled Anchor in June 2023, the Commandant
directed a 90-day review of policy processes, practices, and service
culture relevant to countering sexual assault and harassment in the
Coast Guard. The resulting report identified areas for organizational
improvement to ensure a culture of accountability and transparency. In
November 2023, the Commandant directed the Coast Guard to implement 33
initial actions by certain dates to address the findings of the review
and help ensure service members have an experience free from sexual
assault and harassment [see figure 1]. The actions span six categories,
including training, the academy, and information and data. According to
Coast Guard officials, they have completed five actions as of February
2024.
The Commandant-directed actions include administering a Coast
Guard-wide survey and analyzing survey results. However, the service
has not developed an evaluation plan to assess the results of its 33
initial actions. According to Coast Guard officials, they have had
discussions about assessing the results of the actions but have not
developed plans or mechanisms to do so because measuring culture change
is difficult. However, these officials identified certain resources,
such as employee surveys and Department of Defense officials, that
could prove useful in this effort.
Developing an evaluation plan and mechanisms for assessing the
effectiveness of actions taken to improve its culture of accountability
and transparency would better ensure that Coast Guard has the
information it needs to evaluate whether the actions are helping
service members have an experience free from sexual assault and
harassment. Further, taking these steps would help ensure the service
is improving its culture, which could assist in the recruitment and
retention of its workforce.

__________
Chairman Webster, Ranking Member Carbajal, and Members of the
Subcommittee:
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss our work on the U.S. Coast
Guard workforce and actions intended to prevent and respond to sexual
assaults. Sexual assault is a heinous crime that can have lasting,
harmful effects on victims. It contradicts the core values of the Coast
Guard--a maritime military service within the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) with more than 55,000 personnel.\1\ Sexual assault and
harassment also disrupt mission readiness.\2\ Further, the Coast
Guard's workforce strategic plan, Ready Workforce 2030, states that
attracting enough qualified young women and men to serve is one of the
biggest challenges facing each of the U.S. military services today.\3\
As we have previously reported, a number of factors, including sexual
assault and harassment, influence the Department of Defense's (DOD)
ability to retain active-duty personnel, a factor that Coast Guard
officials have stated also influences their ability to retain
personnel.\4\
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\1\ The Coast Guard's core values are honor, respect, and devotion
to duty.
\2\ The Coast Guard defines sexual assault as sexual contact
characterized by use of force, threats, intimidation, or abuse of
authority when the victim does not or cannot consent. The term includes
a broad category of sexual offenses consisting of rape, sexual assault,
aggravated sexual contact, abusive sexual contact, forcible sodomy, or
attempts to commit any of these offenses. The Coast Guard defines
sexual harassment as harassment including, but not limited to,
unwelcome verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct, intended to or effect
unreasonable interference with an individual's work performance or
creating an intimidating, offensive, or hostile environment based on a
protected status. Sexual harassment is a form of prohibited harassment.
See Coast Guard COMDTINST 1754.10F, Sexual Assault Prevention,
Response, and Recovery (SAPR) Program (Apr. 2023) and COMDTINST 5350.6,
Harassing Behavior Prevention, Response, and Accountability (Feb.
2023).
\3\ U.S. Coast Guard, Ready Workforce 2030 (Washington, D.C.: Apr.
2022).
\4\ GAO, Coast Guard: Recruitment and Retention Challenges Persist,
GAO-23-106750 (Washington, D.C.: May 11, 2023).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The issue of sexual assault and harassment in the Coast Guard is
not new, according to the Coast Guard.\5\ In a series of investigations
called ``Operation Fouled Anchor,'' the Coast Guard Investigative
Service examined 102 separate allegations of sexual assault that
occurred between 1990 and 2006 at the Coast Guard Academy, according to
a 2020 Coast Guard report.\6\ The investigations' final report
concluded that the academy often mishandled these cases and failed to
take sufficient action to ensure a safe environment and instill a
culture intolerant of any form of sexual misconduct. Further, in 2015,
the Coast Guard conducted a gap analysis comparing the current and
optimal state of Coast Guard culture and identified 41 gaps.\7\ At
least 28 of these 41 gaps pertained to efforts to prevent or respond to
sexual assault and harassment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Coast Guard, Accountability and Transparency Review Team
Report, (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 2023).
\6\ Coast Guard, ``Fouled Anchor'' Investigation--Final Report,
Memo of 31 Jan 2020. The Coast Guard Academy typically has about 1,000
cadets enrolled.
\7\ Coast Guard, Culture of Respect (COR) Integrated Process Team
(IPT): Phase I Report, (Yorktown, VA: Apr. 2015).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Coast Guard and Congress took some steps to address these
issues, but according to several published reports and Coast Guard data
on this matter, the problems persist.\8\ Between 2002 and 2023, the
Coast Guard established 19 policies and initiatives, 10 trainings, and
six victims services efforts intended to prevent, respond to, and
support victims of sexual assault and harassment, according to a Coast
Guard report.\9\ Further, since the National Defense Authorization Act
(NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2004, Congress has established numerous
requirements to help DOD and Coast Guard efforts for preventing and
responding to incidents of sexual assault in the military.\10\ However,
sexual assault and harassment remains an ongoing issue. According to
Coast Guard Anti-Harassment & Hate Incident data, from fiscal year 2020
through April 2023, Coast Guard service members reported a total of 263
alleged incidents of sexual harassment, of which 164 (62 percent) were
substantiated.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ Reports including K. Hall, K. Keller, D. Schulker, S. Weilant,
K. Kidder, N. Lim, Improving Gender Diversity in the U.S. Coast Guard:
Identifying Barriers to Female Retention, (Mar. 29, 2019). Homeland
Security Operational Analysis Center operated by the RAND Corporation,
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2770.html.
\9\ Coast Guard, Commandant's Directed Actions--Accountability and
Transparency, Memo of 27 Nov 2023.
\10\ Congress passed a total of 249 statutory requirements
directing, in part, DOD and the Coast Guard to address prevention of
and response to sexual assault incidents, about 34 of which applied to
the U.S. Coast Guard, and most remained in force as of March 2022. See
GAO, Sexual Assault: DOD and Coast Guard Should Ensure Laws Are
Implemented to Improve Oversight of Key Prevention and Response
Efforts, GAO-22-103973 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 28, 2022).
\11\ Anti-Harassment & Hate Incident complaints can be based on a
single event of harassment or hate. The goal of the complaint process
is to stop the behavior before it becomes severe or pervasive and to
improve overall workplace climate. Coast Guard complaint processes are
outlined in the U.S. Coast Guard Civil Rights Manual.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
My statement today focuses on the Coast Guard's recent efforts to
address sexual assault and harassment in the service. We analyzed Coast
Guard documentation of efforts to prevent sexual assault and harassment
in the service since June 2023--when the media first reported on
Operation Fouled Anchor and the Coast Guard began taking actions to
respond.\12\ In addition, we interviewed Coast Guard officials
responsible for overseeing implementation of these efforts. We compared
Coast Guard efforts to the Commandant instruction on internal controls,
as well as federal internal control standards for performing monitoring
activities.\13\ We also considered selected GAO and Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) leading practices concerning evidence-based
policymaking and evaluation planning.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ Coast Guard, Accountability and Transparency Review Team
Report (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 2023) and Coast Guard, Commandant's
Directed Actions--Accountability and Transparency, Memorandum of 27 Nov
2023.
\13\ Coast Guard Commandant Instruction 5200.10A (Nov. 2022). GAO,
Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, GAO-14-704G
(Washington, D.C.: Sept. 10, 2014).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We also reviewed our prior work since 2014 on DOD and the Coast
Guard's efforts to prevent sexual assault and harassment and the extent
to which the military services incorporated internal controls into
those efforts.\14\ For these eight reports, we reviewed laws and DOD
and Coast Guard documents and interviewed agency officials. Detailed
information on the objectives, scope, and methodology for our work can
be found in the issued reports listed in Related GAO Products at the
conclusion of this statement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\14\ We chose 2014 because it aligns with the most recent update of
Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We made 81 recommendations to DOD and the Coast Guard in these
reports, including that DOD and the Coast Guard establish mechanisms to
track and to document that relevant sexual assault laws are
implemented.\15\ DOD and the Coast Guard generally concurred with the
recommendations. As of February 2024, DOD and the Coast Guard had taken
actions to fully implement 22 of these 81 recommendations, and 59
remain unaddressed. We continue to monitor the agencies' progress in
implementing them.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\15\ Of the 81 recommendations across the eight GAO reports, 77
were to DOD and four were to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has fully
addressed one of the four recommendations. Specifically, the Coast
Guard addressed our recommendation in GAO-22-103973 that it establish
an oversight structure to consistently track the implementation of
ongoing and future statutory requirements related to sexual assault
prevention and response. Coast Guard officials told us that they are
working to address our recommendations pertaining to policies on
allowing victims to transfer units, training, and publishing required
quarterly reports. On February 29, 2024, the Coast Guard provided us
with updates on its efforts to address these recommendations, which we
are reviewing. We continue to monitor their implementation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The work upon which this statement is based was performed in
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that
the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and
conclusions based on our audit objectives.
Coast Guard Has Not Established a Plan To Evaluate Recent Efforts To
Address Sexual Assault and Harassment
The Coast Guard has taken action to address sexual assault and
harassment, but the service has not developed a plan to assess its
efforts. After media reporting on Operation Fouled Anchor in June
2023,\16\ the Commandant directed a 90-day Accountability and
Transparency Review of current law, policy processes, practices,
resources, and service culture relevant to countering sexual assault
and harassment in the Coast Guard. The resulting report identified
areas for Coast Guard-wide organizational improvement to ensure a
culture of accountability and transparency.\17\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\16\ B. Ellis, M. Hicken, and A. Ash, ``Criminal investigation into
Coast Guard Academy revealed years of sexual assault cover-ups, but
finding were kept secret,'' CNN Politics (June 30, 2023).
\17\ Coast Guard, Accountability and Transparency Review Team
Report (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 2023).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to a November 2023 memorandum from the Commandant, the
Accountability and Transparency Review report made clear that change is
necessary.\18\ To address the issues identified in the report, the
Commandant directed implementation of 33 initial actions across six
categories. These actions included specific timeframes to help ensure
service members have an experience aligned with the Coast Guard's core
values and that is free from assault, harassment, and other negative
interactions. The six categories include `workforce training, culture,
and professional development,' `Coast Guard Academy,' and `information,
data, and transparency.' \19\ Each category is supported by a number of
actions. For example, under the category Workforce Training, Culture,
and Professional Development, there are eight related actions. These
include holding a senior executive summit and developing new in-person
and online training courses. Appendix I provides additional information
on the Commandant's directed actions in support of the accountability
and transparency review.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\18\ Coast Guard, Commandant's Directed Actions--Accountability and
Transparency, Memo of 27 Nov 2023.
\19\ The remaining three categories are: integrated primary
prevention program; core values; and accountability.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In December 2023, the Coast Guard began implementing the 33 initial
actions as directed by the Commandant, an important first step. As
shown in figure 1, the Coast Guard's planned timelines for the actions
range from December 2023 (to, for example, conduct a senior leadership
engagement conference) to October 2024 (to, for example, develop a plan
to provide in-person sexual assault prevention training by 2025). Each
action has a deadline with identified results, such as convene a summit
or brief the Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard. Of the 33 initial
actions, the expected results of 29 actions are briefings to the Vice
Commandant of the Coast Guard (see appendix I for more details).
According to Coast Guard officials, they plan to take subsequent
actions after these briefings, as appropriate.

Figure 1: Number of Coast Guard Planned Actions Each Month to Respond
to Sexual Assault and Harassment and Selected Examples

\a\ The characterization of service is the process to determine the
type of discharge and characterization of service a service member
receives when separating from the Coast Guard. There are three types of
discharge and characterization of service: (1) an honorable discharge
(characterization of service as honorable), (2) a general discharge
(characterization of service as under honorable conditions), or (3) a
discharge under other than honorable conditions (characterization of
service as under other than honorable conditions).

As of February 2024, the Coast Guard had completed five actions,
according to Coast Guard officials. For example, in December 2023, the
Coast Guard administered a service-wide survey on unit climate,
harassment and discrimination, diversity and inclusion, and other
aspects of organizational climate, according to Coast Guard officials.
These officials also stated that the service held a senior executive
Accountability and Transparency Report leadership summit in February
2024.
Swift implementation of defined actions is important, but it must
be balanced with effective controls for ensuring the anticipated
improvements to the culture of accountability and transparency are
achieved. The Coast Guard has not developed a performance plan to
assess the results of its 33 actions in response to the Accountability
and Transparency Report, even though it has already implemented certain
actions. The Commandant-directed actions include administering a Coast
Guard-wide climate survey, as discussed above, and analyzing the
results of the survey. However, the Commandant memorandum directing the
actions did not include any direction to develop a plan to assess the
results to ensure the actions are helping to meet the Coast Guard's
goals. Coast Guard officials stated that they are partnering with DOD
to understand unit, regional, and service-wide issues, concerns, and
trends but have not yet determined how they will evaluate the
effectiveness of efforts to improve service members' experiences.
According to the Coast Guard's Commandant instruction on internal
controls, plans are to be developed to assess control performance and
evaluate results in the planning stage.\20\ In addition, federal
internal control standards highlight the importance of developing plans
to monitor the performance of agencies' actions and evaluating the
results.\21\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\20\ Coast Guard Commandant Instruction 5200.10A: Management's
Responsibility for Internal Controls and Reporting Requirements (Nov.
2022).
\21\ GAO-14-704G.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further, according to leading practices concerning evidence-based
policymaking and program evaluation planning, agencies should establish
evaluation plans.\22\ These same leading practices state that an
evaluation or program evaluation is an assessment using systematic data
collection and analysis of one or more programs, policies, and
organizations intended to assess their effectiveness and efficiency. In
addition, GAO leading practices concerning program evaluations define
effectiveness as the extent to which a program or intervention is
achieving its intended goals, as determined by a program
evaluation.\23\ Leading practices concerning evidence-based
policymaking and program evaluation planning also highlight that there
are different types of evaluations.\24\ For example, an OMB memorandum
related to program evaluation planning states that outcome evaluations
are best suited for helping an agency understand the extent to which a
program, policy, or organization has achieved its intended outcome(s)
and focuses on outputs and outcomes to assess effectiveness.\25\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\22\ GAO, Program Evaluation: Key Terms and Concepts, GAO-21-404SP
(Washington, D.C.: Mar. 22, 2021); OMB Memorandum No. M-19-23, Phase 1
Implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act
of 2018: Learning Agendas, Personnel, and Planning Guidance (July 10,
2019); and OMB Memorandum No. M-20-12, Phase 4 Implementation of the
Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018: Program
Evaluation Standards and Practices (Mar. 10, 2020). OMB Memorandum No.
M-19-23 instructs federal agencies on how to implement the Foundations
for Evidence-Based Policy Making Act of 2018. Pub. L. No. 115-435
(2019), 132 Stat. 5529, which mandated that federal agencies create
certain plans and other products on a recurring basis, including
evaluation plans. While not necessarily controlling for evaluation
plans like the one under discussion here, the memorandum includes best
practices for agencies to follow when practicing evidence-based
policymaking.
\23\ GAO-21-404SP.
\24\ GAO-21-404SP; and OMB Memorandum No. M-20-12 (Mar. 10, 2020).
\25\ OMB Memorandum No. M-20-12 (Mar. 10, 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to GAO leading practices, program evaluation and
performance measurement are distinct but complementary. Performance
measurement can tell an agency how a program is performing.\26\ It
concerns the ongoing monitoring and reporting of a program's (or
strategy's) accomplishments and progress toward preestablished
goals.\27\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\26\ GAO-21-404SP.
\27\ GAO-21-404SP; and OMB Memorandum No. M-19-23 (July 10, 2019).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coast Guard officials stated that they have had discussions about
evaluating the results of the 33 actions but have not developed plans
or mechanisms to do so. The officials explained that measuring culture
change is difficult. However, these officials identified certain
resources, such as regular employee surveys, that could prove useful in
this effort.
Coast Guard officials also told us that they have begun
conversations with relevant stakeholders, including experts in DOD, on
how to better utilize survey information to measure the effectiveness
of actions taken to improve the Coast Guard's culture of accountability
and transparency. However, according to these officials, it is not
clear if or when the Coast Guard will develop an evaluation plan and
mechanisms for using survey information to assess the effectiveness of
its actions.
Evaluating progress is also important for recruitment and
retention. Media reports and Congress have raised concerns that the
conclusions of Operation Fouled Anchor could negatively affect
recruitment.\28\ In fiscal year 2023, the Coast Guard had a shortfall
of 3,500 service members and had missed recruiting goals in recent
years. I testified before this committee in May 2023 that the service's
recruitment and retention challenges persist.\29\ Further, Coast Guard
participants in a 2019 RAND study raised sexual assault and harassment
as concerns that influence retention of female service members.\30\
Given the challenges the Coast Guard faces with recruitment and
retention and fully staffing its workforce, it is incumbent upon the
service to not only establish actions, but to ensure they are effective
by assessing progress toward its goal to improve transparency and
accountability.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\28\ See, for example, The Maritime Executive, Combatting Sexual
Assault in the Coast Guard: A Decade of Reflection (Feb. 4, 2024).
\29\ GAO-23-106750.
\30\ K. Hall, K. Keller, D. Schulker, S. Weilant, K. Kidder, N.
Lim, Improving Gender Diversity in the U.S. Coast Guard: Identifying
Barriers to Female Retention, (Mar. 29, 2019). Homeland Security
Operational Analysis Center operated by the RAND Corporation, https://
www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2770.html.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We acknowledge that measuring the effectiveness of actions taken to
improve Coast Guard culture may be difficult. However, developing an
evaluation plan and mechanisms for assessing the effectiveness of
actions taken to improve its culture of accountability and transparency
would better ensure that Coast Guard leadership has the information it
needs to evaluate whether these actions are helping service members
have an experience aligned with the Coast Guard's core values and which
is free from assault, harassment, and other harmful behaviors. Further,
taking these steps would help ensure the service is improving its
culture, which could assist in the recruitment and retention of its
workforce.
More broadly, concerns about the military services' implementation
of effective controls to prevent and respond to sexual assault and
harassment is long standing. Our reports since 2014 have identified DOD
and Coast Guard internal controls deficiencies in this area (see figure
2).\31\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\31\ See, for example GAO-22-103973. See Related GAO Products,
which references our prior work, at the conclusion of this statement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Figure 2: Internal Control Principles and Deficiencies Identified in
GAO Reports since 2014 on Department of Defense and Coast Guard Efforts
to Prevent and Respond to Sexual Assault and Harassment

Note: The reports we assessed were GAO-23-105381, GAO-22-104673, GAO-
22-103973, GAO-21-113, GAO-19-109, GAO-18-33, GAO-17-217, and GAO-15-
284.

As shown in figure 2 above, assessing the effectiveness of sexual
assault and harassment prevention and response efforts, which pertains
to ``monitoring'' internal controls, has been a long standing
deficiency across military services. For example:
In August 2008, we found that DOD and the Coast Guard had
not developed an oversight framework for their sexual assault
prevention and response programs that included clear objectives,
milestones, performance measures, and criteria for measuring
progress.\32\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\32\ We recommended that the DOD and the Coast Guard develop an
oversight framework for their sexual assault prevention and response
programs. While the Coast Guard developed such a framework, DOD did
not. See GAO, Military Personnel: DOD's and the Coast Guard's Sexual
Assault Prevention and Response Programs Face Implementation and
Oversight Challenges, GAO-08-924 (Washington, D.C.: Aug. 29, 2008).

In March 2022, we found that DOD did not fully implement
statutory requirements that directed DOD to assess the effectiveness of
its sexual assault prevention and response programs, as it did not
establish and implement an evaluation plan and standards for conducting
evaluations.\33\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\33\ We recommended that DOD establish an evaluation plan. As of
May 2023, the department stated this recommendation has a future
estimated date of completion but did not provide the estimated date.
See GAO-22-103973.

In May 2022, we found that the Army had not developed and
implemented a continuous evaluation plan to systematically evaluate the
effectiveness of its Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention
program.\34\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\34\ We recommended that the Army develop and implement a
continuous evaluation plan. See GAO, Sexual Harassment and Assault: The
Army Should Take Steps to Enhance Program Oversight, Evaluate
Effectiveness, and Identify Reporting Barriers, GAO-22-104673
(Washington, D.C.: May 27, 2022). As of January 2024, the Army
continues its work to develop metrics related to sexual harassment and
sexual assault as part of readiness tracking and reporting. They plan
to implement this by 2028.

Federal internal control standards call for entities to continually
seek ways to improve accountability in achieving their mission.\35\ In
addition, as discussed above, developing an evaluation plan is key to
accomplishing desired goals. As such, it is important that the Coast
Guard develop an evaluation plan and mechanisms for assessing the
results of its 33 initial accountability and transparency actions
directed by the Commandant.\36\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\35\ GAO-14-704G.
\36\ Coast Guard Commandant Instruction 5200.10A: Management's
Responsibility for Internal Controls and Reporting Requirements (Nov.
2022).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusions
The Coast Guard's core values are honor, respect, and devotion to
duty. However, there has been a disconnect between the workplace
experience these values espouse and the service's long-standing
challenges preventing and responding to sexual assault and harassment.
Following media reports on Operation Fouled Anchor, the Coast Guard
began implementing 33 initial actions to improve accountability and
transparency in an effort to better prevent and respond to sexual
assault and harassment. However, the service has not developed a plan
to evaluate its efforts because measuring culture change is difficult,
according to Coast Guard officials. But these officials identified
certain resources, such as regularly administered employee surveys and
DOD officials, that could prove useful in this effort. Developing an
evaluation plan and mechanisms for assessing the effectiveness of
actions taken to improve its culture of accountability and transparency
would better ensure that Coast Guard management has the information it
needs to evaluate whether its actions are helping to ensure service
members have an experience aligned with the Coast Guard's core values
and free from assault, harassment and other harmful behaviors and may
assist in recruitment and retention efforts.
Recommendation for Executive Action
The Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard should develop an evaluation
plan with mechanisms for assessing the effectiveness of actions taken
to help ensure service members have an experience aligned with Coast
Guard's core values and free from sexual assault and harassment.
(Recommendation 1)
Agency Comments
We requested comments on the contents of this statement, including
our recommendation, from DHS. DHS provided technical comments, which we
incorporated as appropriate.
Chairman Webster, Ranking Member Carbajal, and Members of the
Subcommittee, this completes my prepared statement. I would be pleased
to respond to any questions that you may have at this time.
Appendix I: Coast Guard Commandant's Directed Actions in Support of the
Accountability and Transparency Review
The issue of sexual assault and harassment in the Coast Guard is
not new, according to the Coast Guard.\1\ In a series of investigations
called ``Operation Fouled Anchor,'' the Coast Guard Investigative
Service reported examining 102 separate allegations of sexual assault
that occurred between 1990 and 2006 at the Coast Guard Academy,
according to a 2020 Coast Guard report.\2\ The investigations' final
report concluded that the academy often mishandled these cases and
failed to take sufficient action to ensure a safe environment and
instill a culture intolerant of any form of sexual misconduct. In 2015,
the Coast Guard conducted a gap analysis comparing the current and
optimal state of Coast Guard culture and identified 41 gaps. At least
28 of these 41 gaps pertained to efforts to prevent or response to
sexual assault and harassment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Coast Guard, Accountability and Transparency Review Team
Report, (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 2023).
\2\ Coast Guard, ``Fouled Anchor'' Investigation--Final Report,
(Jan. 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
After media reporting on Operation Fouled Anchor in June 2023, the
Commandant directed a 90-day Accountability and Transparency Review of
policy processes, practices, and service culture relevant to countering
sexual assault and harassment in the Coast Guard. The report from this
effort focused on Coast Guard-wide actions and incorporated feedback
from listening sessions held across the service along with anonymous
comments submitted to the Accountability and Transparency Review team
providing suggestions and recommendations. In November 2023, the
Commandant of the Coast Guard issued a memorandum directing the
implementation of 33 actions to address the issues identified in the
Accountability and Transparency Review Team Report. The directed
actions were divided into six categories: (1) workforce training,
culture, and professional development; (2) Integrated Primary
Prevention Program; (3) core values; (4) accountability; (5) Coast
Guard Academy; and (6) information, data, and transparency.

Workforce Training, Culture, and Professional Development Directed
Actions
The workforce, training, culture, and professional development
directed actions are intended to provide tailored training to personnel
to better act on the Coast Guard's core values, understand
organizational expectations, and cultivate a positive workplace
climate. Table 1 describes the eight directed actions for this
category.

Table 1: Workforce Training, Culture, and Professional Development Directed Actions, Results, and Due Dates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Action Action description Result of action Due date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senior Executive summit.............. Convene a Senior Convene Summit......... February 2024.
Executive summit to
review critical
actions and hold in-
person bystander
intervention training.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preparatory course for new recruits.. Establish a Coast Guard Briefing to Vice March 1, 2024.
enlisted service Commandant of the
preparatory course to Coast Guard.
immediately follow new
recruit training and
serve as a
continuation of
acculturation and
acclimation while
providing fundamental
followership/
leadership training.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Workforce in-person training modules. Develop tailored Briefing to Vice July 1, 2024.
training modules on Commandant of the
Coast Guard core Coast Guard.
values, Sexual Assault
Prevention Response
and Recovery (SAPRR),
leadership
expectations,
bystander intervention
training, and
workplace climate.
These modules should
be incorporated into
existing Coast Guard
leadership courses.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Develop more effective career Identify and develop Briefing to Vice August 1, 2024.
leadership courses. phased options, Commandant of the
including resources Coast Guard.
needed, to provide
Coast Guard members
with additional
leadership courses
across their careers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senior leader engagement............. Incorporate a robust Briefing to Vice December 31, 2023.
leadership discussion, Commandant of the
including case studies Coast Guard.
surrounding leadership/
climate, into all
2024 Commanding
Officer conferences.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bystander intervention training...... Develop a plan to Briefing to Vice October 1, 2024.
expand in-person Commandant of the
bystander intervention Coast Guard.
training for all Coast
Guard personnel
beginning in calendar
year 2025.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In-person SAPRR training............. Develop a plan to Briefing to Vice October 1, 2024.
provide in-person Commandant of the
SAPRR training to all Coast Guard.
Coast Guard personnel
beginning in calendar
year 2025.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Online mandated training............. Separate SAPRR training Implementation of December 1, 2023.
from Resiliency Action.
Training to
reestablish a stand-
alone SAPRR module in
the Coast Guard's
online Mandated
Training.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: GAO analysis of Coast Guard documentation. GAO-24-107388

Integrated Primary Prevention Program
The Integrated Primary Prevention Program directed actions are
intended to create a Coast Guard Integrated Primary Prevention Program
modeled after the Department of Defense program.\3\ The directed
actions memo states that scaled implementation should begin
immediately. Table 2 describes the four directed actions for this
category.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Integrated Primary Prevention is a holistic approach for
primary prevention of self-directed harm and prohibited abusive or
harmful acts. See DOD Instruction 6400.11, DOD Integrated Primary
Prevention Policy for Prevention Workforce and Leaders (Washington,
D.C.: Dec. 20, 2022).

Table 2: Integrated Primary Prevention Program Directed Actions, Results, and Due Dates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Action Action description Result of action Due date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Workforce Resiliency Organizational Examine Coast Guard Briefing to Vice March 1, 2024.
Structure. Headquarters program Commandant of the
offices for Coast Guard.
opportunities to
modernize
organization, ensure
continuity, and
optimally align
capabilities.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Victim Recovery...................... Identify and evaluate Briefing to Vice May 1, 2024.
options to improve Commandant of the
coordination and Coast Guard.
continuity of care for
victims of sexual
assault.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Victim Mentor........................ Utilizing the existing Briefing to Vice September 1, 2024.
Coast Guard Mentorship Commandant of the
program, develop a Coast Guard.
process by which
victims of sexual
assault and harassment
can request to be
paired with a mentor
who has demonstrated
requisite knowledge of
Coast Guard Sexual
Assault Prevention,
Response, and Recovery
(SAPRR) policies and
procedures, and who
can advise on
available resources
for recovery,
continued service, etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAPRR Strategic Plan................. Publish an updated Published updated SAPRR December 31, 2023.
SAPRR Strategic Plan. Strategic Plan.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: GAO analysis of Coast Guard documentation. GAO-24-107388

Core Values
The core values directed actions are intended to reemphasize the
Coast Guard's core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty and
better incorporate them into enterprise communications, training,
command philosophy statements, and officer and enlisted evaluations.
Table 3 describes the four directed actions for this category.

Table 3: Core Values Directed Actions, Results, and Due Dates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Action Action description Result of action Due date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Core values.......................... Expand the core values Briefing to Vice January 31, 2024.
definitions so they Commandant of the
are clear and less Coast Guard.
likely to be subject
to individual
interpretation. Set up
a process to ensure
that all workforce
messaging reinforces
the service's core
values.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enlisted performance qualifications.. Review and update Briefing to Vice February 15, 2024.
enlisted service Commandant of the
member performance Coast Guard.
qualifications to
include more robust
discussion/training on
core values.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officer evaluation system............ Update the officer Briefing to Vice July 15, 2024.
evaluation system to Commandant of the
better emphasize core Coast Guard.
values.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enlisted evaluation system........... Update the enlisted Briefing to Vice July 15, 2024.
evaluation system to Commandant of the
better emphasize core Coast Guard.
values.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: GAO analysis of Coast Guard documentation. GAO-24-107388

Accountability Directed Actions
The accountability directed actions are intended to develop
policies and proposals to improve accountability within the Coast
Guard. The memo notes that the accountability directed actions will not
address historical cases. Table 4 describes the five directed actions
in this category.

Table 4: Accountability Directed Actions, Results, and Due Dates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Action Action description Result of action Due date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Highest grade held................... Examine whether policy Briefing to Vice March 1, 2024.
should be updated to Commandant of the
more effectively Coast Guard.
implement the
authority found in 14
U.S. Code Sec. 2501,
grade on retirement.
Review should
specifically address
whether the criteria
is clear for
determining
unsatisfactory
performance,
addressing misconduct
in a lower grade, and
reopening
determinations for
retired officers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Characterization of service.......... Review policy and Briefing to Vice March 1, 2024.
procedures to ensure Commandant of the
that substantiated Coast Guard.
cases of sexual
assault and harassment
are appropriately
taken into account
when determining
characterization of
service upon discharge
for both officers and
enlisted members.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enhancing rights of crime victims.... Develop policy to Briefing to Vice March 1, 2024.
implement a ``Safe-to- Commandant of the
Report'' framework Coast Guard.
that addresses certain
minor misconduct if
that misconduct is
collateral to a sexual
assault.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enhancing rights of crime victims.... Develop policy to allow Briefing to Vice March 1, 2024.
a victim of sexual Commandant of the
assault the right to Coast Guard.
be present and the
right to be heard at
an administrative
separation proceeding
where conduct related
to the sexual assault
is a basis for
separation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Addressing improper conduct.......... Clarify in policy the Briefing to Vice March 1, 2024.
obligation of Commandant of the
commanders to take Coast Guard.
action to address
improper conduct that
falls short of our
core values even if it
fails to establish the
elements of sexual
harassment, sexual
assault, or other
violations of the
Uniform Code of
Military Justice and
clarify tools
available to the
commander to do so.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: GAO analysis of Coast Guard documentation. GAO-24-107388

Coast Guard Academy Directed Actions
The Coast Guard Academy directed actions are intended to improve
accountability at the Coast Guard Academy. Table 5 describes the seven
directed actions in this category.

Table 5: Coast Guard Academy Directed Actions, Results, and Due Dates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Action Action description Result of action Due date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Academy reporting structure.......... Make the Coast Guard Briefing to Vice December 31, 2023.
Academy Superintendent Commandant of the
a direct report to the Coast Guard.
Vice Commandant.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Academy Board of Visitors and Board Examine roles, Briefing to Vice March 31, 2024.
of Trustees. responsibilities, and Commandant of the
membership of the Coast Guard.
Board of Visitors and
Board of Trustees to
invigorate diverse
oversight of the Coast
Guard Academy.
Recommend improvements
and associated
resources to
strengthen and enhance
the Board of Trustees,
including changes to
oversight, advisory
functions, and
authorities.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cadet swab summer.................... Improve the cadet Briefing to Vice March 1, 2024.
summer training Commandant of the
program and increase Coast Guard.
the supervision of
cadet leadership.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cadet oversight...................... Increase oversight of Briefing to Vice March 1, 2024.
the corps of cadets Commandant of the
and identify the Coast Guard.
resources required for
these improvements.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cadet conduct system................. Revise the cadet Briefing to Vice May 1, 2024.
conduct system for Commandant of the
implementation in the Coast Guard.
2024-2025 academic
year, including
improving overall
transparency and
transparency regarding
retention criteria.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Victim support....................... Explore courses of Briefing to Vice July 1, 2024.
action to provide Commandant of the
expedited transfer Coast Guard.
options to allow a
cadet victim access to
the officer ranks.
Identify any potential
gaps in existing
authorities to inform
future legislative
efforts.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Physical security in Chase Hall...... Immediately explore Briefing to Vice January 1, 2024.
options to enhance Commandant of the
physical security Coast Guard.
throughout Chase Hall
including, but not
limited to, upgrading
locks on cadet
barracks rooms.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: GAO analysis of Coast Guard documentation. GAO-24-107388

Information, Data, and Transparency Directed Actions
The information, data, and transparency directed actions are
intended to improve and centralize information available to personnel:
identify options to improve human resources data collection; and
complete service-wide command climate surveys to improve accountability
and transparency. Table 6 describes the five directed actions in this
category.

Table 6: Information, Data, and Transparency Directed Actions, Results, and Due Dates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Action Action description Result of action Due date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coast Guard-wide climate survey...... Coast Guard units, Deputy Commandant of December 15, 2023.
directorates, and Mission Support
offices with at least release to all Coast
16 members must Guard with amplifying
complete a Defense information.
Organizational Climate
Survey (DEOCS) by
January 31, 2024.
Units that initiated a
DEOCS after August 1,
2023 and completed or
expect to complete the
survey before January
31, 2024, do not need
to initiate a new
survey.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Survey analysis and trend development Explore the use of Briefing to Vice June 1, 2024.
surveys (including Commandant of the
DEOCS) and Coast Guard.
environmental and
location data to
develop climate trend
indicators. Recommend
resources and
processes for commands
to receive assistance
in interpreting and
addressing climate.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Direct access........................ Identify immediate Briefing to Vice January 31, 2024.
investments to improve Commandant of the
the functionality of Coast Guard.
Direct Access--a key
component in the Coast
Guard's personnel and
pay system--to enhance
accountability and
transparency across
the enterprise,
particularly with
regards to personnel
analytics and force
management.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Command transparency toolkit......... Create a tool kit to Briefing to Vice March 1, 2024.
guide commands in how Commandant of the
and when to talk about Coast Guard.
SAPRR/climate
incidents with members
of their command.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Resources hub........................ Develop a Resources Hub Briefing to Vice August 1, 2024.
for the entire Commandant of the
workforce to have Coast Guard.
ready access to
information regarding
awareness, prevention,
accountability, victim
support, and recovery.
The Resources Hub
should also include
resiliency resources.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: GAO analysis of Coast Guard documentation. GAO-24-107388

Related GAO Products
Unwanted Sexual Behavior: Improved Guidance, Access to Care, and
Training Needed to Better Address Victims' Behavioral Health Needs,
GAO-23-105381 (Washington, D.C.: Aug. 2, 2023)

Sexual Harassment and Assault: The Army Should Take Steps to Enhance
Program Oversight, Evaluate Effectiveness, and Identify Reporting
Barriers, GAO-22-104673 (Washington, D.C.: May 27, 2022).

Sexual Assault: DOD and Coast Guard Should Ensure Laws Are Implemented
to Improve Oversight of Key Prevention and Response Efforts, GAO-22-
103973 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 28, 2022).

Sexual Harassment and Assault: Guidance Needed to Ensure Consistent
Tracking, Response, and Training for DOD Civilians, GAO-21-113
(Washington, D.C.: Feb. 09, 2021).

National Guard: Office of Complex Investigations Should Update Policies
to Require Additional Documentation for Sexual Assault Cases, GAO-19-
109 (Washington, D.C.: Dec. 12, 2018).

Sexual Violence: Actions Needed to Improve DOD's Efforts to Address the
Continuum of Unwanted Sexual Behaviors, GAO-18-33 (Washington, D.C.:
Dec. 18, 2017).

Sexual Assault: Better Resource Management Needed to Improve Prevention
and Response in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve, GAO-17-217
(Washington, D.C.: Feb. 27, 2017).

Military Personnel: Actions Needed to Address Sexual Assaults of Male
Servicemembers, GAO-15-284 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 19, 2015).

Military Personnel: DOD's and the Coast Guard's Sexual Assault
Prevention and Response Programs Face Implementation and Oversight
Challenges, GAO-08-924 (Washington, D.C.: Aug. 29, 2008).

Mr. Webster of Florida. Thank you so much for your
presentation, both of you. And so, it's time for questions. I
recognize myself for 5 minutes to start off the questions. And
Vice Admiral Thomas, I will begin with you.
First of all, have you ever considered or are you
considering being like the rest of the military's service
schools in that they require a congressional appointment in
order to be admitted into the Academy?
Admiral Thomas. Thank you for the question, Congressman.
That is a topic that comes up periodically. We have looked at
it. The fact of the matter is that our class size is so small
that we couldn't have a nominee from every Congressman and
Senator. But also, what we found is the most diverse academy in
our Nation is the one that doesn't have congressional
appointments. That is the Coast Guard Academy. And so, that
issue has been studied several times, and we feel like we have
got the right mix right now.
Mr. Webster of Florida. So, I introduced, along with
Ranking Member Carbajal, Chairman Graves, and ranking member of
the full committee, Mr. Larsen, a bill called the Coast Guard
Accountability and Transparency Act. And I don't know if you
are familiar with that yet, but having their support and the
support of, I guess they call it the Big Four, would be part--
just to--how to implement the Commandant's Directed Actions and
require metrics to track that effectiveness.
As has been said before, to date, 5 of the 33 actions have
been completed. What is the timeline to complete the rest of
these actions, and how will you measure the effectiveness of
those actions?
Admiral Thomas. Thank you, Congressman. I am familiar with
the bill. We appreciate the committee's work on that bill and
the opportunity to help contribute to it.
So, the 33 Directed Actions are really just the beginning.
Five of those are complete. About nine will be complete in a
matter of weeks. Fourteen are going to take about 6 months to 1
year, and then the remaining five would require a lot of
investment, so, they will take longer.
The bill that you mentioned requires us to report back to
this committee on the progress on the Directed Actions. We
welcome that and look forward to it.
The bill does a number of other things that we have asked
for, as well, and so, we appreciate that, particularly with
regard to transfer of cadets who are victims and
professionalization of our prosecutors.
Mr. Webster of Florida. So, Vice Admiral, the
infrastructure at Cape May and the Academy is literally
crumbling. And what impact, if any, does the dated barracks
facilities at the Academy on which the Coast Guard's ability to
attract applicants--does it make it harder to attract
applicants?
Admiral Thomas. I am sorry, sir, I couldn't hear you.
Mr. Webster of Florida. I am sorry. The infrastructure at
the Academy, because it is dilapidated in some cases, does that
hinder your attraction of new----
Admiral Thomas [interrupting]. Absolutely. We need to
modernize both our Coast Guard Academy and our boot camp. We
want to continue to attract the best and brightest, and when
people come to visit the Academy, particularly compared to West
Point and Annapolis, our facilities don't match up. So, we
definitely need to invest there.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Ms. MacLeod, why is it important to
develop a performance plan to assess the Coast Guard's actions
in response to Operation Fouled Anchor?
And what are some of the ways the Coast Guard can
effectively measure the effectiveness of the Commandant's
Directed Actions?
Ms. MacLeod. Yes. I mean, it's really important to have the
actions, and that's a great first step for the Coast Guard. But
to ensure that these actions are having the intended impact is
also an equally important step.
And I think that, through our discussions with the Coast
Guard, there are resources such as employee surveys, their
communication with experts over at DoD. There are ways to
measure the impact of these actions. Employee surveys is just
one example of a tool that could be used to do this.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Thank you very much.
My time is expired so, Mr. Carbajal, you are recognized for
5 minutes.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Admiral Thomas, since the period covered under OFA, the
Coast Guard has changed laws, policies, and procedures to
better protect its membership.
I also believe that the Directed Actions in the ATR put the
Service on the right path moving forward. Where the Coast Guard
continues to struggle, though, is trust. What are you doing to
regain the trust of servicemembers and prospective
servicemembers?
Admiral Thomas. Thank you, Congressman, and thank you for
all the visits that you make to Coast Guard units around the
Service.
We are focused on restoring trust. We have lost trust with
this committee. We have lost trust with the American public and
with our workforce. The effort that we have--and will be a
sustained effort--is different than what we have done in the
past in three important ways.
The first one is that we are focused on more than just
sexual assault and sexual harassment because most Coasties, as
you mentioned, don't engage in those activities, and so, if you
focus on that, they check out. But we have to focus on our core
value of respect, and respect across the full spectrum of
behavior. So, we are focusing on behaviors to the left of
sexual assault.
The second way that it's different is, we can't do this
from top down like we have tried before. Our culture needs to
be owned by our most junior people, and we will get after it
through the mess deck.
And then the third way, which you have mentioned as well,
is we need to invest, and we are working with this committee.
We will invest in the workforce that will help us not only get
after the full spectrum of harmful behaviors, but restore trust
with our workforce.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you. Not to be redundant, but building
on that, Admiral Thomas, the Coast Guard is under immense
pressure across all missions. Culture change in any
organization can take a very long time, and it's oftentimes
very difficult. While Admiral Fagan has made sexual assault,
sexual harassment, and the culture change a priority, what
systems are in place or have been put in place to ensure that
the effort continues beyond her leadership for the institution?
Admiral Thomas. Yes, sir. So, as I said, the question that
we are asking ourselves and senior leadership is, how do we
make this time different? And the way we are going to do that
is focusing on behaviors that we know are harmful on the
spectrum that lead to sexual assault and sexual--that we call
gateway behaviors. We are going to do that, we are going to
build a workforce with investment and the help of this
committee that focuses on those things. And then we are going
to make sure that we initiate this effort not top-down, but
bottom-up. And that is how we will sustain it.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you. I was hoping for more specifics,
so, I will let you submit more information to me later on about
those specifics, because it's about those specific systems
changes and systems procedures that I think, at the end of the
day, will yield the result that we are hoping to achieve.
Heather, Ms. MacLeod, the ATR includes a comprehensive list
of Directed Actions. How important is tracking implementation,
and how could the Coast Guard measure culture change other than
surveys?
Ms. MacLeod. It is critical to track the actions. Without
that, it's just basically a checklist, right? They can measure
this not only through surveys, as I previously mentioned, but
by analyzing the data that they already collect.
In our previous studies, we found that Coast Guard collects
a range of data points and information that could be really
helpful to understanding how widespread these actions are and
the effect of the potential new actions.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you. I never thought my graduate
studies would help me as much as it has when it comes to
organizational culture change, which was the subject of my
studies. But that couldn't be more front and center as it
relates to this specific issue and this specific subject.
So, I appreciate your testimony, and I do want to encourage
real, tangible actions that can be quantifiable, that can get
us the result that I think we are all seeking for. Thank you
very much.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Mr. Babin, you are recognized for 5
minutes.
Dr. Babin. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to
thank our witnesses, as well, Vice Admiral Thomas and Ms.
MacLeod.
Thank you for being here.
Admiral Thomas, my questions today will be for you.
Operation Fouled Anchor made it very clear that the Coast Guard
needs to be doing much more to protect its own folks after 102
allegations of sexual harassment, including--I think rape was
in there, as well.
Recently, I was informed that the Coast Guard Academy has
approved a biological male's requested transition to being a
transgender female student. This individual believes that they
are a woman, and the Coast Guard has decided that this young
man should be able to use the ladies berthing, bathroom, and
shower facilities. Admiral Thomas, do you believe, in the wake
of a scandal involving dozens of serious reports of sexual
misconduct and a widespread failure to protect young female
cadets at the Coast Guard Academy, that allowing a young man
with male anatomy into the female facilities at the Academy
reflects positively on the Coast Guard's efforts to protect
their young cadets?
Admiral Thomas. Congressman, thanks for the question. I am
not aware of any linkage in literature or research between
transgender members and sexual assault or harassment.
I will say that the Coast Guard follows the exact same
policies as the Department of Defense with regard to
transgender members, and that policy that applies at the
Academy applies across our Service, and that is simply that if
a member has a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria with
medically necessary gender transition----
Dr. Babin [interposing]. I hear you, I hear you.
Admiral Thomas [continuing]. We support them through that.
Dr. Babin. But I will tell you right over here in
Virginia--and that is just one episode--in a public school, we
had a rape by a transgender of a young female going into the
facilities. That student was sent to another school, where he
raped another female student. It happens. And I hope that you
don't close your eyes or your ears, and I hope the policies
will change at the Coast Guard. It should be a DoD-wide policy
to not have this kind of stuff going on in the military at all.
But we are here talking about the Coast Guard.
Recruitment is a major problem across the whole military,
but also, specifically today, in the Coast Guard. People pay
attention. The Coast Guard's policies will drive or push away
potential recruits. It's a mystery to me how we can think that
recruitment is--if we continue these woke policies, that
recruitment is going to improve. It won't. I would encourage
you to think very hard about how your policies might impact
prospective recruits.
Do you really think allowing men into the ladies restrooms
at the Academy will inspire more female recruits or, quite
frankly, allowing any transgender policies? Is this going to
improve recruitment, in your opinion?
Admiral Thomas. I don't think anything that limits the pool
of potential candidates will help us in our recruiting. And we
have a number of transgender members in the Coast Guard who are
exceptional performers and contribute to our Service and to our
Nation every single day.
Dr. Babin. Between the House legislation to improve
transparency and the Coast Guard's own new policies to prevent
another Operation Fouled Anchor, I am hopeful that the Coast
Guard will make serious strides and changes in the future.
I would ask you to take a few moments as we close to tell
the committee and the people watching at home how and what
strides and changes that you are making. And it sounds from
your conversation today like you have no intentions of changing
this. But I would like to hear it, if that is the case, though,
how it will impact recruitment numbers going forward. That's
what we are here for today to discuss.
Admiral Thomas. Yes, sir. I think the national dialogue
about service in the military is potentially harming all the
services with regard to the recruiting efforts.
Dr. Babin. What's the national dialogue?
Admiral Thomas. Well, I mean, there is a dialogue around
joining the military and getting harmed. There is a dialogue
around joining the military and being woke. And those are not
helpful to us.
Dr. Babin. If you can join the military and there are 102
allegations of sexual harassment at the Coast Guard Academy,
and you are going to have a male using female facilities, I
would think that's not going to improve your recruitment.
Admiral Thomas. Well, I absolutely agree with you, sir.
That is why we are so laser-focused on eradicating sexual
assault and sexual harassment from our Service and providing
the best support we possibly can when there are victims.

Post-Hearing Clarification of Remarks from Vice Admiral Paul F. Thomas,
Deputy Commandmant for Mission Support, U.S. Coast Guard
Admiral Thomas. As I stated earlier sir, the Coast Guard follows
DoD policy with regard to transgender members, and the policy applies
at the Academy and across our Service. If a member has a medical
diagnosis of gender dysphoria with medically necessary gender
transition, the Coast Guard will support them. Regarding your point
that the sexual harassment allegations at the Academy are not good for
recruitment, I absolutely agree with you, sir. That is why we are so
laser-focused on eradicating sexual assault and sexual harassment from
our Service and providing the best support we possibly can when there
are victims.

Dr. Babin. Without changes I don't think recruitment is
going to improve.
I will yield back.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Mr. Larsen, you are recognized for
5 minutes.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think it
should be clear there is not a relationship. There is not a
relationship between gender dysphoria, transgender people, and
sexual assault and sexual harassment. There is no evidence at
the Coast Guard of that, there is no evidence in the DoD of
that. There is just no evidence that that is the case.
We have a serious recruitment problem in the Coast Guard
for a variety of reasons, transgendered individuals who--I
think there's possibly a total of five throughout the entire
Coast Guard--is not the issue with regards to recruitment at
the Coast Guard. There are a lot of issues. One of them we are
here to talk about today.
And I would encourage all committee members to go to the
Academy and to meet with the student groups that represent the
broad diversity at the Academy to hear their views on this
issue and many other issues, and to understand that the Academy
is recruiting the finest individuals that we have here in the
United States to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard.
I would also want to be sure that we be careful about
attacking the 10,000 other transgender individuals who serve in
the Active Duty component and Selected Reserve in the U.S.
military, as well, and tying sexual harassment and sexual
assault to them without any evidence at all. They are serving
proudly. We need to support them.
But Admiral Thomas, we are here to talk about Operation
Fouled Anchor and what the Coast Guard is doing to address
that. Can the plan, this very ambitious plan the Commandant has
put forward in the Accountability and Transparency Review, can
that plan be implemented with the current funding and workforce
levels?
Admiral Thomas. No, sir. Without investing differently, we
will get the same results. And we have been focused for the
last two decades on responding to investigating sexual assaults
and supporting victims. We need to continue to do that.
We also need to focus on those precursor behaviors that we
know can eventually lead to sexual harassment and sexual
assault. That requires investment in Integrated Primary
Prevention. As you mentioned, the other services have invested.
The National Guard alone has over 800 people involved in that.
So, no, without investment we will not get a different result.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Do you have an estimate of the
minimum number of folks the U.S. Coast Guard would need to
implement this type of program?
Admiral Thomas. Preliminarily, we think it is between 50
and 80 across our Service.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Say it again.
Admiral Thomas. We think it's between 50 and 80 people
across our Service.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Fifty and eighty, sure.
What role are you asking the cadets at the Academy to play
in addressing this problem?
Admiral Thomas. Great question, sir. So, I mean, not just
the cadets at the Academy, but across our Service, we need
everyone in the Service to own our culture, and particularly to
own our culture of respect.
The Coast Guard Academy, as you mentioned, is the one place
in the Service where that is strongest. And we have groups of
cadets, Cadets Against Sexual Assault, they hold each other
accountable, and that is the activity that we need to see
across our Service. When a second-class petty officer on the
mess deck of a ship holds his peer accountable for
inappropriate behavior, we are making progress. I don't know
how to measure that, but I will know it when I see it.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Well, I would encourage you, as
well, to help those cadets hold the Academy and the Coast Guard
leadership accountable, as well, not just taking direction, but
using those skills to hold leadership accountable, as well.
Admiral Thomas. Yes, sir. And if you saw Cadet Holmstrup
testify in front of the Senate, you saw that in action.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Ms. MacLeod, the status of the 81
recommendations, I didn't quite--it wasn't quite clear to me.
Are all those recommendations for the U.S. Coast Guard and DoD,
or were there DoD recommendations and U.S. Coast Guard
recommendations?
Ms. MacLeod. Yes, that is a terrific question. So, a lot of
our work to this point at GAO on sexual assault and harassment
in the military has focused on the DoD services. So, that is
the cumulative number of recommendations. We currently have
four to the Coast Guard. The remaining are DoD, and both DoD
and the Coast Guard are actively working to close those
recommendations.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Now, I know you are trying to
come up with measurements. Does this response from the current
Coast Guard leadership feel different as you evaluate the
response to Operation Fouled Anchor, or does GAO get into the
feeling business, or do you just like strictly numbers?
Ms. MacLeod. Yes, and I think we have future work lined up
in this area that will really tell us.
I mean, I think that in other areas that we have examined
in the Coast Guard, we have seen a lot of actions and actions
to be implemented. And then, when we take a closer look at how
they are following through and evaluating whether those actions
are having an impact or are even fully implemented in a timely
way, is where we have had recommendations in other areas to the
Coast Guard.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Thank you.
I yield back, thank you.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Mr. Ezell, you are recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. Ezell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Vice Admiral Thomas and Ms. MacLeod, thank you for your
testimony today on the Coast Guard's recruitment challenges. We
cannot allow the manpower shortage to continue affecting the
Service's ability to carry out its critical missions.
Vice Admiral Thomas, we are all too familiar with the
challenges caused by this shortage, and how it's causing the
Coast Guard to wrestle with tough decisions regarding personnel
reassignments and station closures. Could you guide us through
that difficult process and how you go about prioritizing these
decisions?
Admiral Thomas. Thank you for the question.
We recently conducted what we call a Force Alignment
Initiative, and that was so that we could maintain readiness
across our Service. We looked at areas, particularly with
regard to our small boat stations, where there is redundant
cover in our search and rescue system, and we collapsed some
crews so we could fully man one station and not reduce our
coverage or our response time for search and rescue. So, that's
how we did it. We looked around the Nation. Where can we do
that and not increase risk to the public?
Mr. Ezell. Thank you. As personnel are reassigned and
stations are closed, I want to ensure that our Nation's coasts,
such as the gulf coast, are fully protected.
I recently became aware of an incident where a vessel
capsized 31 miles off the Mississippi gulf coast. Thankfully,
the Coast Guard, alongside the Civil Air Patrol, responded
quickly and managed to rescue the stranded individuals. The
incident shows the Coast Guard's ability to adapt and use
partnerships to help cover these shortfalls. Can you share any
other examples with us where you have had some partner-sharing
and accomplished your mission?
Admiral Thomas. Sure. The expertise the Coast Guard brings
to the search and rescue system, particularly in inland waters,
is the ability to coordinate searches across all available
assets.
So, just recently, we had a vessel missing off of the
coastline of Corpus Christi. We were able to employ a CBP
unmanned aerial system, and they were able to locate that
vessel for us, and we could get a boat out to help them
quickly. We do that all the time. That's how we do search and
rescue.
Mr. Ezell. Very good. Yes, when I was a sheriff in my
former life, we spent a great deal of time working with the
Coast Guard, so, I really appreciate that.
Unmanned vessels are being used more in both civil and
defense industries. A lot of this innovation is happening in my
district. How can these and similar technologies help address
some of the Coast Guard's manpower issues?
Admiral Thomas. So, we currently employ unmanned systems
off of our cutters. They are smaller UAS. We definitely need to
get into larger UAS for persistent surveillance and search
capability.
And I don't know that it helps our manning issue. If you
look at the other services, they have large crews to fly just
one unmanned system. But it certainly will help us in terms of
mission effectiveness.
Mr. Ezell. I would like to invite you down to see some of
the shipyards that are building these things in my district. I
think you would really enjoy that.
Vice Admiral, I want to ensure the Coast Guard keeps its
recruitment standards high and continues to accept only the
most qualified candidates. What steps are you taking to widen
the pool of potential recruits without lowering standards?
Admiral Thomas. Well, so, we have increased the population
from which we can recruit by changing some of the entry
barriers, but we have not decreased the standard from which you
complete boot camp, or you complete A School, or you complete
the Academy. So, we open the doors wider to come in, but it's
still the same standard to get out.
Mr. Ezell. Very good. Thank you both for your time today.
And Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Let's see, Mr. Auchincloss, you are
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Auchincloss. Thank you, Chairman.
Vice Admiral, I appreciate the testimony. You noted in your
testimony that the current 10-percent workforce shortage is one
of the most significant in the Coast Guard's history, and it's
likely to get worse in 2024. And as a result of this shortage,
personnel at Station Boston and Station Cape Cod Canal have
been prioritized elsewhere, and the seasonal Station Scituate
has been transitioned to a forward-operating location.
How is the Coast Guard reprioritizing missions to account
for the current staffing shortfall?
I know you, in some of the notes I have from correspondence
ahead of this hearing, talked about collapsing redundant search
and rescue missions. Is there now a degradation in operational
readiness on the coast of Massachusetts?
Admiral Thomas. So, the Massachusetts coast--I am from
Massachusetts, so, I watch that State carefully.
But the coast of Massachusetts is about 192 miles long and
has over a dozen Coast Guard stations. So, it is one of the
areas of our search and rescue system that has the greatest
redundancy. In the case of Scituate, we are still covering that
from the parent station in Boston and Cape Cod. We have the
same response capability that we had before from other
stations.
Mr. Auchincloss. So, help me understand, then. You have a
workforce shortage. You say that's a problem. You make changes,
but then you tell me that the changes are not affecting
operational readiness. So, why--connect those dots for me. Why
is the workforce shortage a problem then?
Admiral Thomas. So, in a place like Massachusetts, in
particular, our stations are still located where they were when
we used to row to save people. And so, now we have much more
capable assets that are faster and have longer ranges. So, we
have overlap coverage.
So, whereas before three different stations could respond
in the same amount of time to a search and rescue case, now
it's down to one because we have collapsed those crews.
Mr. Auchincloss. So, scarcity was the handmaiden of
efficiency for you.
Admiral Thomas. In some cases----
Mr. Auchincloss [interrupting]. But Vice Admiral, you are
not doing a great job, then, of pitching us on a bigger budget.
Admiral Thomas. Well, you asked the logic by which we made
the decisions on where we should shift our forces, and we
looked at where we can maintain our response standards and
still shift those forces.
Mr. Auchincloss. So, I am always happy to see efficiencies
in the provision of services and that we can get the same for
less.
So, now let's have the second conversation. What do you
need the personnel and the money for, then? Where is the
shortfall being manifested in operational degradation?
Admiral Thomas. We have shortfalls across our fleet,
particularly with regard to depot-level maintenance on our
aircraft and our cutters.
We have shortfalls with regard to, you know, no accounting
for inflation in our budgets. We have got 40 percent inflation,
for example, just on aviation parts. So, there are definitely--
--
Mr. Auchincloss [interrupting]. All right, but in plain
speak here, you are saying that the shortfall is being seen as
we are not maintaining our assets as well as we should. Is that
what you are saying?
Admiral Thomas. We are struggling to maintain our assets to
our standards.
Mr. Auchincloss. So, we are kind of taking on technical
debt, as it were. We are going to be paying more in the future
because we are maintaining our assets more poorly right now
because of the workforce shortage?
Admiral Thomas. No, sir, not because of the workforce
shortage.
You asked me where--I thought you asked me where are our
budget shortfalls. Workforce shortage will also impact our
ability to maintain our assets, and we are mitigating that. But
eventually, of course, that will become an issue, as well.
Mr. Auchincloss. OK, so, lack of money is hurting the
maintenance of assets we have. Lack of workforce is hurting
what?
Admiral Thomas. Lack of workforce is hurting our ability to
conduct the missions at the same places and levels that we have
in the past.
Mr. Auchincloss. But Vice Admiral, you just told me that we
are doing the mission fine and--at least in my home State,
because of efficiencies from an outdated operating model. So,
what States are we not doing as good of a job as we should be
because of the workforce shortage?
Admiral Thomas. One of the things that the Coast Guard does
often, many times a year, is surge to different operations. So,
we are losing our surge force. If we had to respond to a
hurricane or oilspill or a crisis on the southwest border like
we have in the past, then you would see some real problems with
regard to our ability to maintain our regular missions.
Mr. Auchincloss. OK. So, baseline operational readiness is
kind of OK, but if there were these outlier events, maybe we
don't have the same bandwidth to respond to them.
In the last 20 seconds, Ms. MacLeod, do you want to add
anything to that?
Ms. MacLeod. Yes, I think we have talked about this before
in a prior hearing, but the Coast Guard has a process to
evaluate its workforce needs----
Mr. Auchincloss [interrupting]. And they haven't done it.
Ms. MacLeod [continuing]. And is well behind in them, yes.
Mr. Auchincloss. Thank you.
Mr. Ezell [presiding]. The gentleman yields back. The Chair
now recognizes Ms. Scholten for 5 minutes.
Ms. Scholten. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I really want to thank
the witnesses for being here today. This is a critical hearing.
I proudly represent Coast Guard City, USA. We take the
safety and security of our Coast Guard members very seriously.
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their workspace, especially
those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe. They
also deserve to be taken seriously when they come forward, and
their courage must be met with actions towards bringing
perpetrators to justice.
The coverup and lack of transparency that Operation Fouled
Anchor revealed is putting a dark, dark cloud over the Coast
Guard that no one deserves. It's unacceptable. My first
question: In response to Operation Fouled Anchor, the Coast
Guard Commandant Linda Fagan--of course, as we had discussed--
chartered a 90-day Accountability and Transparency Review in
July of 2023 outlining the Coast Guard's actions moving forward
to prevent these actions from happening again.
Vice Admiral Thomas, we've got a 95-page report here. We've
got five different recommendations that we had talked about.
But I would like to hear from you in plain language, how can
people feel safe in the Coast Guard today?
Admiral Thomas. Well, Congresswoman, first, thank you. I
know your passion for our people, and I really do appreciate
that.
And I also want to acknowledge your statement about the
Coast Guard failing victims in this case. There is no question
about that. And it goes beyond the failure to disclose
Operation Fouled Anchor; it was the original mishandling of
those cases. So, we have been focused intensely on doing that
better over the last two decades, and we have a list of
resources that we have put after that.
As I mentioned, we have to restore trust with our
workforce. And we are working to do that through our culture--
in particular, our culture of respect. One of the indicators
that I look at is, what is the time between when an assault
occurs and when a report is made? And there are a lot of things
that affect that, but overall, that number is going down, which
indicates to me that trust in the system, trust that we will
investigate and we will support, is going up. But we need to
continue to work on that.
Ms. Scholten. I couldn't agree with you more that culture
change has to be at the top of the list.
I think one of the ways we change that culture is by
honoring victims when they come forward and getting justice for
them. How is the Coast Guard working to make that happen, and
how have we gotten justice for these victims?
Admiral Thomas. Yes, so, a lot of things have changed since
the Fouled Anchor days with regard to our ability to hold
people accountable: the laws have changed, the definition of
rape has changed, the statute of limitations has changed. We
are just now changing our policies so that we can change the
characterization of service for members who have been
substantiated to have sexually harassed or assaulted a person
so they cannot leave the Service with a discharge higher than
general.
And we are working to implement all of the authority that
we have for highest grade held boards, which allow us to go
back and retire someone at a lower grade because they have been
substantiated for sexual assault and sexual harassment. So, we
are strengthening our ability to hold people accountable.
More important, though, I think, is we are being more
transparent about how we hold the people accountable. And we
are talking to our workforce not in ways that violates due
process or privacy rights, but in ways that people can see the
consequences for these activities, and then understand that we
do hold people accountable.
Ms. Scholten. Operation Fouled Anchor covered a period from
1990 to 2006. Almost 20 years has passed in that time. What are
we doing now to keep track of incidents of sexual harassment
and assault that are happening?
And how can the American people know that these--we are
actually having measurable impact in lowering these instances,
and that the actions that you are taking are actually being
implemented?
Admiral Thomas. So, I mean, we track sexual assaults and
report them to Congress. And you can see trends. And I am never
really sure what to make of the numbers with regard to number
of reports, because in a given year, you might get reports from
5 years ago, 10 years ago.
I think the real key is, we do hold people accountable. And
when we do, we let the Service know what happened--not names--
and how we held them accountable.
Ms. Scholten. Thank you. My time is expiring, so, I will
yield back.
Thank you.
Mr. Ezell. The gentlelady yields back.
Mr. Van Drew, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Dr. Van Drew. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The United States Coast Guard is currently operating at
approximately a 4,800-member deficit, and it's across its
workforce. Mostly, most of them are Active Duty personnel, to
the best of my knowledge.
Why do you think this is the case? It isn't for the lack of
opportunity in the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard provides
members with a lot of opportunity, and there are more resources
available, seemingly, by the day. It's not because of the lack
of opportunity for growth, because the Coast Guard affords all
worthy men and women the skills to succeed in both the Service
and in civilian life.
I believe, in my opinion, it's due to this administration's
woke military agenda, which prioritizes DEI initiatives instead
of continuing the tradition of seeking the best of the best.
And let me be clear. Our military should be the smartest,
the best, the sharpest, the toughest, the most focused. We are
dealing with a great number of bad actors out there, and it's
not just happening in the Coast Guard. It's happening in each
and every one of the branches of the United States military. I
speak with people who are Marines that are leaving early,
people in the Army, the Navy, and the Coast Guard. They've had
it. They didn't get into these services for those reasons.
And there have been attempts to alleviate the issue of the
shortages by expanding the eligible candidates to include
individuals--and I want to verify this--who may not typically
qualify for service due to physical fitness, criminal history,
and possible drug use.
What's going on? Where are the--and I don't blame you all.
You get directives from above. I am glad you are here, and I
appreciate you, and I always appreciate the Coast Guard. But
where are the golden standards of which the United States
military and the Coast Guard has always operated?
Vice Admiral Thomas, is there any concern? And I know this
is a hard question. I get it. But is there any concern that the
inclusion of previously ineligible candidates will degrade the
capabilities of the Coast Guard operations? They were
ineligible for a reason. You can answer that.
Admiral Thomas. So, we have expanded the pool of eligible
people to recruit into our Service, as have all the services.
We have not seen a degradation of readiness or performance
because we haven't changed the exit criteria from places like
boot camp.
A lot of the criteria that made someone ineligible
previously really doesn't impact their ability to serve in the
military, things like where do they have tattoos, things like
certain medical conditions that we previously ruled them out,
now we allow them in.
Dr. Van Drew. Vice Admiral, are they as physically fit when
they leave Cape May? It is in my district and----
Admiral Thomas [interrupting]. Absolutely. They are----
Dr. Van Drew [continuing]. I am very familiar with--they
are every bit as physically fit--and I hope the answer is yes--
as those individuals 5, 10, 15 years ago?
Admiral Thomas. Absolutely, same standards.
One of the things that we will kick off in May at Cape May
is a pre-recruit training session so that we can take recruits
who don't meet our forming standards, and give them a chance to
get in shape and get their test scores up, and then we move
them into boot camp. The other services are doing that, as
well. It just expands opportunity for our----
Dr. Van Drew [interrupting]. So, do you have to do some
remedial training? I know that is even true--I speak to
people--we had a hearing with county colleges throughout the
country, and they say one of the things they have to do is
people are coming out of high school, and they don't have the
skills that they should, so, they have got to go back and do
remedial training because we are falling so short. Is that true
here, you have to train them, bring them up to snuff?
Admiral Thomas. Yes, sir, that is----
Dr. Van Drew [interrupting]. You can say undoubtedly,
though--and I am not questioning you, I just want to make sure
I am clear--that these men and women are every bit as good when
they graduate as they were before?
Admiral Thomas. Congressman, I am going to be at a boot
camp graduation this spring. I invite you to show up there with
me.
Dr. Van Drew. Oh, I have been there for that.
Admiral Thomas. And you will see----
Dr. Van Drew [interrupting]. I am very be proud to be
there----
Admiral Thomas [continuing]. You will see the men and women
that we graduate are top notch.
Dr. Van Drew. If I am available--let me know as far as you
can in advance. If I am available, I will be there. And I have
been there in the past before I was a Congressman. I was there
when I was a county commissioner, I was there when I was a
mayor, I was there when I was a State assemblyman, I was there
when I was a State senator. I am really proud of you guys. I
want you to understand that. And when I say ``guys,'' I mean
men and women. I am proud of you. I just want to make sure we
keep that, that we are the best.
Due to the shortages, there is going to be a temporary
transition of personnel from Western Rivers units, leaving
1,500 positions temporarily vacant. Vice Admiral, how will
these vacancies affect the Coast Guard's mission in these areas
and elsewhere?
Admiral Thomas. Sorry, sir, are you talking about the
Western Rivers?
Dr. Van Drew. Yes. I am sorry, I said it quickly because I
am running out of time.
Admiral Thomas. Oh, yes. So, yes, we temporarily suspended
some small boat operations in Western Rivers. We are not the
primary search and rescue provider there, in any case. It's
always great to be able to operate our boats there, but that
was one of the lowest risk areas, and so, that's where we
adjusted our forces.
Dr. Van Drew. OK. I thank you for your answers.
Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Webster of Florida [presiding]. Thank you, and no
further questions that come from any member of the committee--I
don't see anybody to recognize, there isn't anybody here.
[Discussion off the record.]
Mr. Webster of Florida. So, seeing none, this concludes the
hearing today. I would like to thank each of the witnesses for
coming and appearing and their testimony.
[Discussion off the record.]
Mr. Webster of Florida. OK, Mr. Carbajal would like to
talk, so, we are going to--I will hold my last----
Mr. Carbajal [interrupting]. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am
sorry I didn't make myself as clear as I could have.
I just wanted to address--one of our colleagues previously
touched on the transgender issue. And as a veteran myself, I
wanted to just address that briefly.
Once upon a time in our country, we were concerned that--we
heard a lot of the same arguments about African Americans. We
heard those arguments about Latinos. We heard those arguments
about women, most recently the arguments about gay men and
women. And the latest now is transgender.
And I think the evidence bears out that there is no
negative impact in our recruitment and readiness with
individuals that are transgender serving in our military.
As a matter of fact, a comprehensive study was done by DoD
and the RAND Corporation in 2015 that said, of the other 18
countries that allow transgender personnel to openly serve, in
no one case was there any evidence of an effect on operational
effectiveness, readiness, and cohesion of force. And I share
that because I think, when you consider all the services have a
recruitment challenge, we need to be doing everything possible
not only to support our men and women that are serving now, but
to make sure that we are inviting all of those Americans that
want to serve and can serve able and can perform as any other
servicemember.
And so, I only make my comments to remind us that it is, I
think, wrong, again, to single out transgender individuals as
being a drag on our services. I think they have been serving,
they perform ably, and they are as American as everyone else.
And I think a lot of the arguments being made are not on
point. I know an example was given of somebody who committed a
certain crime, but no one incident characterizes a whole class
of people. We have bad actors with every group, with every
race, and it's important to keep that in mind.
So, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate you letting me make those
comments. It was more than a question, but I appreciate the
opportunity to provide the counterargument on that point and
that issue. Thank you.
Dr. Van Drew. Mr. Chairman, may I respond to that?
Mr. Webster of Florida. Sure.
Dr. Van Drew. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will be brief.
Nobody would ever say that somebody shouldn't be admitted
because they are male, female, transgender, gay, straight. It's
not what I am speaking about. I am speaking about standards.
And I will tell you, because of some of the changes that
have occurred in the military--and I have to admit, I didn't
serve in the military, but I served in the VA, and I saw the
men and women who sacrificed with broken hearts, broken minds,
broken spirits, broken souls from branches of the military.
And I know a lot of individuals and have a lot of support
in the military and New Jersey with the people I work with. And
they are the ones that tell me this.
So, I don't need you to answer, I don't mean to put you on
the spot, but it is a concern. And all I merely say is we want
the fastest, best, smartest, most focused, and toughest
military on the face of the globe. Because if we do not have
that, we will fail. And that includes the Coast Guard.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you for your lenience. I yield back.
Mr. Webster of Florida. OK. I would like to again thank the
witnesses for coming. We appreciated your testimony, and the
committee stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:18 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]