Stars and Stripes – Coast Guard commandant skirts accountability questions from lawmakers as reports of sexual assault in the service climb
A video display seize reveals Coast Guard Adm. Karl Schultz testifying in a video convention on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (YouTube)
WASHINGTON — Adm. Karl Schultz, the commandant of the Coast Guard, dodged questions Wednesday from lawmakers on harassment, bullying and retaliation within the service as a brand new report revealed the service is scuffling with an total rise in sexual assault circumstances.
The variety of reported incidents of sexual assault elevated from 225 in fiscal 2019 to 245 stories in fiscal 2020, in line with a Coast Guard report despatched to Congress on June 16.
On the identical time, reported allegations of sexual harassment decreased from 92 in fiscal 2019 to 86 in fiscal 2020. The service stated within the report that the decline is attributable to the Coast Guard’s efforts to extend consciousness of sexual harassment prevention.
The information from the annual report final 12 months mixed with knowledge from earlier Coast Guard stories present a gentle improve within the variety of stories since 2007, although it’s not clear what’s behind the rise.
The most recent inside Coast Guard report was mentioned as a part of a Home Homeland Safety Committee listening to Wednesday on accountability, variety and inclusion inside the service.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the committee’s chairman, stated the service’s efforts to handle sexual assault and sexual harassment, retaliation, variety and an absence of accountability for perpetrators are “falling quick of what’s wanted or not making an affect rapidly.”
The Coast Guard falls underneath the purview of the Division of Homeland Safety, so the service doesn’t contribute to a extra high-profile annual report on sexual assault throughout the opposite army branches, that are part of the Protection Division.
Wednesday’s listening to marked the primary time that Schultz testified about how the service is addressing harassment, bullying and retaliation after a sequence of damning congressional and inspector basic stories.
When lawmakers requested Schultz to display how he has held management and different perpetrators accountable for his or her actions, the commandant mentioned updates to anti-harassment and anti-hate incident coverage, in addition to different suggestions however was scant on particulars. He additionally stated different members of the Coast Guard can be higher suited to reply a query on how he encourages accountability.
The elevated reporting of sexual assaults within the Coast Guard comes as lawmakers on Capitol Hill look to make a big change to how army sexual assault and harassment circumstances are prosecuted. On Wednesday, Home lawmakers launched a invoice that might take away the choice to prosecute critical crimes within the army from the chain of command.
Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin additionally stated Tuesday night time that he backs the transfer to offer the ability to prosecute circumstances of sexual assault to impartial prosecutors after many years of resistance from the Pentagon.
The latest report on the Coast Guard follows the outcomes of a number of different investigations that delivered to mild the service’s mishandling of allegations of harassment and bullying. Navy management didn’t maintain officers accountable for failing to finish investigations, and perpetrators had been additionally not adequately disciplined for poisonous, and generally illegal conduct.
Thompson stated the sequence of Coast Guard stories spotlight a “tradition of worry that daunts reporting of misconduct,” in addition to “main cultural issues” on the Coast Guard Academy.
The lawmaker stated the brand new report on sexual assault reveals a “disturbing development.”
Stories of sexual assault have greater than doubled within the final decade, Thompson stated, citing the Coast Guard report. A 2018 survey additionally discovered practically half of feminine cadets on the academy stated that they had been sexually harassed.
“Taken collectively, these stories needs to be setting off each alarm bell, warning mild and alert system on the Coast Guard headquarters and on each base, cutter and air house. Because the senior chief of the Coast Guard, Admiral Schultz is in the end accountable for responding to this five-alarm fireplace,” Thompson stated.
Schultz stated the info on sexual assault reveals a “gradual glide slope,” a few of which he would attribute to “extra consolation in reporting.”
“I believe now we have created a extra open surroundings to report… we’re working onerous to eradicate sexual assaults, sexual harassment from our ranks,” he stated.
The commandant additionally stated he agrees sexual harassment jeopardizes readiness and mission accomplishment, and weakens belief inside the ranks and erodes unit cohesion.
Schultz stated the service has improved the way in which allegations are addressed by refining investigative procedures and processing timelines to expedite adjudication of complaints within the final couple of years.
“We mandated further coaching and enhanced choice standards for investigators, and now, investigators are appointed from outdoors the fast chain of command. These adjustments add equity and transparency to the investigative course of,” Schultz stated.
Nonetheless, the commandant didn’t give his assist to take away the choice to prosecute critical crimes from the chain of command.
“Protecting commanders within the decision-making course of is completely important, as a result of that is [the] commander’s enterprise…we are going to comply with swimsuit with the armed providers and I’m open to vary,” Schultz stated.
However Schultz was not as direct in response to questions from Democratic lawmakers about how the service is creating a tradition that emphasizes accountability and justice.
Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., requested what Schultz has carried out to make sure perpetrators obtain acceptable self-discipline and don’t advance for promotions.
The commandant stated accountability is “woven into” all the next suggestions that the service is implementing on the course of Congress and Homeland Safety’s inspector basic however he didn’t present specifics.
“We’ve the Uniform Code of Navy Justice from a self-discipline standpoint. We’ve administrative instruments at our discretion to make use of and we completely will attempt to create a notion, or actuality, that there’s accountability,” Schultz stated.
Clarke pressed the admiral on whether or not he believes there’s a tradition of retaliation and worry that forestalls saying something detrimental in regards to the Coast Guard on the threat of going through skilled penalties.
“Do I consider there’s a pervasive tradition? No,” Schultz stated.
The congresswoman additionally requested how Schultz is selling a tradition of accountability that’s actively inspired.
“I believe it might most likely be incumbent on my 57,000 shipmates to raised reply that query than me,” he stated.
Schultz stated 125 “cultural change brokers” shall be absolutely educated by the tip of summer time to ship variety coaching and facilitate conversations about variety and mentorship, which is tied to the service’s variety and inclusion motion plan.
The commandant was additionally grilled on the case of Lt. Cmdr. Kimberly Younger-McLear, a key a part of the 2019 congressional probe, which substantiated years of bullying, harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
All of the senior Coast Guard officers who had been discovered to have “allowed her allegations to go uninvestigated and who failed to guard her from retaliation” in Younger-McLear’s case have all obtained promotions or aggressive job assignments, stated Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.
“It’s crucial that the Coast Guard maintain these leaders accountable for retaliation and guarantee survivors are made entire,” the congresswoman stated.
She requested what has been carried out to carry these people accountable in Younger-McLear’s case and different circumstances.
Schultz spoke for a couple of minutes in regards to the particulars of the case, however didn’t describe any type of motion.
“I’m involved whenever you discover substantiated allegations, what are the implications to the people that both perpetrated the harassment or the discrimination, or who allowed it and didn’t do something about it,” Coleman stated.
Schultz stated he didn’t have the grounds to take disciplinary motion or administrative motion, however targeted on corrective motion. He stated one captain on the academy had been reassigned inside the faculty on account of the investigation and the captain later retired.
Coleman reduce him off: “The chairman requested you this query, which you artfully dodged the sure or no. Has there been a public apology, particularly, to [Young-McLear]? … Would you be keen to concern a written apology for the report on this.”
“Congresswoman, I’m unsure if it’s so simple as a sure or no query… I addressed the cadet corps and the primary query I obtained was from [Young-McLear] and I said that the Coast Guard had not carried out proper by her and that was unlucky,” Schultz stated.
He stated it was “difficult enterprise” on whether or not he would concern a written apology, but he stated he would apologize “up entrance” to individuals who have been harmed prior to now.
“It’s a difficult house, however…if there are not any penalties, there’s no change [in] conduct. And easy reassignment just isn’t actually a consequence,” the congresswoman stated.
Younger-McLear wrote in an announcement on the report for the listening to that “the commandant denied my requests for a proper written apology, a gathering to debate methods through which the tradition should enhance, and accountability.”
Till there’s accountability and justice on these points, Younger-McLear wrote “survivors like myself won’t transfer on.”
Cammarata.Sarah@stripes.com
Twitter: @sarahjcamm
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