The Next Step for US Coast Guard's SASH Problem: Accountability

 

The first part of Operation Fouled Anchor ended last week with the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026. Part 2, the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General investigation into sexual assaults at the US Coast Guard Academy will likely end mid 2026. Part 3, accountability for failing to prosecute the known crimes, will start in January 2026.

After CNN reported on Operation Fouled Anchor in June 2023, seven congressional committees immediately started investigating the crimes and the cover ups.  The House committees on Oversight and Government Reform; Transportation and Infrastructure; Homeland Security; and Appropriations; and the Senate committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and Appropriations all held hearings and demanded answers.

Senator Ted Cruz forced the Coast Guard to stop using illegal nondisclosure act agreements. Representative Comer interviewed Admiral Allen and Admiral Schultz.  During the interview, Admiral Schultz stated “I think every commandant that served from that period of time, through and including me, has some, some stink on them on this issue.” Senator Ron Johnson criticized the service’s redaction policies related to FOIA, asking why full pages were covered in black ink.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 contains numerous provisions to address the leadership failings identified during the two-year congressional oversight period. These leadership failings and Congressional solutions were then highlighted by the members who fought for change.

Senator Richard Blumenthal highlighted the provision that “permits reopening of retired grade determinations for members who knew of and failed to report misconduct in their command or who failed to carry out applicable law.”

Representative Joe Courtney shared that “(t)he serious issue of sexual assault in the Coast Guard was brought to light because of the brave servicemembers and cadets who came forward to describe their degrading experiences. As they recounted, the threat of possible disciplinary reprisals against victims, inhibited prosecution of real perpetrators…Codifying Safe-to-Report protections into law will be a game changer to ensure that talented Guard members will be able to contribute to the Coast Guard mission in a safe workplace.”

Senator Maria Cantwell issued a press release entitled “Cantwell Expects New Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Lunday to Implement Reforms to Combat Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault Required by Senator’s Bipartisan Coast Guard Reauthorization Law”.  Per Cantwell, the law “strengthens survivor protections, expands confidential reporting, improves independent oversight of cases and investigations, increases leadership accountability.”

While Congress presided over part one of Operation Fouled Anchor, the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General started part two. The DHS IG investigation into the sexual assaults at the Coast Guard Academy started in January 2024. They talked with Coast Guard Academy and service sexual assault and sexual harassment survivors, and they compiled data. I spoke with them in January 2024 and I anticipate that the DHS IG investigation will be completed in mid-2026.

The third part of Operation Fouled Anchor, accountability, will start in January 2026. The NDAA gives the Secretary of Homeland Security 180 days to identify the standard for making, and the evidentiary showing required to support, an adverse determination on the retired grade of a commissioned officer. The provision also states that the Secretary shall define the circumstances that constitute a failure to carry out applicable laws regarding a report of sexual assault with an intent to deceive by a commissioned officer, that relate to a response made to a report of sexual assault, during the commissioned service of the officer.

The case of Coast Guard Academy Cadet X will likely be the first one out of the gate. Twenty years ago, two USCGA football players were accused of rape. One student, Webster Smith, was prosecuted and the trial made national news. The second student was disenrolled. The disenrollment paperwork for the second student references his status as a football player. It also states that “there is a preponderance of evidence that the intercourse was not consensual by the partner.”  Congress and the DHS IG both have the 2005 disenrollment paperwork and the Coast Guard will likely examine the case and the officers involved pursuant to the NDAA.

The massive changes imposed by Congress on the Coast Guard occurred because survivors, male and female, officers and enlisted, demanded accountability. Survivors testified at Congressional hearings, tears in their eyes but their voices strong. They wrote numerous letters sharing horrific blue on blue trauma.  As we close out 2025, I encourage all Coast Guard veterans to thank these survivors and raise a glass to their perseverance.

K. Denise Rucker Krepp is a Coast Guard veteran and former Maritime Administration Chief Counsel.