Rep. Courtney Responds to New Actions to Address Sexual Misconduct at Coast Guard Academy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) issued the following statement after the Coast Guard released a new report, requested by top Coast Guard chief Admiral Fagan, providing recommendations for internal actions to address and prevent sexual misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy and ensure cases are properly investigated.
“Admiral Fagan’s release of the Accountability and Transparency Review represents a healthy course correction for the Coast Guard in dealing with this persistent problem affecting the service. This clearly demonstrates a fundamental change in leadership, and I strongly support the Commandant’s vision for how the service prevents and responds to incidents of sexual assault and harassment. Notably, the report recommends implementing the “Safe-to-Report” framework which prevents cadets from punishment for minor offenses, like violating curfew, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice when reporting an incident of sexual assault. This policy is perfectly aligned with legislation I introduced earlier this year, and which was codified for other military academies two years ago. I will continue to work with the Coast Guard to ensure that codification will be enacted in the upcoming Coast Guard Authorization Act in the 118th Congress.”