[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 [email protected].
    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\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \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.]