Change is needed at the Coast Guard

The Coast Guard published an Accountability and Transparency Review (ATR) report on the service’s workforce culture and organizational climate in Washington, Wednesday.

The report was accompanied by a memorandum from Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan, which directed 33 initial actions to address recommendations in the report. Adm. Fagan’s directed actions are designed to ensure that every member of the workforce has an experience aligned with the Coast Guard’s core values, and free from harassment, assault, hazing, bullying, hate and retaliation.

“The Accountability and Transparency Review report makes clear that service change is necessary. We must drive meaningful change, consistent with our core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty, to create an environment where every Coast Guard member feels safe and valued,” said Fagan. “Acknowledging broken trust within the service is an important first step in reestablishing it. Now we turn to the important work of reaffirming our core values and our commitment to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and assault.”

The commandant’s directed actions include the following lines of effort:

• Improvements to workforce training, culture and professional development;
• Creation of an Integrated Primary Prevention Program modeled after the Department of Defense program;
• Incorporating our core values more thoroughly into enterprise communication, training and evaluations;
• Implementation of policies to ensure accountability related to sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other harmful behaviors;
• Increased oversight and better accountability at the Coast Guard Academy; and
• Improved transparency and access to workforce climate data and resources.

The report is the result of a 90-day review that analyzed current law, policy, processes, practices, resources and service culture relevant to preventing and responding to sexual assault, harassment and other harmful behaviors in the Coast Guard.

The ATR team, consisting of military and civilian members, visited Coast Guard units around the country to listen to members of the workforce about their experiences and engaged with the other military services and organizations with shared values and goals. The ATR team also examined previous studies dating from 1990 to the present.

The Commandant’s Directed Actions, ATR report, and supporting documents are available at http://www.uscg.mil/alwaysready/.