The U.S. Senate’s permanent Subcommittee on Investigations heard testimony on Tuesday from former and current members of the Coast Guard Academy regarding sexual assault and harassment.
First Class Cadet Kyra Holmstrup is set to graduate from the academy in New London, Connecticut next year. She said her assault took place two weeks into her freshman year.
“I’d gotten close to a classmate in the same training platoon during swab summer,” Holmstrump said. “What I thought was an innocent ice cream date on campus turned into a sexual assault that has haunted me ever since. We are always told that you just have to say no, but no to him was an invitation to try again. I was 19.”
The investigation began after CNN revealed a Coast Guard report about sexual assault matters that was withheld from Congress and the public.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) chairs the subcommittee.
“An estimated 51% of cadet women have had an experience that met criteria for sexual harassment just in the past year,” Blumenthal said. “28.3% of female cadets said they’ve experienced unwanted sexual contact since entering the academy. Fifteen percent who experienced unwanted sexual conduct in the last year reported it and half of them have experienced retaliation. This is not ancient history. This is a 2022 survey.”
The committee said they will issue subpoenas for the release of records from the Coast Guard. They said they will also interview present and past leadership of the New London-based Academy to bring about accountability for the years of mishandling of cases.
