In a letter sent to Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Reps. Mike Turner (R-OH) and Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Admiral Robert Papp, the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, has committed the Coast Guard to update its policies regarding sexual assault to ensure they are in alignment with the STRONG Act. The STRONG Act requires the development of sexual assault prevention and response training at every level of professional development in the armed services. In addition, it affords victims of sexual assault in the military the protection of expedited transfer away from the geographic location of their alleged attacker.
On February 14, the lawmakers wrote to Admiral Papp expressing concern that the Coast Guard had not yet adopted the expedited transfer policy.
"We are encouraged by the responsiveness of the Coast Guard to this important matter, and we thank Admiral Papp for making sexual assault prevention and response a top priority for the Coast Guard,” said the lawmakers in a joint statement. “It is critically important that the Coast Guard moves quickly to align its policies with the STRONG Act, including the provision of expedited consideration of a request for transfer. We will closely follow the implementation of these policy changes to ensure that the victims of sexual assault are fully protected and that more assaults can be prevented before they even occur.”
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