Navy limits anonymous complaints for harassment and discrimination

The Navy and Marine Corps are curtailing when service members can file anonymous complaints alleging discrimination and harassment, a recent Navy-wide message says.

Both services will no longer process such anonymous reports as part of Military Equal Opportunity complaints, according to the message, which closely mirrors recent policy changes announced by the Army and the Department of the Air Force.

“This does not prevent a commander from taking appropriate action in response to an anonymous report,” the Department of the Navy-wide message says.

Sailors and Marines can continue to make anonymous reports for allegations of sexual assault, hazing, and bullying “pending further guidance,” the message says.

A Navy spokesperson had no additional information on Monday about what this guidance might be or why it could be needed.

On Monday, a Department of the Air Force official told Task & Purpose that the department takes “every allegation of discrimination or harassment seriously.”

“Airmen and guardians may still anonymously report allegations,” the official said. “Commanders are encouraged to look into the matter and take appropriate action under their own authority.”

The recent changes announced by the Department of the Navy implement changes mandated by the Pentagon, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Sept. 30, 2025 memo that directed military officials to “replace the current anonymous reporting option with a confidential complaint reporting option.”

Hegseth has argued in an April 2025 video that the U.S. military’s programs to report discrimination and harassment had been “weaponized” by people who act “in bad faith to retaliate against superiors and peers.”

Under the changes announced by the Department of the Navy, service members can file confidential reports on discrimination or harassment allegations and receive “appropriate support services,” according to the Navy message. Sailors and Marines are not required to file a separate complaint that may require an investigation to receive these services, but they can convert a confidential report into a formal or informal complaint later should they choose to do so, the message says.

“Confidentiality in connection with the confidential report will not be maintained where there is a specific and imminent threat of serious bodily harm or death to an identified or readily identifiable person or persons or where the report reveals an intent to commit future crime or fraud,” the message says.

The recent updates on anonymous and confidential reporting comply with a June 18 memo from the Pentagon, according to both the Department of the Navy and Air Force announcements. When asked about the memo on Monday, a Pentagon official told Task & Purpose that there was “nothing to release.” 

As part of the changes, the Navy and Marine Corps will also offer a “conflict resolution” process prior to any inquiry investigation, according to the message.

This option is meant to be “a means of quickly and appropriately resolving MEO related concerns before they escalate,” the Navy message says.

UPDATE: 08/10/2026; this story was updated with a statement from a Department of the Air Force official.