The Coast Guard commandant, Adm. Linda Fagan, has been removed from her position by the acting secretary of homeland security.
Adm. Kevin Lunday, the vice commandant, is slated to fill the vacancy in an acting capacity until a replacement can be confirmed by the Senate.
“Under my statutory authority as the Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security I have relieved Admiral Linda L. Fagan of her duties as Commandant of the United States Coast Guard.
She served a long and illustrious career, and I thank her for her service to our nation,” acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman said in an announcement.
The acting secretary relieved Fagan for “leadership deficiencies, operational failures, and [an] inability to advance the strategic objectives of the U.S. Coast Guard,” a senior DHS official told the Washington Examiner.
In particular, the official referenced her “failure” to deploy resources effectively to support border security, “inadequate” leadership resulting in recruitment and retention shortfalls, “mismanagement of key acquisitions,” and the “excessive focus” on diversity and inclusion.
The official also referenced Fagan’s “mishandling” and “cover-up” of “Operation Fouled Anchor,” the secret Coast Guard internal investigation into sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy over decades.
The Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security, not the Department of Defense.
Trump and his pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, warned that the department was in store for a significant shake-up that could include firing several other senior military leaders.
“Every single senior officer will be reviewed based on meritocracy, standards, lethality, and commitment to lawful orders they will be given,” Hegseth said during his confirmation hearing last week.
Fagan was the first woman to lead a branch of the U.S. armed forces.
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At the time she assumed the position, Fagan said, “I’m immensely grateful to the many pioneers who paved the way, pioneers like Adm. [Owen] Siler, Dorothy Stratten, Ida Lewis, Dorothy McShane, Elizebeth Friedman. I’m proud to be a part of this long history of service, dedication, and groundbreaking, and I’m committed to carrying these principles forward.”
Former President Joe Biden, who appointed Fagan, said at her swearing-in ceremony that her “trailblazing career” demonstrated to “young people entering service that we mean it when we say there are no doors — no doors closed to women.”
