CNN
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The commander of the US Coast Guard was removed from her position for “leadership deficiencies” and “operational failures”, a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed to CNN on Tuesday.
In a list of reasons “supporting his immediate dismissal,” the official cited Admiral Linda Fagan’s “failure to respond to border security threats” and “overemphasis on diversity policies, d ‘equity and inclusion’. Additionally, the official said the Coast Guard suffered “significant personnel recruiting gaps” under Fagan’s leadership. But the Coast Guard actually met – and in some areas exceeded – its recruiting goals for the first time in 6 years in October.
The list also cites the “mismanagement” and “cover-up” of Operation Fouled Anchor, a secret internal Coast Guard investigation that substantiated dozens of allegations of rape and assault within the agency between the late 1980s and 2006, CNN reported.
Fagan said she only learned about the “entirety” of the so-called Fouled Anchor investigation when CNN inquired about it last year, although she learned about it because she had already taken steps to dismiss a commander involved in the investigation. .
Fagan’s firing came just hours after President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Trump signed executive orders Monday aimed at increasing the U.S. military presence on the southern border, and he has repeatedly criticized the U.S. military for being too “woke” and focused on DEI initiatives.
The Coast Guard led by Fagan has already been targeted by Trump’s allies. Then-GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz and GOP Rep. Eli Crane sent a letter to DHS in August “demanding answers” on initiatives to “prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI )” of the Coast Guard, emphasizing the agency’s sexual orientation and inclusiveness. Training on gender inclusiveness and calling it “indoctrination.”
Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has publicly stated that “any general, admiral, or anything that has been involved in the woke DEI shit needs to go.”
Fagan was the first female uniformed leader of a branch of the United States armed forces. CNN has reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard for comment from Fagan.
Fox News first reported that Fagan had been removed from office.
