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Coast Guard Commander Admiral Linda Fagan was ousted by the Trump administration on Tuesday, President Trump’s first full day in office. In 2022, Fagan became the first woman to lead a branch of the United States military.
Fagan was relieved of her duties Monday evening in an all-staff message from Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman.
“By virtue of my statutory authority as 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,” it reads partly in the brief message. “She has had a long and illustrious career, and I thank her for her service to our nation.”
The Coast Guard commandant is appointed for a four-year term and Fagan had served two years.
A senior DHS official said in a statement that Fagan was terminated “due to her leadership deficiencies, operational failures, and failure to advance the U.S. Coast Guard’s strategic objectives.”
In particular, the official said she had failed to address border security threats, citing “insufficient coordination” with DHS on operations along maritime borders and an “ineffective deployment of security resources.” the Coast Guard” to support efforts to interdict fentanyl and other illicit substances.
The official also cited “significant deficiencies” in hiring and mismanagement, including “(i)nadequate accountability for acquisition failures highlighted under the Trump administration.”45
During her tenure as head of the service, Fagan worked to strengthen recruitment and retention of personnel amid declining numbers in the U.S. armed forces. Last year, as CBS News reported, the U.S. Coast Guard met its recruiting goals for its active-duty workforce, reservists and officers for the first time since 2007.
And Hagan was also criticized by the official for “an excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion policies, including at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, diverting resources and attention from operational imperatives “.
Fagan worked to restore trust in the halls of Congress and within the agency’s ranks, following earlier revelations that the Coast Guard mishandled allegations of sexual harassment and assault. But the official said there had been “a failure to adequately address systemic issues” and blamed Fagan for “a leadership culture unwilling to ensure accountability and transparency in protecting servicemembers.”
Admiral Kevin Mondayy, the service’s No. 2 commander, was named acting Coast Guard commander, according to Huffman’s memo. Monday became vice commander last June.
The Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, faces budgetary challenges across several administrations. Several recent commanders, including Fagan, had urged lawmakers to fund the construction of new ships and the repair of older ones to contribute to the service’s growing global role in safeguarding national security. Last year, the Coast Guard officially welcomed its first polar icebreaker in more than 25 years.
Trump adviser Elon Musk, who is leading the new administration’s efforts to cut costs in the federal government, did not explicitly confirm Fagan’s firing, but wrote about “undermining the U.S. military and border security to spend money on racist ends” DEI’s sexist nonsense is no longer acceptable.”
Fox News was the first to break the news of Fagan’s ouster.
Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.
