Trump Administration Removes Coast Guard Commandant

Adm. Linda Fagan arrives for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) change of command ceremony at USCG Headquarters in Washington on June 1, 2022. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Coast Guard’s commandant, Adm. Linda Fagan, has been removed from her duties and position by the acting head of the Department of Homeland Security, according to a memo sent out Tuesday.

Fagan assumed the duties in June 2022 under the Biden administration. President Donald Trump has named Adm. Kevin Lunday, the vice commandant, to become the Coast Guard’s commandant, and he must be confirmed by the Senate.

The message, released by Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman, said that he has relieved Fagan “of her duties as Commandant of the United States Coast Guard,” saying she “served a long and illustrious career, and I thank her for her service to our nation.”

For the interim period, Lunday will serve as the acting commandant of the Coast Guard “and assumes all the authority and responsibilities of the office,” Huffman wrote in the memo.

No reasons were given for relieving Fagan from her position, and Fagan has not issued a public response.

Fagan was praised by some Republicans in the Senate during her nomination process in 2022, with GOP lawmakers on the Senate Commerce Committee saying that then-President Joe Biden has “finally nominated an outstanding leader” and that it is “important for the Commerce Committee to proceed efficiently so the Coast Guard is not left without a leader.”

Former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also described Fagan as “a tremendous leader, trailblazer, and respected public servant” in a statement released by Homeland Security at the time.

The Coast Guard is tasked with enforcing U.S. and international laws and responding to incidents. It regulates and inspects facilities and vessels and defends U.S. maritime borders.

While the Coast Guard currently falls under Homeland Security, Trump and his defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, have said that the U.S. military will face a shakeup under the new administration.

“Every single senior officer will be reviewed based on meritocracy, standards, lethality, and commitment to lawful orders they will be given,” Hegseth, a Fox News host and decorated veteran, said in a confirmation hearing this past week before the Senate.

Hegesth and Trump have also been critical of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the military and federal government. Hegseth had been an opponent of having women in combat roles and appeared to walk back his stance in the Senate hearing.

Trump named South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead Homeland Security, who this week cleared the Senate Homeland Security Committee in a bipartisan tally and will face a vote in the full Senate.

Aside from being in charge of the agency that leads the Coast Guard, Noem will be tasked with overseeing the U.S. immigration and border agencies. Trump has made curbing illegal immigration and bolstering border security a priority, already issuing numerous executive orders upon taking office on Monday.

“Securing our homeland is a serious, sacred trust that must be relentlessly pursued and can never be taken for granted,” Noem said during the Senate hearing this past week.