30-01-2025
US Coast Guard Doesn't Have Enough Money, Ships or Sailors
The controversial dismissal of the US Coast Guard commandant, Admiral Linda Fagan, means the nation's maritime guardians will soon have a new leader. He or she will face a host of challenges. Despite decades of punching well above their weight, the Coasties are in a difficult spot, with significant budget shortfalls and big missions ahead. What can the new commandant do to address the challenges?
I am an enormous admirer of the US Coast Guard, which became part of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003. Unlike many Navy officers, I've had a lot of interaction with our maritime partners, especially in the 2000s when I was commander of the US Southern Command, in charge of nearly all military operations south of the US. I pushed for the position of operations officer at that major combatant command to be raised to a 2-star admiral. I strongly supported the Coastie admiral in charge of drug interdiction at Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S), which reported to me. I commanded and relied on Coast Guard cutters and aircraft to fulfill missions every day from my headquarters in southern Florida.
