Admiral Linda Fagan, the first female Commandant of the US Coast Guard, has been fired one day into Donald Trump’s second term as president.
Fagan was relieved of her position on Monday night by Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman.
The news was confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a statement.
A senior DHS Official said, “Admiral Linda L. Fagan has been removed from her position. She was terminated because of her leadership deficiencies, operational failures, and inability to advance the strategic objectives of the U.S. Coast Guard.”
The statement listed five areas that supported reasons for her removal:
- Failure to Address Border Security Threats:
- Ineffective deployment of Coast Guard assets to support national border security, especially in interdicting fentanyl and other illicit substances.
- Insufficient coordination with the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize operations along maritime borders.
- Inadequate Leadership in Recruitment and Retention:
- Significant shortfalls in recruiting personnel, further exacerbating operational readiness issues.
- Lack of innovative strategies to address retention challenges in critical specialties, weakening workforce sustainability.
- Mismanagement of Key Acquisitions:
- Persistent delays and cost overruns in acquiring essential platforms, including icebreakers and helicopters, that undermine Coast Guard capabilities in the Arctic and other strategic regions.
- Inadequate accountability for acquisition failures highlighted during the Trump 45 Administration.
- Prioritization of Non-Mission-Critical Initiatives:
- Excessive focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies including at the US Coast Guard Academy, diverting resources and attention from operational imperatives.
- Operation Fouled Anchor and the Erosion of Trust:
- The mishandling and coverup of Operation Fouled Anchor has deeply eroded trust in the Coast Guard among the American public, the U.S. Congress, and, most devastatingly, within the ranks of those who have sworn to protect and defend this nation in uniform.
- The failure to adequately address the systemic issues exposed by this investigation has underscored a leadership culture unwilling to ensure accountability and transparency in protecting service members.
Fagan had been criticized for her inaction and lack of transparency by lawmakers and in particular by US Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who head the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, after CNN unearthed the agency’s report about historic sexual assault and misconduct that was deliberately withheld from Congress and the public by Fagan’s predecessor, Commandant Admiral Karl Schultz.
Schultz has since publicly stated he covered up the Operation Fouled Anchor report to stop Congress from overreacting and releasing sensitive information about survivors.
Operation Fouled Anchor revealed details about years of sexual abuse suffered by both men and women of the Coast Guard while training at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut as well as while serving at Coast Guard stations and on board Coast Guard ships.
Attorney Christine Dunn, who is representing a group of Coast Guard sexual assualt survivors, said she hopes Fagan’s termination is a turning point for the agency.
“Last summer when Admiral Fagan testified in front of Congress, we hoped we would get some answers from her. And that’s not what happened. She avoided the questions. She really lacked in transparency. And we’ve been disappointed in her response,” Dunn said. “And so, I’m encouraged by President Trump ousting her. I am hopeful that her successor will embrace the position with much more transparency and willingness to hold people accountable for what happened in Operation Foul Anchor. I am hopeful that the next person in that role will be more open.”
However, US Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, released a statement decrying Fagan’s removal.
“President Trump’s unprecedented decision on day one to fire a service chief ahead of her scheduled departure is an abuse of power that slanders the good name and record of Admiral Fagan,” Courtney wrote. “Following her predecessor’s cover-up of Operation Fouled Anchor, Admiral Fagan provided a fundamental change in Coast Guard leadership and has led the service with transparency and honesty to rebuild trust and correct the persistent sexual misconduct problems facing the service. The Commandant’s outstanding record completely negates the President’s demonstrably false claims and signals his enduring interest to put politics over the best interest of our servicemembers and national security.”
Fagan’s picture, biography, and other details have already been removed from the US Coast Guard website and a request for further information about the matter with the Coast Guard Office of Public Affairs went unanswered Tuesday.
A similar inquiry with the US Coast Guard Academy said questions should be directed to the US Department of Homeland Security.
Fagan was just two years into a four-year assignment as head of the agency and has been succeeded in the interim by Acting-Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday.
Tagged: 400pWednesday, Coast Guard, Coast Guard Academy, Extra, Joe Courtney, Operation Fouled Anchor, Push, Richard Blumenthal