USCG Gets First Female Commandant
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The Biden administration has nominated Adm. Linda Fagan to lead the U.S. Coast Guard, a defense official told USNI News on Tuesday. Fagan, currently the Coast Guard’s vice commandant, will be the first woman to lead a U.S. military service.
Fagan has been the Coast Guard’s number two since June and was the first woman in the service to be promoted to four stars.
Prior to her current role, she led Coast Guard Pacific Area from June of 2018 to June 2021. She previously served as the deputy director of operations for headquarters at U.S. Northern Command and led First Coast Guard District, which is based in Boston, Ma. Fagan also previously served on USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10). She spent 15 years as a Coast Guard marine inspector. Fagan is a 1985 graduate from the Coast Guard Academy.
“Adm. Fagan is a tremendous leader, trailblazer, and respected public servant who will lead the Coast Guard across its critical missions with honor. Over Adm. Fagan’s 36 years in the Coast Guard, she has served on seven continents, was previously commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area, and is the officer with the longest service record in the marine safety field,” reads a Tuesday statement from the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
“Within the Coast Guard and across the Department of Homeland Security, Adm. Fagan is admired as a role model of the utmost integrity, and her historic nomination is sure to inspire the next generation of women who are considering careers in military service.”
Additionally, the White House nominated Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, the current commander of Coast Guard Atlantic Area, to serve as vice commandant. Poulin was formerly the Judge Advocate General and Chief Counsel of the Coast Guard and is a 1984 Coast Guard Academy graduate.
Current commandant Adm. Karl Schultz is set to retire in May.
Schultz is a native of East Hartford, Conn., and a 1983 Coast Guard Academy graduate. Prior to serving as commandant he was the commander of the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area, where he oversaw the Coast Guard’s response to Hurricanes Irma, Maria and Harvey in 2017.
President Joe Biden nominated Adm. Linda Fagan to be the 27th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), according to a statement released Tuesday by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Fagan, if confirmed, would make history as the first woman to serve as the leader of any U.S. military branch, USNI News reported. She has served as the USCG’s vice commandant since June, when she became the first female officer in the USCG to be promoted to four stars, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Biden Nominates First Female Army Secretary)
Mayorkas praised Fagan and her accomplishments in a press statement released Tuesday.
“President Biden has made an exceptional choice by nominating Admiral Linda F. Fagan to serve as Commandant of the United States Coast Guard,” he said. “Admiral Fagan is a tremendous leader, trailblazer, and respected public servant who will lead the Coast Guard across its critical missions with honor.”
Democratic Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, also praised Fagan’s “strong leadership” and “commitment to service” in a statement shared on Twitter.
Fagan has served 36 years in the USCG, including previously as commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area, according to Mayorka’s statement. She has the longest service record for an officer in the Marine Safety field, a press release from the USCG noted.
Adm. Karl Schultz, the current commandant of the Coast Guard, is expected to retire in May, according to USNI News.
Labels: USCG Commandant.
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