The Trump administration fired the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Adm. Linda L. Fagan, within 24 hours of President Trump’s inauguration. The admiral, who was sworn in as the service chief on June 1, 2022, was the first female officer to lead a branch of the American armed forces.
In a message sent to all Coast Guard units on Tuesday morning, the acting secretary of the Homeland Security Department, Benjamine C. Huffman, said he had relieved Admiral Fagan of her duties.
“She served a long and illustrious career, and I thank her for her service to our nation,” Mr. Huffman said without explaining why her tenure was abruptly cut short.
However, a lengthy department statement indicated that Admiral Fagan had been fired for several reasons, many involving Mr. Trump’s key issues.
“She was terminated because of leadership deficiencies, operational failures and inability to advance the strategic objectives of the U.S. Coast Guard,” the statement said.
The statement offered a long list of reasons for Admiral Fagan’s removal from office, including what it called “failure to address border security threats” — specifically saying she had not adequately deployed Coast Guard assets to stop “fentanyl and other illicit substances” from entering the United States.
It also faulted her leadership in recruitment and retention of personnel, and accused her of mismanaging the acquisition of icebreakers and helicopters.
The statement claimed she had an “excessive focus” on diversity, equity and inclusion policies and accused her of failing to adequately address “systemic issues” related to sexual harassment at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.
Mr. Trump has promised to eradicate federal government initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion, signing executive orders to that effect on his first day in office.
Efforts to reach Admiral Fagan for comment on Tuesday were unsuccessful, and a Coast Guard spokesman declined to comment further.
The statement noted that Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, who was Admiral Fagan’s second in command, is now the Coast Guard’s acting commandant.
Admiral Fagan, who was previously the service’s second in command, graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1985 as part of just the sixth class that included women. She rose through the ranks, serving at sea on an icebreaker and ashore as a marine safety officer.
She was the 27th commandant of the service, which traces its roots back to the creation of the Revenue Cutter Service shortly after the Revolutionary War, and merged with the U.S. Life-Saving Service to become the Coast Guard in 1915.
