The Trump administration removed U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan late Monday without explanation. She was the first woman to hold a uniformed leadership position in the armed forces of the United States.
In a Tuesday message to Coast Guard members, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman relieved Fagan from her duties as Coast Guard Commandant. She noted that Fagan had “served an illustrious and long career and I thank [her] for her service to our country.”
The statement does not provide any other details about the change.
As of the time of publication, the Coast Guard did not have a response to any of these questions.
Fagan’s online biography was not available Tuesday morning. The Coast Guard’s website, which lists the senior leadership of the service, had a blank under the title “Commander.”
Fagan was also the Coast Guard’s first female 4-star admiral. She had been the 27th military branch commandant, since June 1, 2022. Former President Biden selected her to lead 42,000 active duty, 7,000 reserves, and 8,700 civil personnel.
A senior DHS official confirmed to Fox News that Fagan had been relieved of his duties due to border security issues, recruitment and acquisition problems, and a “decrease in trust” after an internal investigation into cases of sexual assault at the Coast Guard Academy.
Fagan took over a force that had been struggling to recruit for years, including during President Trump’s first term. The Coast Guard met its recruitment goal last year, after adding more recruiters.
Under Fagan’s leadership, the Coast Guard also faced a major scandal with Operation Fouled Anchor. This was an internal investigation led by the branch that investigated sexual misconduct at Connecticut’s Coast Guard Academy between 1988 and 2006, which was conducted by the branch. The Coast Guard did not disclose the investigation to Congress and the public until 2023, after the commandant of the service at the time, Adm. Karl Schultz, had withheld it.
Fagan, who had been grilled by senators over the report in June, admitted that the “failure of the service to share the report was a mistake.”
Trump promised to remove the “woke” generals and admirals from the U.S. Military.
Pete Hegseth is Trump’s nominee for the Pentagon’s top job. He has stated that eliminating diversity and equality efforts in the military would be his priority if confirmed.
CQ Brown Jr. is the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Trump threatened to remove him once he was in power. However, he said on Monday that despite Trump’s threats, he intends to stay in his position as the highest-ranking military official in America.
