EXCLUSIVE: The commander of US Coast Guard was fired over concerns about the border, recruiting and an “erosion of trust,” a senior DHS official confirmed to Fox News.
Admiral Linda Lee Fagan, 61, was fired by the acting secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman, the official said.
Fagan demonstrated leadership deficiencies, operational failures, and an inability to advance the Coast Guard’s strategic objectives.
These include failure to address border security threats, insufficient leadership in recruitment and retention, poor management in the procurement of key acquisitions such as breezes -ice and helicopters, an excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and an “erosion of trust” following mismanagement and poor coverage. of Operation Fouled Anchor, which was the Coast Guard’s internal investigation into sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy.
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Adm. Linda Fagan. (US Coast Guard)
Fagan is accused of ineffective deployment of Coast Guard resources to support the security of the nation’s borders, including intercepting fentanyl and other illicit substances. It also lacked coordination with DHS to prioritize operations along maritime borders.
The DHS official said Fagan had significant failures in recruiting personnel, which compounded problems with operational readiness. The official added that the lack of innovative strategies to address retention issues in critical specialties was weakening workforce sustainability.
Under his leadership, there have also been persistent delays and cost overruns in the acquisition of critical platforms, including icebreakers and helicopters, which the official said have undermined the Coast Guard’s capabilities in the Arctic and other strategic regions. The official further cited insufficient accountability for acquisition failures that were highlighted during President Trump’s first administration.
Fagan also made DEI policies a priority, including at the Coast Guard Academy, which diverted resources and attention away from critical operational elements.
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Admiral Linda Fagan attends the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) change of command ceremony at USCG Headquarters in Washington, DC, June 1, 2022. (Getty Images)
As part of Operation Fouled Anchor, the cover-up of sexual assault at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy “profoundly eroded trust” in the Coast Guard among the American public, the U.S. Congress, and the military. The Coast Guard did not reveal the existence of Operation Fouled Anchor until 2023, despite its existence from 2014 to 2019.
Fagan was questioned by senators over the summer when she testified at a hearing on Capitol Hill, where she was questioned for failing to hold anyone accountable for the cover-up and for withholding additional documents asked by congressional lawmakers about the mishandling of the problem at the service academy.
The official said the failure to sufficiently address the systemic problems revealed by the investigation exposed a “culture of leadership” unwilling to ensure accountability and transparency in protecting servicemembers.
Adm. Linda Fagan speaks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee hearing on investigations on Capitol Hill June 11, 2024 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
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Fagan served as the 27th commander of the Coast Guard beginning June 1, 2022. She was responsible for overseeing all global Coast Guard operations and 42,000 active duty military personnel, 7,000 reservists and 8,700 civilians, as well as support for 21,000 Coast Guard Auxiliaries. volunteers.
She was the first woman to lead the Coast Guard or any branch of the American military.
