Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unveiled the Force Design 2028 (FD2028), which calls for transforming the United States Coast Guard. Though the USCG is one of the six branches of the United States military, it is actually overseen by DHS. As such, it doesn’t have a secretary as its head.
“The other branches of the armed forces have service secretaries that provide direct civilian political leadership, control, oversight, accountability, and advocacy,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem noted in the release of FD2028 at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy commencement in New London, CT, last Wednesday.
Noem has called upon lawmakers to craft legislation establishing a Coast Guard service secretary within the DHS. It would be similar to the service secretaries within the Department of Defense (DoD) now reporting to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. As with those other service secretaries, the USCG would be legislatively authorized and nominated by the president of the United States, and it would require Senate confirmation.
Noem added that the secretary would “have authorities comparable to those of the secretaries of the other military services within the Department of Defense.”
The USCG secretary would be accountable for decision-making, oversight, and procurement, similar to the Secretary of the Navy. A USCG undersecretary could also be established.
Legislation is already pending.
“Creating a Secretary of the Coast Guard ensures they have the leadership, resources, and support they need to continue their vital missions,” said Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell of Mississippi, chair of the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee and author of a bill that could create a secretary position, in a recent written statement. “It’s time we give the Coast Guard the same level of recognition and advocacy that other military branches receive.”
FD2028 Would Overhaul the Coast Guard
In addition to creating a secretary-level position within the USCG, the FD2028 called for overhauling the service, including its acquisition, logistics, maritime surveillance, and other service operations and structure. The plan comprises four major campaigns: People, Organizational Design, Technology, and Contracting and Acquisitions.
According to the FD2028 executive report, the USCG seeks to restore its “most important treasure,” its workforce, including active duty and reserve personnel, civilian employees, and auxiliary volunteers. The plan calls for increasing the workforce by 15,000 members and instituting a physical fitness test for all military members. It also modernizes the focus of the reserve component to prepare for full-scale mobilization and enhances access to medical care.
As part of the Organization Design, FD2028 will “restore clear lines of responsibility, authority, and accountability in officials leading operations, support, and other enabling functions.” The Technology campaign calls for the Coast Guard to “become a leader within the military services and DHS for adoption and use of advanced technology, human-machine teaming, and data to conduct operations, support, and enterprise functions.”
That will include developing an integrated sensor network for next-generation maritime surveillance, creating an information technology system for workforce management, and developing a logistics system needed to maintain more than 2,100 assets. Under FD2028, the USCG will further “establish a team” that can identify weaknesses and invent prototypes to help scope requirements for long-term solutions.
The Contracting and Acquisitions component was described as a “historic opportunity for significant investment from the Administration and Congress to renew the Coast Guard, driving the imperative for the Service to be ready to execute those investments.” It will help address the service’s aging fleet and infrastructure.
New Commandant Named
In addition to calling for a secretary to oversee the service branch, Noem also announced last week that Adm. Kevin Lunday will be nominated to serve as the 28th commandant of the USCG. Lunday has been acting commandant since January and will need to be confirmed by the Senate.
“Now is the time for fundamental change. Secretary Noem has said that we must reinvigorate the Coast Guard or risk strategic failure,” Lunday said last week. “I am honored to lead our Coast Guard men and women in this historic effort to renew the Service for the future. Force Design 2028 is the Coast Guard’s way forward. Under the leadership of Secretary Noem, we are moving out today to aggressively implement this transformational change.”
Growing the Coast Guard
Currently, the USCG has more than 43,000 active duty members, 8,000 reservists, and 30,000 auxiliary members. The Trump administration has called for expanding the service by an additional 15,000 personnel by the end of fiscal year 2028 (FY28). Current plans also call for reducing the number of admirals by 25%, or about 12 positions. Six planned promotions for new one-star admirals were canceled.
As with the other branches of the U.S. military, the Coast Guard has faced issues meeting its recruiting goals in recent years. According to Noem, the USCG is about 10% short of its enlisted workforce goals, which has required some of its vessels to sail with just 75% of the necessary crew.
