President Donald Trump fired the head of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Linda Fagan, on Monday, Jan. 20, who was the first female leader of a U.S. armed forces branch in American history. Benjamine Huffman, the acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, revealed on the ousting of Fagan in a memo on Trump’s first day in office, saying the four-star admiral was out and Admiral Kevin. E. Lunday was in as the service’s acting commander.
A senior DHS official told Fox News that Fagan was terminated over a failure to address border threats, delays and cost overruns in the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaker and helicopter programs, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts that took attention away “from operational imperatives.”
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The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a 2020 Coast Guard report that revealed years of sexual harassment and assaults within the Coast Guard, which Fagan’s predecessor failed to tell U.S. Congress about, also led to “an erosion of trust.”
Fagan was questioned by lawmakers in the U.S. Senate in June 2024. She admitted the Coast Guard’s decision to withhold the report from Congress was the wrong move.
In 2022, Fagan adopted a force which struggled with recruitment goals and budget crunches for years including during President Trump’s first administration.
The Coast Guard did reach its recruiting goals in 2024 after it brought in more recruiters.
Some Democrats in Congress criticized Trump’s firing of Fagan.
Democratic lawmakers noted some of her accomplishments in 2024 such as exceeding recruitment goals, intercepting billions of dollars’ worth of narcotics, ramping up the production of icebreakers and ultimately disclosing a report about years of sexual misconduct within the Coast Guard.
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Trump repeatedly vowed to end DEI programs in the military and promised to fire so-called “woke” military leaders.
Current Trump adviser and richest man in the world, Elon Musk, did not specifically mention Fagan’s ousting, but wrote on his social media platform X following the news.
“Undermining the U.S. military and border security to spend money on racist/sexist DEI nonsense is no longer acceptable,” Musk posted.
Tags: DEI, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Military Aid, Military Defense, Military Drills, Military recruiting, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. military
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP FIRED THE HEAD OF THE U-S COAST GUARD, ADMIRAL LINDA FAGAN. SHE WAS THE FIRST FEMALE LEADER OF A U-S ARMED FORCES BRANCH IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
BENJAMINE HUFFMAN, THE ACTING HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY, REVEALED THE OUSTING IN A MEMO ON TRUMP’S FIRST DAY IN OFFICE, SAYING THE FOUR-STAR ADMIRAL WAS OUT AND ADMIRAL KEVIN E. LUNDAY WAS IN AS THE SERVICE’S ACTING COMMANDER.
A SENIOR D-H-S OFFICIAL TOLD FOX NEWS FAGAN WAS TERMINATED OVER A FAILURE TO ADDRESS BORDER THREATS, DELAYS AND COST OVERRUNS IN THE COAST GUARD’S ICEBREAKER AND HELICOPTER PROGRAMS AND D-E-I EFFORTS TAKING ATTENTION AWAY “FROM OPERATIONAL IMPERATIVES.”
THE OFFICIAL, WHO SPOKE ON THE CONDITION OF ANONYMITY, SAID A 2020 COAST GUARD REPORT REVEALING YEARS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULTS WITHIN THE COAST GUARD, WHICH FAGAN’S PREDECESSOR FAILED TO TELL CONGRESS ABOUT, ALSO LED TO AN “EROSION OF TRUST.”
FAGAN WAS QUESTIONED BY SENATORS IN JUNE AND ADMITTED THE COAST GUARD’S DECISION TO WITHHOLD THE REPORT FROM CONGRESS WAS THE WRONG MOVE.
FAGAN ADOPTED A FORCE IN 2022, WHICH STRUGGLED WITH RECRUITIMENT GOALS AND BUDGET CRUNCHES FOR YEARS INCLUDING DURING PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FIRST ADMINISTRATION.
THE COAST GUARD DID REACH ITS RECRUITING GOALS LAST YEAR AFTER IT BROUGHT IN MORE RECRUITERS.
SOME DEMOCRATS CRITICISED TRUMP’S FIRING OF FAGAN.
NOTING SOME OF HER ACCOMPLISHMENT’S LAST YEAR.
LIKE EXCEEDING RECRUITMENT GOALS, INTERCEPTING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF NARCOTICS, RAMPING UP THE PRODUCTION OF ICEBREAKERS AND FINALLY BEING TRANSPARENT ABOUT YEARS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.
TRUMP REPEATEDLY VOWED TO END D-E-I PROGRAMS IN THE MILITARY AND PROMISED TO FIRE SO-CALLED “WOKE” MILITARY LEADERS
TRUMP ADVISER AND RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD ELON MUSK, DIDN’T SPECIFICALLY MENTION FAGAN’S OUSTING BUT WROTE ON HIS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM X FOLLOWING THE NEWS:
“UNDERMINING THE U-S MILITARY AND BORDER SECURITY TO SPEND MONEY ON RACIST/SEXIST DE-I NONSENSE IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE.”
FOR MORE ON THIS STORY– DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP OR VISIT SAN DOT COM.
FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M RYAN ROBERTSON.
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