Coast Guard Examining Part-Time Service to Better Man Its Force
By: John Grady
May 11, 2023 3:58 PM
Graduates from recruit company Hotel-203 complete basic training at U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, N.J., Feb. 24, 2023. Coast Guard Photo
Part-time service – like serving three days per week on active duty instead of seven – could help solve persistent recruiting shortfalls in the Coast Guard, the service’s commandant said Wednesday.
Adm. Linda Fagan suggested creating a category other than active duty, reserve or civilian employee, to describe service.
“I’m [going to] use the term part-time: You’ve got some level of benefit, but you’re working three days a week instead of the 24/7, 365-day contract that comes in,” Fagan said at a Brookings Institution event.
When recruiting certified aircraft mechanics or cyber specialists, all of them, including the “part-timers” if that category is approved, would have to undergo Coast Guard basic training, Fagan said.
https://news.usni.org/2023/05/11/coast-guard-examining-part-time-service-to-better-man-its-force