Coast Guard Short 3,500 Personnel in FY 2023, Fagan Says
By: Heather Mongilio
October 18, 2023 3:23 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
The Coast Guard is dealing with a shortfall of about 3,500 junior, non-rated members, the top leader of the service said Tuesday.
Due to the shortfall, the Coast Guard is starting to identify billets it cannot fill as it goes into its assignment season, commandant Adm. Linda Fagan told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS hosted Fagan as part of its Maritime Security Dialogue with the U.S. Naval Institute.
The Coast Guard now has to look at how it mans the fleet and meets its missions with the workforce it has, not the workforce it wants, Fagan said. One example of a potential change the service might make is the approach to the ice-capable harbor tugs that are in Boston and the Great Lakes area. They are about 65 feet long, making them a cutter by Coast Guard standards, meaning they have people assigned to the ship.
Ships under 64 feet 11 inches are considered boats. For boats, Coast Guard members are assigned to stations with ready crews that will man the boat on a rotational basis.
https://news.usni.org/2023/10/18/coast-guard-short-3500-personnel-in-fy-2023-fagan-says
