No Hokey-Pokey music required for this dance, courtesy of the Trump administration.
The first order of business was to start cleaning house from the top down, and that action has the left-leaning press butthurt, because 1) woman 2) ‘trailblazer’ 3) out on her DEI tuchus.
CALL A WAAHMBULANCE
Trailblazing Coast Guard Commandant Fired by Trump Administration
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan has been relieved from her duties as the service’s top officer by the incoming Trump administration.
In a Coast Guard-wide message sent out Tuesday morning, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman announced Fagan’s removal without saying why the action was taken.
The firing comes after President Donald Trump was sworn into his second term in office on Monday and issued a flurry of executive orders. Fagan appeared to be the first high-profile firing within the military amid Trump’s promises to purge members he deems unfit or go after political adversaries.
Now, without getting into the particulars right off, the few things I found in a quick search concerning the admiral had my teeth on edge.
Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan was just terminated for prioritizing DEI ahead of border security. Goodbye! pic.twitter.com/v2sSOBq7ja
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 21, 2025
Yay, #wymmins ! You can already see a problem.
And what a schlub, but that’s just me.
One more accurate prediction https://t.co/2N5EfZ9oRj
— John Ʌ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) January 22, 2025
As I said when I posted this in the headlines a bit ago, ‘first’ does not always equate to ‘best’ – it often is the opposite. Please refer to Kamala Harris if you think I’m being too cynical.
Yesterday, Trump relieved the Commandant of the Coast Guard from duty.
Last June, she posted the below on the official Coast Guard website, at the same time that Coast Guard aircraft were being used to bring illegal immigrants to U.S. cities: pic.twitter.com/lEZ8WzY7Fl
— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) January 21, 2025
Now there’s quite a litany of deficiencies in official line in the statement regarding her firing. I mean, this is an excruciating read.
…Fagan has demonstrated leadership deficiencies, operational failures and an inability to advance the strategic objectives of the Coast Guard.
These include the failure to address border security threats, insufficient leadership in recruitment and retention, mismanagement in acquiring key acquisitions such as icebreakers and helicopters, excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and an “erosion of trust” over the mishandling and cover-up of Operation Fouled Anchor, which was the Coast Guard’s internal investigation into sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy.
Fagan is accused of ineffective deployment of Coast Guard assets to support national border security, including in intercepting fentanyl and other illicit substances. She also had insufficient coordination with DHS to prioritize operations along maritime borders.
The DHS official said Fagan had significant failures in recruiting personnel, which worsened issues related to operational readiness. The official added that the lack of innovative strategies to address retention struggles in critical specialties weakened workforce sustainability.
Under her leadership, there were also persistent delays and cost overruns in acquiring essential platforms, including icebreakers and helicopters, that the official said undermined Coast Guard capabilities in the Arctic and other strategic regions. The official further cited inadequate 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 focus from operational essentials.
One of the problems elucidated above was her focus on DEI initiatives, while, at the same time, stonewalling the investigation of sexual assault cases, and the abusive climate at the Coast Guard Academy. This I always find immensely puzzling. How can someone be a zealous diversity, equity, and inclusion Nazi but enable abusers and/or an abusive environment to go without correction?
…Her tenure has been clouded by the service’s Operation Fouled Anchor investigation, the news of which broke in June 2023. While Fagan ordered a top-down review of the service’s policies and culture toward sexual assault and harassment, she consistently declined to hold anyone accountable until the conclusion of a Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General investigation into the scandal.
The outcome of that investigation has not been published.
She also stonewalled the Senate about the investigation, even when confronted with havey-cavey goings on by the Coast Guard.
Day 1 Trump’s Admin | Smear Campaign Underway
Admiral Fagan, Commandant of the US Coast Guard, was not terminated primarily due to her inclusion of DEI at the academy.
She did not cooperate with a Senate investigation into the Coast Guard’s cover up of sexual assault at the… pic.twitter.com/MthZvVdHFW
— Matt Tardio (@angertab) January 21, 2025
…She did not cooperate with a Senate investigation into the Coast Guard’s cover up of sexual assault at the Coast Guard Academy (see Operation Fouled Anchor).
In June of 2024 she testified before Congress (see below). She was informed the Coast Guard, with assistance from DHS, used the FOIA to purposefully redact information victims of S.A. requested.
In a letter dated December 20, 2024 the Senate Committee specifically calling out the Coast Guard for not cooperating in the “ongoing investigation into that cover-up, including by limiting access to key records” and demanded the USCG “immediately produce all records responsive to the Subcommittee’s requests”.
That’s the real issue, not DEI.
There’s a serious leadership issue for sure.
Another of the glaring deficiencies in the eyes of the incoming Trump team has been the admiral’s reported indifference to the border crisis and those illegals who have been landing as opposed to walking over. It seems the Coast Guard’s mission on the security of the nation’s border in stopping those vessels chock full of bodies hasn’t been as focused as it could and should have been.
Quelle surprise?
Not really. Nobody was very interested in the border during the rule of POTATUS.
Intolerable.
Admiral Linda Fagan wasn’t fired because she was a woman, she was fired because she was grossly incompetent.
“Coast Guard commandant terminated over border lapses, recruitment, DEI focus: official”https://t.co/z8v6RjFSCy
— Betsy Brantner Smith (@sgtbetsysmith) January 21, 2025
And changing today.
The coast guard is an underrated branch because they haven’t been allowed off their leash for far too long. https://t.co/OUg4dp5dUg
— Terry Gant 🌲 (@ScriptManuscr1) January 22, 2025
Trump is unleashing the hounds and I will bet you dollars to donuts those puppies will be happy as hell. They get to do what they signed up to do.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced an immediate surge of assets along America’s maritime borders following executive orders issued by the White House.
The announcement comes amid leadership changes at the service’s highest level, with Admiral Kevin Lunday stepping in as acting commandant following the removal of Admiral Linda Lee Fagan, who made history as the first female uniformed leader of any U.S. Armed Forces branch. Her termination was reportedly due to concerns over prioritizing diversity initiatives over border security matters.
…“The U.S. Coast Guard is the world’s premiere maritime law enforcement agency, vital to protecting America’s maritime borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty,” stated Acting Commandant Lunday.
The comprehensive security initiative involves deploying additional cutters, aircraft, boats, and specialized forces across multiple strategic maritime regions. Key focus areas include the southeast U.S. border near Florida, addressing potential mass migration from Haiti and Cuba, and critical maritime zones surrounding Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories. The operation will also strengthen security measures along the U.S.-Mexico maritime border in both the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
And they do it so well.
USBP agents and the U.S. Coast Guard apprehended an aggravated felon aboard a small boat in open waters near Puerto Rico. Biometric checks identified Dominican Republic national Ramon Perez-Valdez, who has a conviction for aggravated felony robbery involving a gun and a prior… pic.twitter.com/jnoOgRhCCx
— Chief Michael Banks (@USBPChief) January 22, 2025
Less pronouns and more Semper Paratus, please.
