After Recruitment Turnaround, USCG Plans to Reopen Shuttered Stations
Recruitment is going so well for the U.S. Coast Guard this year that it is going to be able to reopen six stations that had previously been shuttered for lack of manpower, the service said Thursday. The announcement is the start of a phased reversal of its 2023-24 adaptation strategy, which helped the Coast Guard keep core functions running with fewer people.
The turnaround has been remarkable. Last year, the Coast Guard brought in 5,200 new enlisteds, beating its goal by 110 percent. It was the largest incoming cohort of recruits since 1991. Numbers remain strong this year.
“Record recruiting is giving us the people we need to strengthen frontline operations,” said Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, commandant of the Coast Guard. “Returning these stations to full operations means more Coast Guard men and women serving in our communities and greater capacity to respond when the American people need us. This is an important step, and more stations will follow.”
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
The soon-to-be-reactivated outposts are spread around the country, and include Stations Castle Hill, Rhode Island; Milford Haven, Virginia; and Saginaw River, Michigan. On the West Coast, the Coast Guard wants to bring back Stations Vallejo, Golden Gate and Rio Vista, all located in the greater Bay Area.
These reopenings depend upon Congressional appropriations in the FY2027 budget - currently in a holding pattern, as the government is operating in continuing resolution status. If adopted, the FY2027 president's budget request for the Coast Guard - the service's own proposal - would add another $2.1 billion for operations and bring total personnel to nearly 55,000 FTE, an increase of more than 3,000 FTE from last year. It would be a stepping-stone on the path to raising USCG military headcount by another 15,000 servicemembers within the next few years.
