U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Lee Fagan has been fired after several failures, including focusing too much on diversity, equity, and inclusion, Fox News reported. A senior Department of Homeland Security said the 66-year-old was terminated by Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman.
The DHS official, speaking exclusively to Fox News, said that an "erosion of trust" was to blame for Fagan's ouster. A Coast Guard bulletin confirmed the news Tuesday.
"Under my statutory authority as the Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, I have relieved Admiral Linda L. Fagan of her duties as Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. She served a long and illustrious career, and I thank her for her service to our nation," the bulletin from Huffman said.
Fagan's many failures include her inability to secure the border, a focus on DEI to the Coast Guard's detriment, insufficient execution of strategic objectives, and poor recruitment and retention. She is also accused of participating in a cover-up of an investigation into sexual misconduct in the branch of the armed services.
It seems her Fagan was a failure by just about every metric. The Coast Guard, with its 42,000 active-duty members plus thousands of reserve members and civilians, is in charge of protecting the nation's ports of entry and surrounding waterways.
Unfortunately, because of Fagan's lack of leadership in that position, fentanyl and other illicit drugs poured into the country while under her watch. She also dropped the ball regarding joint ventures with the DHS to secure maritime borders.
Moreover, Coast Guard helicopters and icebreakers, which are necessary to service objectives, were not acquired as they should have been. Fagan oversaw as costs soared and timelines lagged with her at the helm.
These were problems that came to light under the first administration of President Donald Trump. Rather than focusing on fixing these issues, Fagan, the first woman to head any branch of the U.S. military, squandered resources to prioritize DEI at the Coast Guard Academy.
Although he didn't mention Fagan by name, Trump adviser and billionaire Elon Musk shared a link to an article about her firing. "Undermining the U.S. military and border security to spend money on racist/sexist DEI nonsense is no longer acceptable," Musk posted, according to Reuters.
While Fagan was concerned about DEI, a scandal that started before her tenure continued to bubble under the surface. The Coast Guard quietly conducted an investigation into abuse allegations but kept the information from Congress and the public.
According to the Associated Press , the Coast Guard ran the probe Operation Fouled Anchor between 2014 and 2019. The goal was to look into allegations of sexual misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy involving at least a dozen victims.
The findings were finally revealed when the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability publicized its report late last year. "Today’s report confirms and provides additional powerful evidence that the cover-up of sexual assault in the Coast Guard was deliberate and purposeful and longstanding," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the committee's chairman, said on Dec. 20.
"The public deserves an explanation. So do the survivors," he added. Although the investigation concluded before Fagan became head of the Coast Guard, she is implicated in efforts to keep a lid on the determinations.
It's about time people who don't live up to their responsibilities are thrown out. Trump has a mandate to clean house, and Fagan will likely be just one of many who will have to face the consequences of their failures.
