US Coast Guard commandant relieved

PHOTO CAPTION: Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan salutes the national ensign while embarking U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Calhoun (WMSL 759), April 20, 2024, following the cutter's official commissioning in North Charleston, South Carolina. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Hillard via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)

By Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -     The Trump administration has fired U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Lee Fagan, the first female uniformed leader of an armed forces branch, the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday.

Former President Joe Biden nominated Fagan to lead the Coast Guard, which is responsible for maritime security, in 2021. She became the first female uniformed leader of a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman, in a message posted on the Coast Guard's website, confirmed Fagan had been relieved of her duties after a "long and illustrious career." 

    Huffman had terminated Fagan from her position because of "leadership deficiencies, operational failures, and inability to advance the strategic objectives of the U.S. Coast Guard," a senior Department of Homeland Security official said. 

One of the reasons, the official said while speaking on the condition of anonymity, was Fagan's "excessive" focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies.

Fagan and the Coast Guard could not be immediately reached for comment.

Trump has vowed to eliminate DEI programs in federal government agencies. The goal of the programs had been to increase diversity throughout the armed forces to better reflect the American population they serve to protect.

The Coast Guard, in particular, has faced scrutiny in the past for sexual assault complaints but also allegations of racism and hazing.

While the Coast Guard is an armed service, it falls under the Department of Homeland Security, not the Pentagon. 

Democratic Congressman Rick Larsen said the decision to remove Fagan was "misguided and will hurt readiness."

"The women and men of the U.S. Coast Guard deserve better than reckless personnel decisions," Larsen said.

The Coast Guard has been under scrutiny for sexual assault since a media report alleged it covered up decades of abuse and a Senate subcommittee found it shamed victims and failed to deal with perpetrators.

More than a dozen former U.S. Coast Guard Academy students who say they were victims of sexual assault filed complaints last year seeking $130 million in damages, accusing the school of allowing sexual violence to go unchecked.

Trump adviser Elon Musk, who leads the new administration's effort to cut costs across the federal government, alluded to  efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in a social media post, but did not explicitly confirm Fagan's termination.

"Undermining the U.S. military and border security to spend money on racist/sexist DEI nonsense is no longer acceptable," Musk, the world's richest man, wrote on X.

 (Reporting by Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart,Doina Chiacu and Susan Heavey; Editing by Peter Graff, Rod Nickel, Deepa Babington and Shri Navaratnam)