The House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation met late last month to study the state of the U.S. Coast Guard's (USCG) workforce, the committee announced at the time.
Linda Fagan, commandant of the United States Coast Guard, was the only witness at the July 27 hearing, according to the committee, which released a transcript of her testimony. Entitled "Enhancing Personnel Resources to Support a Stronger, More Resilient Coast Guard," the hearing focused on the current condition of the USCG workforce and the support systems needed to recruit and retain personnel.
In her opening remarks, Fagan called the USCG workforce her "highest priority," the transcript records.
"Without our workforce, we cannot operate or maintain our cutters, boats, and aircraft, or uphold standards for commercial vessel safety and pollution prevention," Fagan said in her testimony. "I am committed to providing our people innovative tools, inclusive policies, trustworthy technology, modernized training, and exceptional support to meet the demands of today and tomorrow."
Fagan shared with the committee the three tenets of her vision for the USCG: Transform our Total Workforce, Sharpen Our Competitive Edge, and Advance Our Mission Excellence, the transcript records.
She testified about the challenges the USCG is facing with recruitment, saying that "talent management is critically important" for the USCG, whose "current personnel system has not changed significantly in 75 years."
"People serving in the military today have different expectations for their professional lives," she said, "and we must adjust the way we recruit, train, and retain our people to continue to be an employer of choice."
Fagan testified USCG recruitment challenges include fewer people interested in or qualified for service; weakened community contact because of COVID-19; and competition with the private sector at a time of historically low unemployment "where even entry-level jobs offer benefits similar to the military, including signing bonuses, referral bonuses, 401K retirement plans, and medical benefits."
To rise to these challenges, Fagan said the USCG needs to "transform" its recruitment efforts in order to build the USCG workforce "that our Nation requires," according to the transcript.
"Our Ready Workforce 2030 (RW30) strategic outlook focuses on creating a system with the ability to generate the force we need," Fagan said, "when and where we need it. The RW30 initiatives are more than aspirational; we are taking action."
Fagan also testified on the USCG's commitment to promoting diversity in its workforce, in both the service and civilian ranks. She said the USCG's Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) is "a call to action for our entire workforce" and credited the two-year-old initiative with bringing employees together and "foster(ing) cohesion in the workforce."
After consulting with outside experts, Fagan noted the USCG had modified its recruitment and retention efforts "to improve equitable outcomes for women and underrepresented minorities." Changes include revised standards for grooming, tattoos and uniforms; a revised body-composition program; and flexible assignment policies.
Fagan testified the USCG is already seeing positive results from the changes, including more women and minorities entering and staying in the Coast Guard.
"Today there are 28% more women serving at the critically important mid-grade leadership ranks than there were in 2017," Fagan said, "Furthermore, I am proud to share that the Coast Guard Academy class of 2026 is 43% female and 37% underrepresented minorities.”
In her closing remarks, Fagan highlighted the need for member support, as well as a branch-wide structure of benefits for personnel that includes "housing, healthcare, and childcare."
“As we look to the future, we unite around a cohesive purpose: to lead our workforce to contribute to their greatest potential, and therefore achieve mission excellence in the service of this great Nation,” Fagan testified.
