WASHINGTON – The U.S. Coast Guard surpassed its recruiting goals for the third consecutive year, bringing in its largest enlisted class in nearly four decades and continuing historic momentum to grow and strengthen the Service.

In Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26), the Coast Guard enlisted 5,445 active-duty members, exceeding the 5,204 enlisted members who joined in FY 2025 and 4,422 in FY 2024. The Service also commissioned 346 active-duty officers, the second highest number in recorded Coast Guard history.

“These record-breaking recruitment numbers prove that the call to serve still resonates deeply across our country,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “I am incredibly proud to stand beside these new Coast Guard men and women who have stepped up to defend our Homeland. They represent the very best of who we are, and we are going to make sure they have the tools, the training, and the support to get the job done.”

Continuing efforts to expand its recruiting presence, the Coast Guard held grand opening ceremonies for four recruiting offices in FY26: Miami, Florida; Long Island, New York; Austin, Texas; and in the Netherlands.

“We surpassed our recruiting goals because Americans are ready and willing to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard conducting exciting missions that deliver results our Nation needs,” said Adm. Tom Allan, vice commandant of the Coast Guard. “This momentum is about more than numbers; it is about being the world’s best Coast Guard and building the workforce America needs. We are proud to welcome our newest members and grateful to our recruiters for continuing to deliver exceptional results.”

At the same time, the Coast Guard is making a historic investment in the infrastructure needed to train its growing workforce. The Service awarded a $400 million contract to modernize Training Center Cape May, New Jersey, which is the largest shore construction award in Coast Guard history. The project will upgrade training facilities and infrastructure at the Coast Guard’s sole accession point and basic training center for the entire enlisted workforce.

These recruiting efforts and infrastructure improvements continue the Coast Guard’s modernization through Force Design, a strategic initiative to modernize the Service’s workforce, enhance readiness and grow its military force by 15,000 members to support fleet expansion and meet emerging mission demands.

WASHINGTON  –  The U.S. Coast Guard completed a $132.5 million rebuild of Pier November at Base Charleston, South Carolina, delivering critical waterfront infrastructure that expands the Service’s capacity to support cutters, crews and operations in the Southeast and beyond.The new 1,190-foot-long, 80-foot-wide pier can accommodate up to five major cutters, increasing Base Charleston’s capacity and providing modern infrastructure designed to support current and future Coast Guard operations. This project was funded, in part, by an historic investment through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Of the nearly $25 billion provided through this act – the largest capital investment in Coast Guard history – the Service has been delivering on that investment by ordering approximately $19 billion in assets, capabilities, and infrastructure.

“Pier November will be home to new major Coast Guard cutters currently being constructed that will strengthen the Coast Guard’s ability to secure America’s borders and maritime approaches far at sea,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the Coast Guard. “Base Charleston is critical to our operations and will be home to one of the largest concentrations of Coast Guard personnel, assets, and capabilities.”

The project included demolition and replacement of the existing Pier November, repairs to collapsed bulkheads, dredging and shoreside utility improvements. Construction crews also addressed remnants of previous pier repairs discovered during the project. The work was completed 60 days ahead of schedule.

The Coast Guard’s Facilities Design and Construction Center managed the project as part of a broader effort to expand and modernize Base Charleston. Additional work includes demolition and reconstruction of Pier Mike and construction of new engineering, multifunctional and medical facilities. Together, these investments will expand Base Charleston’s capacity and strengthen its ability to support critical Coast Guard missions. This project was initially funded by the Fiscal Year 2019 Hurricane Supplemental with the removal of previous pier repairs funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Oct. 1, 2026 —The Coast Guard accepted delivery of the 64th fast response cutter (FRC), Marvin Perrett, on Sept. 10 in Key West, Florida. Following commissioning later this year, Marvin Perrett will be homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Each FRC is named after an enlisted Coast Guard hero who performed extraordinary service in the line of duty. Marvin Perrett served in the Coast Guard during World War II aboard a Higgins boat as a landing craft, vehicle, personnel coxswain. He took part in the invasions of Normandy, southern France, Okinawa and Iwo Jima.

Perrett enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1942, one day before his 18th birthday. After boot camp in St. Augustine, Florida, and landing craft training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, he became a certified Higgins boat coxswain and reported aboard the USS Bayfield, a Coast Guard-manned Navy troopship.

In recognition of his World War II service, Perrett received numerous awards for naval campaigns in the European and Pacific theaters. He was also inducted into the French Legion of Honor with the rank of chevalier. After the war, he became a prominent advocate for educating Americans about the Coast Guard’s role in World War II. He later received the Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award and the Pentagon’s Spirit of Hope Award. Perrett died in 2007.

Sixty-one FRCs are in service: 14 in Florida; six each in Alaska, Western Pacific and Massachusetts; five in Puerto Rico; four each in California and Guam; three each in Hawaii, Texas, Mississippi and New Jersey; and two each in North Carolina and Oregon.

In early September, a Coast Guard tactical team boarded M/V Grace in the Caribbean Sea. M/V Grace was transiting to Cuba, carrying fuel, and was believed to be employing tactics common amongst the “dark fleet.” Following the boarding, the Coast Guard escorted the M/V Grace to Progreso, Mexico, where a Mexican Navy (MARINA) inspection team confirmed the presence of large quantities of fuel in the vessel’s ballast tanks. The vessel was also carrying several containers believed to contain illicit fuel.

The unsafe stowage of fuel in ballast tanks represents an inherent hazard to the marine environment. The actions of the United States and Mexico prevented an unregulated fuel transfer in the Caribbean Sea, where deceptive shipping practices, unsafe vessel conditions and concealed cargoes can increase the risk of oil spills and other pollution incidents that threaten coastal communities, fish stocks and sensitive marine ecosystems.

“Illicit fuel shipments violate international law and pose severe environmental threats in the Caribbean Sea, said Vice Adm. Nate Moore, deputy commandant for operations. “As the Coast Guard leverages our unique authorities and capabilities on the high seas, coordinated efforts are vital to stopping illegal fuel shipments and upholding international law. We thank the Government of Mexico for its assistance in bringing M/V Grace to justice.”

The Coast Guard employed a range of assets and specialized capabilities to ensure a safe, seamless operation in accordance with U.S. and international law. The following assets and crews were involved in the interdiction operations:

• U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alert (WMEC-630)
• U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton (WPC-1108)
• U.S. Coast Guard HC-144 Fixed-Wing Aircraft
• U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South
• U.S. Coast Guard Southeast District watchstanders

“The high seas are not a sanctuary for lawlessness,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, commandant of the Coast Guard. “Dark fleet actors who employ deceptive tactics to engage in illicit activities will not evade justice. The Coast Guard is bringing every capability to bear to interdict these vessels and uphold international law.”

The interdiction of M/V Grace follows the Coast Guard’s boarding and detention of the M/V Jaira Provider, another substandard vessel determined to be carrying illicit fuel to Cuba earlier this summer. In support of U.S. Government policy and in coordination with interagency and international partners, the United States Coast Guard continues to conduct operations to counter illicit maritime activity by dark fleet, stateless and vessels that fail to adhere to international standards. These efforts are conducted consistent with customary international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention and in cooperation with Flag State and Port State authorities.

WASHINGTON – On Sept. 24, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard leveraged existing U.S. Air Force contracts to order six baseline C-130J long-range surveillance aircraft from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Marietta, Georgia.

This acquisition expands the Coast Guard’s C-130J program to 25 total aircraft. The Coast Guard expects to receive the first C-130J from Lockheed Martin in fiscal year (FY) 2028, with all six arriving by the end of FY 2030. Following delivery, the Coast Guard will award separate contracts to configure the aircraft to meet the Coast Guard’s mission requirements that designate the aircraft as HC-130Js.

These acquisitions continue the ongoing modernization of the Coast Guard’s aviation fleet. Compared with the legacy C-130H model, the new C-130J aircraft features a more advanced engine and propellers, yielding a 20% increase in speed and altitude, as well as a 40% increase in range.

HC-130J aircraft operate in core Coast Guard missions including counterdrug operations, alien interdictions, and search-and-rescue recoveries. The fleet is vital to the Coast Guard’s efforts to save lives, secure, control, and defend the U.S. border and maritime approaches, facilitate commerce vital to economic prosperity, and respond to crises and contingencies.

“The HC-130J is the largest and most capable airlift asset for the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security,” said Michael Haycock, director of systems integration (CG-SI). “Expanding our fleet supports the most critical Coast Guard missions and those of our DHS partners.”

This procurement also supports the Coast Guard’s plans to expand its HC-130J operations to additional air stations, including Air Station Sacramento, California, which received its first HC-130J in July 2026. The Coast Guard currently operates the HC-130J out of three air stations: Elizabeth City, North Carolina; Kodiak, Alaska; and Barbers Point, Hawaii.

The Coast Guard funded this acquisition using up to $735 million of the $1.412 billion provided by the fiscal year 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act for fixed-wing aircraft. The FY 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act is part of a comprehensive strategy to invest in Coast Guard facilities and infrastructure, supporting execution of missions across the country. To date, the Coast Guard has awarded approximately $19 billion across reconciliation projects throughout the United States.