“Coast Guard exceeds fiscal year 2025 recruiting goals, achieves highest numbers since 1991” –CG News Release

Below is a news release. Good news. I would really like to know more about the plan to grow the Coast Guard’s “military force by 15,000 members by FY28 to support fleet expansion and meet emerging mission demands.” 
It is not clear if this is 15,000 more than the current personnel allowance or 15,000 more than number of personnel actively in service. The GAO says the Coast Guard is short about 2,600 active-duty staff.
That would make the force a third larger. Force Design 2028 does not provide much detail about where those additional bodies will be working. If more detail is out there, I think we  would love to see it.
Also It seems our recruiting goals should be much higher than 4,300 per year if we are going to grow the service by 15000 in the next three years. That suggests there will be some novel personnel acquisition strategies. (The press release seems to have left out reference to any path to a commission other than the Academy.)

Nov. 7, 2025

Coast Guard exceeds fiscal year 2025 recruiting goals, achieves highest numbers since 1991

WASHINGTON – The Coast Guard announced Friday it exceeded its fiscal year 2025 (FY25) recruiting goals, achieving the highest accession numbers since 1991.

The Coast Guard accessed 5,204 active-duty enlisted service members in FY25, which was 121% of its FY25 target of 4,300. This success was the second year in a row that the Coast Guard met its active-duty enlisted recruiting goals after the Service brought in 4,422 new service members last year.

In addition to the success of the active-duty enlisted recruiting efforts, the Service commissioned 371 new officers, to achieve 101% of the overall goal. This represents the largest officer target achieved in recorded history.

In the reserve component, the Coast Guard accessed 777 reservists, which was 104% of the official target of 750. This was the third year in a row that the Coast Guard met its recruiting goals for the Coast Guard reserve.

To support these recruiting efforts, the Coast Guard opened 7 new recruiting offices in FY25. These offices are located in:

  • Miami, Florida
  • Los Angeles, California
  • Long Island, New York
  • Austin, Texas
  • Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Davenport, Iowa

All enlisted members begin their Coast Guard careers at Training Center Cape May in Cape May, New Jersey, where they complete basic training to prepare for service. Officer accessions occur on board the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, where candidates are trained and commissioned for service as Coast Guard officers.

“The Coast Guard far exceeded our recruiting goals in Fiscal Year 2025, showing that more Americans want to serve in the Coast Guard than ever before,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard. “Thanks to our recruiters for their great success. We aren’t just growing – we are bringing in the best talent from across the United States and building the workforce of the future.”

These results align with the goals of Force Design 2028, a strategic initiative to modernize the Coast Guard’s workforce, enhance readiness and grow its military force by 15,000 members by FY28 to support fleet expansion and meet emerging mission demands.

For media inquiries contact mediarelations@uscg.mil.

About the U.S. Coast Guard

With more than 95,000 miles of shoreline, 25,000 miles of navigable rivers and 4.5 million square miles of U.S. exclusive economic zone, the U.S. Coast Guard defends the Nation, protects the marine transportation system, regulates and safeguards ports and waterways, leads the Nation in drug interdiction and secures the maritime border. As a member of the joint force, a law enforcement organization, a regulatory agency and a member of the U.S. intelligence community, the Coast Guard employs a unique mix of authorities to ensure the safety and integrity of the maritime domain to protect the economic and national security of the nation. The more than 76,000 members of the Coast Guard operate a multi-mission, interoperable fleet of more than 220 cutters, 185 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, 1,300 boats and its own dedicated cyber command to protect critical maritime infrastructure.

More information about the U.S. Coast Guard can be found at www.uscg.mil Follow @USCG on X and Instagram, like us on Facebook, subscribe on YouTube and follow LinkedIn – connect with us.

Make a difference on land, at sea or in the air with the Coast Guard. Visit GoCoastGuard.com to find out how to be part of our team.

 

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