Coast Guard Academy 141st Commencement Exercises May 18, 2022. The Coast Guard Academy graduated 252 new officers along with nine international students. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Mr. David Lau)

This is about twice as large as my graduating class, 53 years ago. Interesting class composition including international students and first cyber systems graduates. 

Coast Guard Academy graduates record number of officers

Editors’ Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.

NEW LONDON, Conn. — The U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduated 252 new officers along with nine international students with keynote speaker Vice President Kamala Harris in attendance during the 141^st Commencement Exercises Wednesday, May 18.

The Class of 2022 consisted of 87 cadets from underrepresented minority groups including the largest number of Asian American and Pacific Islanders to graduate in Academy history.

This year also marked the second highest number of cadets to commission into the Coast Guard in addition to 21 Cyber Systems graduates, the first to graduate from the newly instituted major to meet the needs of the service’s cybersecurity strategy of defending cyber space, enabling operations, and protecting infrastructure.

The new officers will begin to serve as leaders in a variety of operational roles throughout the Coast Guard, mostly on cutters.

Nine graduating international cadets from the countries of Cambodia, Iceland, Jordan, Mexico, Madagascar, Palau, Panama, Rwanda and the Ukraine will serve in their respective countries of origin.

“We view our cadets as our eyes and ears and hands and hearts, wherever you serve,” said Vice President Kamala Harris. “You are doing the critical work — you will be doing the critical work to protect our country, to advance our interests, and to shape the trajectory of world affairs.”

Founded in 1876, the Coast Guard Academy is one of the five U.S. service academies and is ranked among the nation’s most prestigious and selective institutions of higher learning.

180710-N-CW570-1068
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (July 10, 2018) U.S. Coast Guardsmen assigned to Regional Dive Locker Pacific conduct diving operations during a decontaminated water diving symposium at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, July 10, 2018. Twenty-five nations, 46 ships, five submarines, about 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 27 to Aug. 2 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security of the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Arthurgwain L. Marquez/Released)

The following was lifted from MyCG. The document is linked in the announcement but I am adding my own link here if you want to go directly.

I always get a bit nervous when the word “transformation” is used, but I am sure everyone would agree that the personnel management system could be improved. One thing that always bothered me, was that the evaluation system for officers always seemed to require that every officer be “well rounded.” Sure that is nice, but you really only have to be really good at one thing to be useful, and a lot of talented people were lost because they were not well rounded. The word “evaluation” is used only once in the document and fitness reports not at all. But even so, the document suggests we should see much greater flexibility–Check out page eleven.