Admiral Linda Fagan
Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard
Linda Lee Fagan was born in July 1963 in Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy with a degree in marine science. She later earned an MS from the University of Washington and an MA in international security from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense University.
During her Coast Guard career, she has commanded the First Coast Guard District in the New York sector, commanded the Coast Guard Pacific Area, and was the Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, and that branch’s first female four-star admiral.
She was nominated to be the Commandant of the Coast Guard, confirmed by the Senate, and she received her unanimous consent confirmation in May 2022.
She is widowed of John J. Fagan. She has a daughter who has also graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
In the News…
In response to a recent report from the Coast Guard accountability and transparency team regarding issues of harassment and other workplace concerns among service members, Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan directed her senior officers to prepare to educate the Coast Guard on the principles of the service.
The report stated that cases of sexual harassment had increased since 2017, and that the service continues to lack accountability among its members. “Acknowledging this broken trust is an important first step in reestablishing it,” they wrote. “Building and earning trust will come through the actions of Coast Guard leaders at all levels of the organization.“
Admiral Fagan responded, “We each must ensure every Coast Guard workplace has a climate that deters harmful behaviors and gives everyone the positive Coast Guard experience they expect and deserve.”
She wants new training courses, and the development of new policy frameworks that will ensure accountability, especially in matters of sexual harassment.
