Acting Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday has been nominated to become the service's 28th commandant, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Wednesday.
Lunday, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's Class of 1987, is an attorney who has led some of the service's largest operational commands. He was appointed vice commandant in 2024 and has served as acting commandant since Jan. 21 when his predecessor, Adm. Linda Fagan, was fired from the job.
During his four months as acting commandant, Lunday has steered the service through increased migrant and drug interdiction operations and the development of a force restructuring known as Force Design 2028.
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The announcement comes after Lunday notified the Coast Guard this month that the number of its flag officer positions will be cut by 25% over the next seven months as part of the restructuring. About a dozen of the 46 current positions could be eliminated after Noem decided the service had "redundant executive oversight."
Noem unveiled Lunday's nomination and other key leadership positions Wednesday during a commencement address at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.
"This is exciting news for all of you because this leadership team has the vision to implement Force Design 2028 and be examples to all of you as you take on this unprecedented time in Coast Guard history," Noem told the graduates.
Other nominations announced by Noem included Vice Adm. Thomas Allan as vice commandant; Vice Adm. Nathan Moore as deputy commandant for operations; Rear Adm. Jo-Ann Burdian as Atlantic Area commander; and Rear Adm. Joseph Buzzella as Pacific Area commander.
Rear Adm. Douglas Schofield will serve in the new position created as part of the force restructuring, chief of staff.
"I learned long ago that leadership has consequences. It matters who's in charge. It matters not just to the people that they lead, but it also sets an example for others across the communities, the states and the nation in which they serve. These leaders have the full faith and trust of me," Noem said.
Lunday was named acting commandant following the firing by Trump Jan. 21 of Commandant Linda Fagan, the first uniformed female to lead one of the six armed services. Fagan, who had served in the post since June 2022, has been credited for working to improve recruiting and retention and focusing on workforce management and quality of life.
But her tenure was clouded by an investigation and subsequent cover-up of sexual assault at the Coast Guard Academy and delays in the production of new ships, including a much-needed polar icebreaker, as well as challenges tackling the service's aging infrastructure.
In a statement to Military.com at the time of her dismissal, a Homeland Security official criticized Fagan for "excessive focus on diversity" and mishandling Operation Fouled Anchor, as the sexual assault investigation was known.
"The failure to adequately address the systemic issues exposed by this investigation has underscored a leadership culture unwilling to ensure accountability and transparency in protecting service members," the official said.
The Homeland Security inspector general review of Operation Fouled Anchor has not been released. It is unclear whether Lunday was aware of or had any involvement in the investigation. He was serving as Atlantic Area commander when news of the scandal broke in mid-2023 and previously had led U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command.
On Wednesday, Noem also unveiled her plan for Force Design 2028, which includes the creation of a Coast Guard secretary with duties and powers on par with the secretaries of the Defense Department branches.
In addition to a secretary, who will have to be confirmed by the Senate, the new leadership plan will add an unknown number of political appointees to the Coast Guard, including an under secretary and assistant secretaries.
Noem said she plans to increase the size of the service by 15,000 people and added that the Coast Guard already has recruited 4,700 new members this fiscal year -- 400 more than its 2025 goal.
In the executive summary of Force Design 2028, Noem didn’t specifically say why the service needed to be larger, but said growth was needed to meet mission demand.
The success is a result of a massive investment in recruiting: The service met its recruiting goals for the first time in six years in 2024, having opened 13 new recruiting stations and added 100 recruiters.
"We're going to build a more agile, capable and responsive fighting force. To do this, we will improve training systems, we'll boost access to medical care, modernize both the Coast Guard Reserve and the civilian management system. We will reorganize the service," Noem said.
Noem made the announcement of Lunday's nomination after both he and she had concluded their remarks to the graduating class. But Lunday praised the changes forthcoming for the service, describing them as "transformational."
"Thank you for stepping forward to lead at this most consequential time in our history, a time when the Coast Guard is more in demand than ever before," Lunday said. "We will become a stronger, more capable and more agile force to meet the challenges ahead. Together, we will lead that change."
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