Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is on board with establishing a secretary of the Coast Guard. (Tom Williams)
"I view the creation of a Secretary of the Coast Guard as a vital step toward strengthening strategic integration and alignment between the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of War," Hegseth said in the letter.
"Furthermore, a Secretary of the Coast Guard would reinforce civilian oversight of the military, a foundational principle of our Constitution," Hegseth said. "A dedicated Service Secretary would promote appropriate executive accountability and policy guidance for the Coast Guard's critical mission set, provide clear leadership and advocacy, and ensure that the Service is effectively advancing the priorities of the Secretary of Homeland Security and the President of the United States."
Noem said a secretary for the Coast Guard will allow it to better conduct joint operations with other services. For example, the Coast Guard is teaming up with the U.S. Navy as part of Operation Pacific Viper, which seeks to counter the influx of illegal drugs to the U.S. as part of President Donald Trump’s larger effort to crack down on drug cartels.
Ultimately, Noem vowed she would work with Hegseth, Trump and members of Congress to create the position.
"The Coast Guard is the tip of the spear in the fight to protect our Homeland," Noem said in a statement, obtained by Fox News Digital. "Every day, they are taking down drug smugglers, going toe-to-toe with our adversaries in the Arctic and the Pacific, and saving lives. Having a Secretary of the Coast Guard will be essential for President Trump’s mandate to rebuild the Service into the finest maritime fighting force in the world."
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Rep. Mike Ezell, R-Miss., spearheaded a provision included in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 to create a Coast Guard secretary as well.
Additionally, the initiative seeks to build up the Coast Guard’s force, which currently consists of roughly 43,000 active-duty personnel, and identify which specialties need reinforcement to expand training. The blueprint also calls for a series of changes to better align the Coast Guard with the Department of Defense’s standards for physical fitness, body composition and grooming.
Historically, the Coast Guard has not enforced fitness standards unless personnel are attached to boat crews of law enforcement teams — a departure from the other military services. However, the Coast Guard announced in September that it is rolling out a mandatory, service-wide fitness test in 2026.
The Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028 comes in response to the Trump administration’s efforts to tackle illegal immigration and drug smuggling, a DHS official familiar with the plan told Fox News Digital in April.
"We've been making changes practically daily in the service to really keep moving forward," the official told Fox News Digital in April. "The goal of 2028 is that the transformation of the service will be complete by 2028."
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hegseth-noem-board-vital-step-create-coast-guard-secretary-amid-trumps-drug-smuggling-crackdown