Fagan Would Make History as First Female Head of a Service Branch

Linda L. Fagan, who last year became the U.S. Coast Guard’s first female four-star admiral, was nominated this month by President Joe Biden to become its first female commandant.

If confirmed by the Senate to the top job, Fagan would become the first woman to lead a service branch of the U.S. military.

“President Biden has made an exceptional choice,” Alejandro N. Mayorkas, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said in an April 5 statement on Fagan’s “historic” nomination.

“Over Admiral Fagan’s 36 years in the Coast Guard,” he added, “she has served on seven continents, was previously commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area, and is the officer with the longest service record in the Marine Safety Field.” For her more than three decades of active-duty service as a Marine Safety Officer, Fagan is the first-ever recipient of the Gold Ancient Trident.

Fagan has been serving as the 32nd USCG’s vice commandant since June 18, 2021. In that role, she is vice service chief and chief operating officer, where she oversees strategy, organizational governance and acquisitions.

At 44% female, Biden’s cabinet has most representation of women ever in history, according to data tracked by The Leadership Council for Women in National Security. However, Biden is still falling short of his stated goal of gender parity in national security leadership, the group said.

If confirmed, Fagan would lead an organization of about 50,000 personnel, who operate under a mix of authorities in law enforcement, national security, first response and environmental stewardship. The Coast Guard operates a fleet of 259 cutters, 200 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft and over 1,600 boats.

Other USCG female firsts

Female service in the Coast Guard dates to the 1830s, when women were assigned as keepers in the Lighthouse Service, according to a USCG document, “Women in the U.S. Coast Guard: Moments in History.”

Other female firsts in the history of the Coast Guard highlighted in the document include:

From 1859 to 1862, Maria Andreu (or Maria Mestre de los Dolores) served as keeper of the St. Augustine, Florida, Lighthouse, becoming the first Hispanic American woman in the Coast Guard and the first Hispanic American woman to oversee a federal shore installation.

In 1945, Olivia Hooker, D. Winifred Byrd, Julia Mosley, Yvonne Cumberbatch and Aileen Cooke became the first African American women to enter the USCG reserves program.

In August 1978, all personnel restrictions based on sex are lifted, opening up all officer and enlisted career fields to women; the following year, Beverly Kelley became the first female commanding officer afloat, taking command of the Coast Guard Cutter Cape Newagen.

In June 1985, two female lieutenant junior grades, Vickie Karnes and Cathy Bierne, piloted an HU-25A off the West Coast of Florida in the first all-female flight mission for the Coast Guard.

In 1988, Grace Parmelle becomes the first Asian-Pacific American female warrant officer.

In 1990, 14 women reservists deploy to the Persian Gulf, and Mary Fowlkes as an SK-1 (storekeeper 1st class petty officer) becomes the first African American female to deploy to the Middle East during Operation Desert Shield-Desert Storm.

In June 2005, Lt. j.g. Jeanine McIntish-Menze earns her wings as the first African American female Coast Guard aviator.

In June 2012, CW Kilohana Akim is the first female Pacific Islander of Hawaiian descent to be promoted to investigator petty officer third class.

Learn more

Read the DHS statement on Fagan’s nomination: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/04/05/statement-secretary-mayorkas-president-bidens-nominations-admiral-linda-l-fagan

Read about Fagan’s previous promotion: https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/adm-linda-fagan-becomes-uscgs-first-female-four-star-admiral.

Read a chronology of women’s service in the Coast Guard: https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Notable-People/Women/Women-in-Coast-Guard-Historical-Chronology.