News

The U.S. Coast Guard dispatched its most powerful ship and heaviest icebreaker to help set free an Australian-owned cruise ship that was wedged in ice in Antarctica on Jan. 17. The Polar Star, which boasts up to 75,000 horsepower, sliced through thick sheets of ice to wrestle free the Scenic Eclipse II from its immovable position, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a release Friday. But the day was note...[Read More]

The U.S. Coast Guard has released a new, firmer policy addressing the display of hate symbols like swastikas and nooses just hours after it was publicly revealed that it made plans to describe them as “potentially divisive” — a term that prompted outcry from lawmakers and advocates. “Divisive or hate symbols and flags are prohibited,” the latest Coast Guard policy, released late Thursday, declared...[Read More]

The Coast Guard chose the site of a former college in Birmingham, Alabama, as the location for its new recruit training center. The campus of Birmingham-Southern College, which closed its doors in 2024 as a result of financial straits, is considered a turnkey location that could start training new Coast Guard members by the end of the year. The location was selected because it met nearly immediate...[Read More]

The head of the Department of Homeland Security signed off on the purchase of two private planes that cost four times as much as the amount previously requested, according to a statement from the House Appropriations Committee Democrats. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is spending $200 million on a pair of Gulfstream G700 private jets for the U.S. Coast Guard, despite the fact that an earlier funding re...[Read More]

On an ordinary Wednesday at U.S. Coast Guard Station Washington, D.C., Lt. Cmdr. Kim Jenish had just given her crew a motivating lecture about resilience and staying focused on their goals. She didn’t know that very evening would bring a crisis that would put her words to the test. Just before 9 p.m. on Jan. 29, an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Airlines Flight 5342 outsid...[Read More]

The U.S. Coast Guard announced a contract award to secure five Arctic Security Cutters, bringing the total amount of cutters being manufactured to 11 to meet President Donald Trump’s executive orders to expand the icebreaker fleet. The contract award, announced Wednesday, will see Davie Defense, Inc. manufacture two Arctic Security Cutters in Helsinki, Finland, and produce three in the United Stat...[Read More]

The Coast Guard is getting its first MQ-9 drones to help counter human trafficking, assist with drug interdictions and improve search-and-rescue missions, an addition that current and former officials are heralding as a game-changer in the fight against smuggling. Known for their long flight times needed for extensive surveillance missions, the MQ-9 is among the most sought-after drones for combat...[Read More]

With no agreement on funding for the Department of Homeland Security by Friday and Congress on recess until Feb. 23, the U.S. Coast Guard is expected to undergo a shutdown beginning at midnight on Friday. For more than 41,000 active-duty and activated Reserve members, the lack of funding means working without pay, although they likely will not feel the effects until the next scheduled military pay...[Read More]

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard will receive their own version of President Donald Trump’s “Warrior Dividend” this month, a $2,000 holiday bonus that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem describes as a “Devotion to Duty” payment. Service officials announced Thursday that Coasties warrant the payment for their “tremendous dedication, bravery and innovation” during a landmark year, which has seen...[Read More]