WASHINGTON — The commandant of the US Coast Guard has been removed from her position over “leadership deficiencies” and “operational failures,” a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed to CNN on Tuesday.

In a list of reasons “supporting her immediate removal,” the official cited Adm. Linda Fagan’s “failure to address border security threats” and “excessive focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.” Additionally, the official said the Coast Guard suffered “significant shortfalls in recruiting personnel” under Fagan’s leadership. But the Coast Guard actually met — and in certain areas exceeded — its recruiting goals for the first time in 6 years in October.

The list also cites the “mishandling” and “coverup” of Operation Fouled Anchor, a secret internal Coast Guard investigation that substantiated dozens of rapes and assault allegations at the agency from the late 1980s to 2006, CNN has reported.

Fagan has said she only learned of the “totality” of the so-called Fouled Anchor probe when CNN inquired about the issue last year, though she had heard of it because she had previously taken steps to remove a commanding officer caught up in the investigation.

Fagan’s firing came just hours after President Donald Trump was inaugurated. Trump signed executive orders on Monday aimed at increasing the US military’s presence at the southern border, and he has repeatedly criticized the US military for being too “woke” and focused on DEI initiatives.

The Coast Guard under Fagan has been targeted by Trump’s allies before. Then-GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz and GOP Rep. Eli Crane sent a letter to DHS in August “demanding answers” over the Coast Guard’s “prioritization of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)” initiatives, pointing to the agency’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity inclusivity training and calling it “indoctrination.”

Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, has said publicly that “any General, Admiral, whatever that was involved in any of the DEI woke sh*t has got to go.”

Fagan was the first female uniformed leader of a US armed forces branch. CNN has reached out to the US Coast Guard for comment from Fagan.

Fox News first reported Fagan was removed from her position.

The-CNN-Wire
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