Adm. Kevin Lunday Takes Oath of Office as Next Coast Guard Commandant
Adm. Kevin Lunday has taken the oath of office as the 28th commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, formalizing a role he has held in an acting capacity since early this year.
"With almost 40 years in the Coast Guard, and with command experience that has ranged from the Indo-Pacific to the Persian Gulf to cyberspace, Kevin Lunday was the man for the job. Congratulations, Admiral Lunday!" said Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in a statement.
Adm. Lunday is the architect of Force Design 2028, a transformation plan to boost the service's readiness. With billions in supplemental funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Coast Guard is rebuilding its fleet and its shoreside infrastructure in a generational push to upgrade. Recruitment has rebounded to record levels, and Lunday's plan calls for adding another 15,000 servicemembers to support new vessels and assets. Cocaine busts have doubled thanks to a heavier presence in the Eastern Pacific.
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In the big picture, the Coast Guard's services provide about $74 billion in cost avoidance in the U.S., Lunday's office estimates. The service's budget is just $14 billion per year, so the value delivered works out to a 6-to-1 return on taxpayer dollars, the Coast Guard claims.
According to Adm. Lunday, Force Design 2028 is already delivering, and the progress will continue. "The Coast Guard is already a stronger, more agile, capable, and responsive fighting force," said Adm. Lunday in a statement. "The service is better positioned than it was in January 2025 to effectively control, secure, and defend the U.S. borders and maritime approaches, facilitate the uninterrupted flow of commerce, and rapidly respond to contingencies."
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