The Coast Guard exceeded its recruiting goals this year, ending a personnel drought that forced the service to shutter bases and temporarily beach some of its vessels.
The surge, with the service branch recruiting more than 5,200 active duty personnel in fiscal 2025 versus 4,300 the previous year, means a need for more training space.
The Coast Guard wants a home for at least 1,200 recruits and 400 staff members. It should be in an area of 150 acres to 250 acres, have at least 14 classrooms, hold a cafeteria for 400 people and be no more than 30 miles from an airport.
“As the Coast Guard continues its historic growth, we’re outpacing the capacity of our existing training and workload support facilities to train and grow our force,” said Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, acting Coast Guard commandant. “We need more space, and that’s why we are looking for locations across the country.”
The Coast Guard’s new Force Design 2028 initiative is supposed to help eliminate the service’s huge training space deficit. The projected workforce growth of up to 15,000 additional personnel calls for an increase of 1.3 million square feet.
“We’re expecting Force Design 2028 to build the Coast Guard into a more agile, capable, and responsive fighting force. This means strategically expanding our personnel … to meet the nation’s growing security needs,” Adm. Lunday said in a statement.
The Coast Guard has several training centers, including in Cape May, New Jersey, for basic; Mobile, Alabama, for aviation; and Yorktown, Virginia, and Petaluma, California, for more training.
“The Coast Guard seeks to evaluate existing facilities or properties that can be adapted to meet the infrastructure requirements for recruit training and can be operational within 12 months of acquisition or lease,” the Coast Guard said.
Expanding the Coast Guard’s training and workforce support capacity will be critical to the service’s long-term force structure and a “vital investment” in its future, Adm. Lunday said.
“This is more than buildings. It’s where we will forge the next generation of Coast Guard heroes,” he said.
Kristi Noem, secretary of Homeland Security, said a new training center is needed to help the Coast Guard respond to challenges of the 21st century.
“The brave men and women of the Coast Guard are making America safe again, achieving record-breaking drug seizures and modernizing its fleet, fueled by historic investment from President Trump,” Ms. Noem said. “This success rests on the shoulders of our service members. They are skilled, dedicated and always ready for action.”
The Coast Guard didn’t indicate when it will make a final decision on the new training area.
