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My Coast Guard
Commentary | Dec. 29, 2020

Establishment of an Officer Recruiting Corps

By Shana Brouder, MyCG Staff

Intentionally cultivating a diverse workforce that is reflective of our nation is a key priority of the Coast Guard. To ensure this continues in the future, the Coast Guard is establishing a dedicated Officer Recruiting Corps.

As announced in ALCOAST 452/20 Establishment of an Officer Recruiting Corps, this Officer Recruiting Corps will be tasked with managing the sustained outreach necessary to attract the best possible officer candidates to the Coast Guard. Their main goal will be sharing their unique perspectives on officer careers and forging the personal connections critical to attracting potential applicants to the Coast Guard. 

To do this effectively and efficiently, the Officer Recruiting Corps will serve all non-Academy officer programs. This includes Officer Candidate School and Direct Commission Officer Programs, with a special emphasis on supporting the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI) at minority-serving institutions. 

The Corps will have five members serving two-year billets, comprised of one commander and four lieutenants. The commander will serve at Coast Guard Recruiting Command in Washington, DC, while the four lieutenants will be assigned to various priority recruiting markets. These exact locations will be determined at a later time. 

The members of this recruiting team must be energetic, have strong interpersonal skills, and show a spirited focus on the objectives of the Coast Guard diversity and inclusion action plan and the Coast Guard recruiting mission. They will be charged with identifying and recruiting those who wish to make a difference on land, sea or in the air. 

With a projected 2,500 commissioned officers expected to join the Coast Guard in the next five years, the Officer Recruiting Corps will play the pivotal role of helping the best and brightest join the Coast Guard, while ensuring those who join the ranks are reflective of the diverse population the Coast Guard serves. 

If you are interested in joining this new team, please be on the lookout for a solicitation message with more details from the Office of Personnel Management (PSC-OPM). If you have other questions regarding the new Officer Recruiting Corps, please contact Lt. Cmdr. Colin MacInnes at Colin.B.Macinnes@uscg.mil.