Adm. Linda Fagan today released a new U.S. Coast Guard Strategy.
“The pace of change in today’s world is accelerating. Geopolitical strategic competition, economic volatility, climate change impacts, shifting workforce expectations, evolving technologies, and new enterprises at sea are converging and driving change for our service,” the Commandant writes in her preface to the new strategy. “If we do not adapt, this accelerating pace of change will overtake our ability to protect, defend, and save the American public we serve. Now is the time to move our service forward.”
The strategy expands on the key lines of effort she initially outlined in her Commandant's Intent:
- We will transform our total workforce by modernizing how we recruit, hire, develop, train, and support our people and their families.
- We will sharpen our competitive edge by driving a culture of innovation to integrate new technology and provide our people with reliable assets, systems, and infrastructure.
- And we will advance our mission excellence by pioneering new operating concepts while enhancing our readiness.
The strategy also updates the United States Coast Guard Ethos:
In Service to our Nation
With Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty
We protect
We defend
We save
We are Semper Paratus
We are the United States Coast Guard
This strategy helps us transform our total workforce.
“Delivering improvements for our Coast Guard workforce is my top priority, so our Service can meet the challenges of tomorrow and ensure the enduring prosperity of America,” Fagan writes.
The service’s objective is to generate a modern and ready workforce, when and where we need it, to meet the growing demand for Coast Guard services by improving how we recruit, train, assign, and support our personnel and their families. The Ready Workforce 2030 Strategic Outlook (RW30) is at the core of this effort. In particular, the service will emphasize some key RW30 initiatives to enhance recruiting and retention:
- Deploy innovative recruiting practices
- Revolutionize talent management policies
- Develop individually tailored, on-demand and modernized learning.
- Deliver point-of-need healthcare and family services to bolster the resiliency of our workforce and families
This strategy helps us sharpen our competitive edge.
We are investing in reliable, cutting-edge assets, systems, and infrastructure, and we will develop a culture of innovation, to help you do your jobs more efficiently and effectively. We will sharpen our competitive edge by driving a culture of innovation to integrate new technology and provide our people with reliable assets, systems, and infrastructure.
This strategy helps us advance our mission excellence.
We will enhance the way we provide maritime safety and security, protect resources, respond to crises, and engage with domestic and international partners; we will deliver exceptional service to the nation. We will transform our processes and procedures to make better operational and business decisions. We will advance our mission excellence by pioneering new operating concepts while enhancing our readiness.
How does this transformation affect me?
Commands are encouraged to talk with members about why the Coast Guard needs to change, and to put the vision into their own words. Units can start looking for ways to transform their work to get ready for the future. And each member can visit Ideas@Work to share their ideas.
“This Strategy provides the vision and framework for why and how we will implement change to remain Semper Paratus,” the Commandant writes in the new strategy. “Every member of the Coast Guard is a leader - and every leader has an opportunity to contribute – I challenge you to align your work to this strategy and take action to lead our service forward.”
Resources