Adm. Linda Fagan is set to become the first female commandant of the Coast Guard after the Senate confirmed her appointment unanimously on Wednesday.
Fagan, who has been serving in the Coast Guard’s vice commandant since 2021, will replace Adm. Karl Schultz, who has served as commandant since June 2018 and is set to retire in May. As commandant, Fagan will be the first woman to lead a service branch, USNI News previously reported.
Before being appointed as the vice commandant, Fagan led the Coast Guard Pacific Area from June 2018 until June 2021. Fagan, a 1985 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy, previously served as deputy director of operations for headquarters at U.S. Northern Command, and led the First Coast Guard District.
Schultz is a native of East Hartford, Conn., and a 1983 Coast Guard Academy graduate. Prior to serving as commandant he was the commander of the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area, where he oversaw the Coast Guard’s response to Hurricanes Irma, Maria and Harvey in 2017.
