Coast Guard to fully restore six stations, cites recruiting success

The Coast Guard is moving to fully staff six stations, including three in California, and restore full operations in 2027, citing what officials call “record recruiting” results after years of workforce shortages that led to reducing services at smaller installations.

Six stations are now scheduled to return to full operations in 2027 “based on operational risk and mission demand:”

·       Station Castle Hill, Rhode Island

·       Station Milford Haven, Virginia

·       Station Saginaw River, Michigan

·       Station Vallejo, California

·       Station Golden Gate, California

·       Station Rio Vista, California

Coast Guard planners expect to restore more stations in the future

“Record recruiting is giving us the people we need to strengthen frontline operations,” said Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, commandant of the Coast Guard, in and Oct. 1 announcement. “Returning these stations to full operations means more Coast Guard men and women serving in our communities and greater capacity to respond when the American people need us. This is an important step, and more stations will follow.”

The reductions were imposed at several units in 2023 and 2024 through a “force alignment initiative” as the Coast Guard coped with workforce shortages. The moved shifted personnel to higher priority units and missions, while maintaining the Coast Guard’s ability overall to meet operational demands.

“Returning these stations to full operations will increase capacity for search and rescue, maritime security and law enforcement,” according to the announcement. “It will also increase Coast Guard presence in the communities these stations serve and strengthen the Coast Guard’s ability to respond to crises or contingencies on the water.”

The full return is still contingent on what the Coast Guard gets from Congress in its fiscal year 2027 appropriations, prioritizing station restorations “based on operational risk, mission demand, and availability of funding.”

The Coast Guard first restored a downsized station at Pascagoula, Miss., in December 2025, days after Lunday was confirmed as the Coast Guard’s new commandant. 

At the time the Coast Guard called Pascagoula “vital to securing our southern maritime border and supporting the Port of Pascagoula's $18 billion economic impact” and aligning “with a national strategy to achieve operational control of the border and facilitate commerce.”