Coast Guard Establishing an Officer Recruiting Corps

The U.S. Coast Guard is establishing an Officer Recruiting Corps as part of its plan to commission 500 officers over the next five years. U.S. Coast Guard / Petty Officer 3rd Class Connie Terrell

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard is establishing an Officer Recruiting Corps, the service said in a Dec. 15 internal message released by Coast Guard headquarters.

The Coast Guard expects to commission approximately 500 officers over the next five years, including the graduates of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Slightly more than half of the new officers will be accessed from sources other than the Academy.

“To better access the richness of American society to recruit a world-class workforce, the Coast Guard is stablishing a dedicated Officer Recruiting Corps,” said the message, released by Rear Adm. J. M. Nunan, assistant commandant for Human Resources. “This team will focus on the sustained outreach necessary to attract the best of America’s diverse population that reflects the people we serve. As noted in the Coast Guard’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and in alignment with the Coast Guard Strategic Plan, having the world’s most diverse and inclusive Coast Guard is critical to our ability to succeed in an increasingly complex maritime environment.”

The message said that being prepared for a more complex future “requires us to establish a culture that supports accelerated innovation and inclusion. The full-time Officer Recruiting Corps will be well-suited to share unique perspectives on officer careers and forge the personal connections critical to attracting potential applicants. This team is an initial step towards developing a comprehensive outreach strategy to recruit a more diverse workface per the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and establishes a persistent and dedicated presence focused on officer recruiting.”

The new corps will recruit for all non-Academy officer accession officer programs including Officer Candidate School and Direct Commission Officer Programs, “with a special emphasis on supporting the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative at minority-serving institutions.”

The Officer Recruiting Corps initially will be staffed by one commander and four lieutenants.