Members of the U.S. Coast Guard will receive their own version of President Donald Trump’s “Warrior Dividend” this month, a $2,000 holiday bonus that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem describes as a “Devotion to Duty” payment.
Service officials announced Thursday that Coasties warrant the payment for their “tremendous dedication, bravery and innovation” during a landmark year, which has seen stepped up migrant and drug interdictions, increased Arctic patrols and accelerated acquisitions of ships, aircraft and other hardware.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the U.S. Coast Guard has been defending our maritime borders, stopping the flow of deadly narcotics and illegal immigration into our country and countering America’s adversaries in the Western Hemisphere and around the world — and they’ve been shattering records in the process,” Noem said in a statement Thursday. “I am so proud of what our Coast Guard has achieved this year.”
The amount Coasties will receive is $224 more than other service members will get this week through the dividend. Coast Guard officials said Thursday that since the Coast Guard’s special pay will be taxable, the final award to its members is estimated to be “approximately $1,776 after taxes.”
“Unlike the Department of War’s ‘Warrior Dividend,’” the Devotion to Duty Payment is subject to taxes,” Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Steven Roth told Military Times in an email.
The payments will come from Coast Guard money in the fiscal 2026 continuing resolution, the funding bill signed Nov. 12 that ended the government shutdown. Officials did not specify the exact account from which the funds would be drawn.
The Defense Department’s dividend, to be paid to 1.45 million U.S. service members, came from funds marked as housing subsidies in the legislation known as The One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law on July 4. The financial source for the DOD payments was first reported by Defense One.
According to the Coast Guard, all members at the rank of captain and below who are on active duty through the end of the month are eligible for the pay, as are reserve members on active duty for 31 or more consecutive days as of Dec. 31.
Cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy are not eligible, nor are any service members not entitled to basic pay.
Coasties can choose to opt out of receiving the payments by providing email notice by Jan. 31, according to a service-wide message issued Thursday.
Members who go that route will still receive the pay, but it would be recouped.
Patricia Kime is a senior writer covering military and veterans health care, medicine and personnel issues.
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