Noem’s announcement of Lunday’s promotion came at the Coast Guard academy graduation ceremony in Connecticut. In addition to that nomination, Adm. Thomas Allan Jr. will be tapped to serve as vice commandant.
“These leaders have the full faith and trust of me, and they have the full faith and trust of the president of the United States,” Noem said. “I am certain that they will not let us down.”
Lunday, 60, has served in the Coast Guard for the last 38 years. He took over the acting command post after Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan was abruptly fired on Jan. 21, just one day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
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White House officials at the time said Fagan was terminated because of a failure to address border security threats and a perceived excessive focus on diversity programs. Fagan was the first woman to serve in the top uniformed Coast Guard post and the first uniformed woman to lead any branch of the armed forces.
Officials also cited her poor response to reports of sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy.
Lunday had been serving as vice commandant at the time of the firing. His previous assignments included several posts in the Indo-Pacific region, including time as commander of the Fourteenth Coast Guard District.
In remarks before his promotion announcement, Lunday told the graduating class that the service is “on the edge of transformational change, and we will become a stronger, more capable and more agile force to meet the challenges ahead. Together, we will lead that change.”
Part of those reforms will be a 25% reduction in flag officer posts, Noem said during her speech. The secretary said the move is needed “so that we can return the decision making to the front line where it belongs.”
Officials have also outlined plans to grow the service by at least 15,000 personnel over the next four years to better respond to current threats and missions. If confirmed, Lunday will be charged with leading both of those efforts.
No timetable has been announced for when Lunday’s confirmation could be voted on by the Senate.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
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