Coast Guard Surpasses Recruiting Goals Amid Ongoing Challenges

At the request of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published two reports addressing the U.S. Coast Guard recruiting and retention efforts. Among their findings, they reported that in 2024, the Coast Guard met its enlisted recruiting targets for the first time since 2018. 

The Coast Guard, which employs over 39,000 active-duty military service members, missed its recruiting targets from 2019 to 2023. In 2024, it reached its target after increasing recruiting offices, marketing and other efforts. 

The GAO reported that these efforts contributed to the Coast Guard exceeding its target of 4,200 enlisted personnel by more than 200 in the fiscal year 2024, but challenges remain. The Coast Guard has not fully assessed how its initiatives contribute to recruiting results. 

In its report, the GAO made four recommendations to the Coast Guard for continued growth: 

1. Further assess how recruiting and outreach activities contribute to annual results. 

2. Implement recruiter training in an in-person or hybrid format. 

3. Implement mechanisms to monitor and resolve information technology issues with recruiter tools and systems. 

4. Develop a process to routinely monitor and analyze recruiting website availability. 

In a second report, the GAO found that the service lost more enlisted service members than it recruited from 2019 to 2023. For example, in fiscal year 2023, they lost more than 3,800 enlisted service members and recruited 3,126. Even with its gain in 2024, it remained approximately 2,600 enlisted members short of its target. 

The GAO finds that it’s hard to retain personnel in the Coast Guard because of several factors, including frequent relocations, demanding work environments and lower pay benefits than in the private sector. 

In the report, the GAO makes three recommendations: 

1. Implement additional mechanisms to increase response rates and analyze the potential for nonresponse bias in its Career Intention Survey .

2. Analyze the potential for nonresponse bias in its Career Intention Survey results. 

3. Develop a clear plan, including how retention initiatives align with strategic objectives and track progress and performance.