The United States Coast Guard is struggling to lure new recruits, similar to challenges faced throughout other branches of the military.
Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath, the commander of the Virginia-based Fifth Coast Guard District, told the Washington Examiner the mid-Atlantic region is grappling with staffing shortages, which impacts “readiness and resiliency.”
“There is no secret that the Coast Guard is facing our toughest recruiting challenge in more than a decade,” Gilreath said. “Men and women assigned to the Fifth District fill large roles in the mid-Atlantic, from maintaining more than 7,900 aids to navigation to patrolling the 1.4 million square miles of oceans, bays, and rivers.”
With a small service of 54,000 active and reserve members and an even smaller workforce assigned to the Fifth District (2,500 active duty, 674 reserve, and 141 civilians), the staffing shortage “impacts their family and personal lives. The operational tempo cycle increases but without sufficient downtime to recharge,” Gilreath said.
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To understand the challenges, Washington Examiner photographer Graeme Jennings was invited to photograph Coast Guard training exercises at the United States Coast Guard Training Center at Cape May, N.J., and at the Coast Guard Air Defense Facility in Washington, D.C.
Here’s a look at the Coast Guard weapons training, search and rescue, and aviation missions captured by Jennings.
