United States Coast Guard Officer Personnel Management
The order delegates to the Secretary of Homeland Security several presidential authorities over United States Coast Guard officer appointments, promotions, separations, and retirements, removing the need for direct presidential approval on routine personnel actions.
What this order does
What it orders
The order directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to perform, without presidential approval or ratification, a range of personnel authorities over Coast Guard commissioned officers. These include approving or modifying selection board reports, removing names from promotion lists, appointing officers to junior grades (ensign through lieutenant), making temporary appointments, approving continuation boards for captains, and commissioning regular and reserve chief warrant officers.
During a time of war or national emergency, the Secretary may also suspend officer selection and promotion laws and temporarily promote active-duty officers — but only if the President specifically authorizes such use during a presidentially declared national emergency, consistent with the National Emergencies Act. If the entire Coast Guard operates as a service in the Navy, the delegated authorities shift to the Secretary of Defense. A standard severability clause protects the order's remaining provisions if any part is invalidated.
Who it affects
The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Defense (when the Coast Guard serves under the Navy), senior Coast Guard personnel boards, and commissioned officers of the Regular Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve whose appointments, promotions, and separations will now be processed without direct presidential sign-off.
Why it matters
Routine Coast Guard officer personnel actions — commissioning junior officers, approving promotion boards, processing separations — no longer require individual presidential action, reducing administrative bottlenecks and streamlining military personnel management at the department level.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
The Secretary of Homeland Security exercises the delegated authorities independently for routine personnel matters. War- or emergency-related authorities (suspending promotion laws, making temporary promotions) carry an additional check: they may only be used during a presidentially declared national emergency when the President specifically directs their exercise under the National Emergencies Act. The Secretary must account for any emergency-authority actions under that Act's reporting requirements. If the Coast Guard is placed under the Navy, all delegated authorities automatically transfer to the Secretary of Defense.
Actions and deadlines
- Account for actions taken under emergency-authority delegations as required by the National Emergencies Act