In 1790, Alexander Hamilton commissioned a fleet of vessels to enforce trade laws, and the U.S. Coast Guard was born. Since then, Coast Guardsmen have patrolled America’s maritime borders. As the times have changed, their mission has evolved. Today, the men and women of the Coast Guard conduct risky law enforcement missions and perform daring search and rescue operations. In 2025, they excelled on both counts.

During tragic floods in Texas, Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan spearheaded an effort that saved 165 lives. His team’s extraordinary mission set a new high for most lives saved in a single Coast Guard response. By this November, the service had shattered its annual record for pounds of cocaine seized. Crews captured over three times their average haul, keeping nearly 200 million lethal doses out of American communities.

Biggest Investment in Coast Guard History

These remarkable achievements are set to continue. This summer, Congress passed the largest investment ever in the Coast Guard. The service is receiving nearly $25 billion for cutters, helicopters, facilities, technology systems, and more. These upgrades come at just the right time, as they will be enthusiastically received by a groundswell of new recruits. For the second year in a row, the Coast Guard has beaten its enlistment goals. More active-duty members signed up in 2025 than in any year since 1991.

A portion of Congress’ Coast Guard investment will support a new Polar Security Cutter that is under construction in Mississippi. In May, the Coast Guard approved full production of the Polar Sentinel, the first American heavy icebreaker built in half a century. The vessel is aptly named. The Polar Sentinel is designed to navigate the increasingly contested Arctic waters. China and Russia have been working together to chip away at American interests in the Arctic, and these cutters will allow Coast Guardsmen to keep watch over this competitive region.

 Mississippi Vital to Coast Guard Success

In another stroke of good news for the service, President Trump has nominated an excellent candidate to serve as Commandant of the Coast Guard. I recently spoke with the nominee, Admiral Kevin Lunday, at his confirmation hearing. I am confident he is the right man for the post.

Admiral Lunday and I discussed the Coast Guard’s role in countering Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Pacific. Enforcing legal trade supports American producers and protects against Chinese market interference. Closer to home, a Pascagoula-based crew and their cutter, the Jacob Poroo, are deployed to the Gulf to counter this illegal trade, among other missions. The Senate recently passed the FISH Act, a bill I cosponsored. The legislation would increase coordination among government agencies, including the Coast Guard, as they combat IUU fishing.

I also spoke with Admiral Lunday about the value of Coast Guard Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC). JROTC improves student outcomes—raising grades, lowering absence rates, and fostering discipline. This year, I negotiated a bill that would require the Coast Guard to have 20 active JROTC chapters by the end of 2026. The service is well on its way to achieving this goal, with 14 programs already operating today. Among those is a unit at Clinton High School, which Admiral Lunday specifically noted for its high participation rates.

The Coast Guard strives to be Semper Paratus, “Always Ready.” This year, it certainly lived up to that motto. I am committed to equipping the men and women of the Coast Guard with the tools they need to stay prepared for years to come.