Coast Guard officials Thursday announced the service is renaming its operational districts across the U.S., dropping the numbered system used for more than 80 years and replaced with regional designations.
For example, Coast Guard District 7 based at Miami is now known as Coast Guard Southeast District. It’s part of the reorganization initiatives in the Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028.
The change ordered by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem May 21 “aims to indicate a more accurate representation to the regions the Coast Guard serves,” according to a prepared statement.
The numbered system of districts One through 17 was established during World War II, “when the Coast Guard operated as part of the Navy to ensure alignment between the services,” according to the statement. The Navy stopped its use of numbered districts more than 25 years ago.
“Updating operational districts to regional names will more clearly align districts with their areas of responsibility, facilitate collaboration with interagency partners, and ensure the American public and maritime stakeholders can easily find and understand the districts in which they live, recreate, and operate.”
The new geographic names are:
District 1: USCG Northeast District
District 5: USCG East District
District 7: USCG Southeast District
District 8: USCG Heartland District
District 9: USCG Great Lakes District
District 11: USCG Southwest District
District 13: USCG Northwest District
District 14: USCG Oceania District
District 17: USCG Arctic District
"This renaming is more than just a change in labels; it's a critical step in our journey to become a more agile, capable, and responsive fighting force," said Acting Commandant Kevin E. Lunday. "Under Force Design 2028, we are driving fundamental changes to speed decision-making, improve strategic alignment, and ultimately best serve the American people for decades to come. This initiative underscores our commitment to ensuring that change is lasting and has an enduring impact on the Service and the Nation, as directed by the President and the Secretary."
The change will not impact operations or change existing geographical district boundaries. To memorialize the updated names for operational districts, the Coast Guard is undertaking the process of formally changing district names in the Code of Federal Regulations.
