President Biden delivered the keynote speech at the United States Coast Guard Academy’s 140th commencement ceremony on Wednesday in New London, Connecticut.
In his speech, he hit on a range of topics including upholding freedom of navigation and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas; confronting disruptive actions by nation’s like China and Russia in the South China Sea and Arctic, as well as Iran in the Persian Gulf; climate change and Coast Guard’s in responding to climate disasters; combating illicit drug smuggling at sea and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; and the growing number of women in military services and importance of promoting women to the highest levels of command, noting the Coast Guard Academy Class of 2021 is over one-third female.
You can watch President Biden’s speech below or read a transcript on The White House website here.
The U.S. Coast Guard has completed contract awards for all 11 Arctic Security Cutters, closing out a major icebreaker expansion aimed at strengthening U.S. presence and operational capability in the Arctic amid rising competition in the High North.
The U.S. Coast Guard has seized more than 200,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific since launching Operation Pacific Viper in August, marking one of the largest maritime counter-drug efforts in recent years as U.S. forces also intensify operations against trafficking routes at sea.
Despite receiving nearly $25 billion in supplemental funding—the largest investment in its history—the U.S. Coast Guard continues to face critical workforce shortages and equipment readiness gaps, according to a new Government Accountability Office report that warns money alone will not fix the service’s deep-rooted operational challenges.
February 5, 2026
Total Views: 3164
Get The Industry’s Go-To News
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
— just like 107,479 professionals
Secure Your Spot
on the gCaptain Crew
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
— trusted by our 107,479 members
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.