Linda Fagan becomes Coast Guard’s first female commandant

June 1 (UPI) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the work to bring more diversity to the armed forces was not done as he oversaw the U.S. Coast Guard’s change of command to Adm. Linda Fagan, the first female leader in the history of the branch.

The ceremony saw Fagan officially take the reins of the Coast Guard from retiring Adm. Karl L. Schultz.

Biden praised Shultz, who had led the Coast Guard since 2018, for his service and for leading the branch through the coronavirus pandemic. He awarded him the Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal.

Biden told the crowd at the Washington, D.C., ceremony that while Fagan is the first female to lead a branch of the U.S. armed services, she should not be the last.

“We know that more work needs to be done to ensure that the Coast Guard and all the branches of our armed forces reflect the full strength of our diversity, including at the highest level of our leadership,” Biden said.

He said Fagan was among “pioneering women” who joined the Coast Guard when their presence remained rare. She was one of 16 women who graduated from the academy in 1985, making up 8% of the class. He said today women made up 40% of the academy.

Fagan’s promotion was “earned through a career of outstanding leadership and accomplishment,” Biden said. “We need to see more women at the highest level of command in the Coast Guard and across every service. We need to see that women have the opportunities to succeed and thrive through their careers.”

Fagan said she was “honored and humbled” to serve as the new Coast Guard commandant and has always been inspired by her fellow service members working in missions around the world.

“Thank you for your dedication, your hard work and your service,” Fagan said from the stage. “It’s my greatest privilege to work on your behalf. I am immensely grateful to the many pioneers who paved the way.”

Biden nominated Fagan for the post in April, which put her in line to be the first woman to lead any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. She’s been the Coast Guard’s vice commandant since last June.

The Senate unanimously approved Fagan’s appointment as head of the Coast Guard last month.

“We’re getting past the ‘firsts,'” Fagan told The New York Times on Tuesday. “I hope sometime soon we’re talking about the second female commandant and the third female commandant, and that we’ll have a Black male commandant.”

Biden delivered the keynote address last week at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and Vice President Kamala Harris — the first female in her post — gave the commencement address at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut last month.