Class Size Reduction

RevenueCutterService

Revenue Cutter Academy
5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2011
Messages
48
Over the past few years, mostly due to the unstable economy, officer attrition has not reached the levels it has in prior years. Due to the high number of officers in the relatively small Coast Guard, the CGA has been ordered to reduce the incoming class size by 50 cadets fewer than the class of 2015 for acceptance into the Class of 2016 and beyond until such time as officer numbers return to normal level.

This means that the Class of 2016 will have only 242 spots, down from the 292 in the Class of 2015. Also, RADM Stotz will be phasing out the Second Chance program started by RADM Burhoe to readmit former cadets who had been disenrolled.

Bottom line, with the number of applications going up and the number of slots going down, slots in the Class of 2016 will be one of the most competitive battles in the Academy's history.
 
I can vouch for this too boss...just got back from a brief with RADM Stotz. 2016 will be reduced by 50 slots. My class was shocked when we heard.
 
And the command won't be as lenient as they were in the past if someone gets in trouble. No more second chances.
 
You're giving the admiral a second star.... believe she's still RDML.

Tiny class to start with...that will be a tiny graduating class.

All while the Air Force continues to have FAR too many people and budget.
 
You're giving the admiral a second star.... believe she's still RDML.

2 stars. RADM (O-8) on 2 August 2011

PN529 * COAST GUARD

02 AUGUST 2011

The following non-civilian Executive Nominations were confirmed by the Senate during the current congress.

The following named officers for appointment in the United States Coast Guard to the grade indicated under Title 14, U.S.C., Section 271:

Rear Adm. (lh) Vincent B. Atkins, to be Rear Admiral Upper Half
Rear Adm. (lh) Robert E. Day, Jr., to be Rear Admiral Upper Half
Rear Adm. (lh) John H. Korn, to be Rear Admiral Upper Half
Rear Adm. (lh) William D. Lee, to be Rear Admiral Upper Half
Rear Adm. (lh) Stephen E. Mehling, to be Rear Admiral Upper Half
Rear Adm. (lh) Charles D. Michel, to be Rear Admiral Upper Half
Rear Adm. (lh) Michael N. Parks, to be Rear Admiral Upper Half
Rear Adm. (lh) Sandra E. Stosz, to be Rear Admiral Upper Half

Picture from yesterday.

6049799835_e44632e3c3_b.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uscoastguardacademy/6049799835/sizes/l/in/photostream/
 
Last edited:
Wow....that was FAST! I remember her a couple of years ago as a captain. Almost as fast as VADM Pekoske shot up!
 
Glad to see my old boss RADM Michel got another star. Smartest guy in the Coast Guard.
 
Not too surprised by this announcement. The class of 2014 was initially set at 260, but due to the number of excellent candidates was granted permission for 290 slots. It will be interesting to see if there will also be fewer CGAS offers being made in the future.
 
The policy Sam was talking about is a little different. The "Second Chance" policy was phased in by RADM Burhoe. If a cadet was disenrolled, they could apply to join another class. RADM Stosz is getting rid of this policy, now it is more of a one shot deal. For example, I know of a friend who was kicked out during the summer for grades. He was going to try and reapply. Now, it seems like he might not be allowed to. On the personal side, I'm not a big fan of phasing out the policy. But I do understand the professional side of trying to maintain an appropriate number of officers in the Coast Guard while trying to maximize efficiency and downsizing in order to have a bigger budget.
 
Subtract out the CGA Scholars, who are virtually guaranteed appointments upon completion of prep school, and the number gets even smaller.

And if the female/male ratio stays the same as this year's incoming class, your talking about approximately 80 women and 160 men, including the CGA Scholars. Calling it a "very selective" school is an understatement.
 
And if the female/male ratio stays the same as this year's incoming class, your talking about approximately 80 women and 160 men, including the CGA Scholars. Calling it a "very selective" school is an understatement.

If that happens. While diversity is always a good thing, hopefully admissions won't take it to the point of redundancy by providing specific quotas of gender, race, etc. I prefer we stay "very selective" in other ways besides
 
KPT63 I agree, our DS is also a good candidate...but is not a "shoe-in" especially since it is not a pure meritocracy and as you said, it really is something of a crap shoot. This is very distressing. Our DS has a plan B...but really the USGCA has been his objective for years. It will truly be the most selective school/SA...and if a candidate gets in...could really be counted among the best of the best. Good luck

We wondered about something similar with the class size reduction. If in the future they decide to increase the incoming class to the previous levels wouldn't that have a detrimental effect on the class of say 2019 given the smaller number of upperclassmen?
 
What you're seeing is what is happening to the Coast Guard as a whole. The Coast Guard's cutters are aging. They're breaking. While the mission load of the Coast Guard has continued to grow, the funding and support has not kept up pace. OCS has also taken hits in the recent past.

A majority of the U.S. population doesn't know what the Coast Guard does. You won't see the issues posted all over because DHS restricts some of what the Coast Guard Commandant can say. Adm. Allen's last "State of the Coast Guard" took some editing at the last second after the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs, Sean Smith, did not like Adm. Allen's statements in the media the day before.

The state of the fleet is poor. While the other services bicker over billions, the Coast Guard receives less funding than Customs and Border Protection. All that and President Obama wanted to fund it even less (and for once Congress stepped in realizing the funding was well below sustainability.)
 
Not to mention a lot of empty rooms in Bancroft.

-- I would think that the Academy would be the last choice for reducing the Officer Corp, especially for such a drastic reduction. I assume that they are reducing other commissioning paths as well.

You mean Chase, Bancroft is at the USNA :wink:

I know for a fact that they've reduced OCS classes and DCO's but I'm sure they won't get rid of them completely. OC's and DCO's add more diversity to the Coast Guard and bring in a unique set of skills. And don't forget that the majority of Sector Billets are staffed by OC grads and the majority of Afloat Billets are filled by Academy grads. With tight rack space I envision that they'll send more Academy grads to more Sectors or flight school...
 
DS is a prospective 2016 candidate so, as a parent, this is a bit distressing (or should I say stressing?). This is a drastic reduction.....about 20%. A couple of questions/comments.

-- How will this affect the Academy as a whole? If you project this out over the next four classes, there will be 200 fewer (maybe less with attrition) Cadets on campus. I would think that that would have a huge impact on athletics, extracurriculars, research and other aspects of Academy life. Not to mention a lot of empty rooms in Bancroft.

-- I would think that the Academy would be the last choice for reducing the Officer Corp, especially for such a drastic reduction. I assume that they are reducing other commissioning paths as well. For example, in the class of 2011 there were 13 Ensigns commissioned out of USMMA. Not sure how many commissioned through other sources. Will these be reduced as well (I would assume so)? What is the real reduction in officers when you add up all commissioning sources?

Chase Hall is currently filled to near capacity, thanks to the large classes of 2014 and 2015. The Coast Guard Academy has had no problem running with the smaller Corps it has housed in the past and the negative effects from returning to such a size are predicted to be minimal.

As to other commissioning sources, OCS has already felt the effects. Only one OCS class was admitted during the 2010 year. Also, the Direct Comission -- Maritime Academy Grad program is coming under review and will most likely see a reduction in slots available.
 
OCS/DCO qualifications have also changed. Not an easy time to join the Coast Guard, as an officer or enlisted. Once you're in you will work with some OLD gear...ancient cutters.
 
Back
Top