The Coast Guard released its plan for executing Force Design 2028 (FD28), which will drive transformational changes throughout the service over the next three years.
This initiative comes at the same time as the largest capital investment by the American people in the Coast Guard in our history. On July 4, 2025, after passage by Congress, the President signed into law $24.539 billion to recapitalize aircraft, cutters, boats, shore infrastructure, and C5I technology.
“After decades of underinvestment and severe readiness challenges, the President and Secretary of Homeland Security have directed action to renew the Coast Guard to become a more agile, capable, and responsive fighting force,” Adm. Kevin E. Lunday writes in his introduction to the execution plan. “This is an all hands on-deck effort across our Service.”
JOIN: All Hands: Commandant and Mr. Sean Plankey will host Force Design 2028 Town Halls
The execution plan shares specific actions the service will take to improve its approach to Organization, People, Technology, and Contracting and Acquisition.
“There are things in here that the workforce has not seen or heard of yet,” said Capt. Jonathan Carter, who leads the FD28 implementation team. “The Commandant means business, and it’s happening fast.”
For example, Carter shares that Rear Adm. Matt Lake, the service’s Chief Financial Officer, has already sent $2 million to Atlantic and Pacific Areas for workplace improvement projects. The service will quickly work to replenish spare part shortfalls for both the aviation and cutter fleets over the coming months. And we’re preparing to buy additional Fast Response Cutters, followed by Offshore Patrol Cutters, and Polar Security Cutters. (From there, we’ll also be acquiring C-130s, MH-60s, and long-range UAS, and getting ready to award long-lead time contracts for two Waterways Commerce Cutters.)
These efforts reflect what Carter considers the most important part of the execution plan - the “Outcome Tables,” which underscore that everything in FD28 is designed to have tactical-level impacts.
Get used to that phrase “table” – we’ll be hearing it a lot. It comes from a change management framework developed by a former Coast Guard officer.
Essentially, each table is a small team that reports directly to the Commandant.
“The tables are action oriented, with a single point of accountability,” Carter said, contrasting the approach with the (far more circuitous) “peer governance” approach that headquarters traditionally used to make major decisions. That approach might help everybody get on board for a big decision, but usually happens at a very slow pace – and FD28 doesn’t have time for slow.
The leadership teams running the three Outcome Tables – Border Control, Flow of Commerce, and Responding in Crisis – will make sure that FD28 outcomes are operationally focused. Meanwhile, the “Enabler Tables” – People, Organization, Technology and Contracting & Acquisition – will implement the FD28 action items to help achieve the big-picture vision.
“We’re moving so fast that it can be a little uncomfortable,” Carter said. “Well, we’ve got to embrace that moving forward.”
The execution plan is easy to read, and Carter encourages all members to review it and then join the four upcoming Town Halls to hear the Commandant’s helm commands to the workforce.
“I want members to understand that this time is different. In the last decade, we’ve gone through numerous exercises where we tried to change our Coast Guard,” Carter said. “This is our Secretary and our President telling us to change, with a $25 billion investment to spend in less than five years. This one is completely different.”
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