The Coast Guard is acquiring a new training center on the campus of Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) in Birmingham, Alabama, to expand the workforce and meet critical mission needs. The first students are expected to begin training at the new site in late 2026.
On June 5, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullins, ADM Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the Coast Guard, and Ms. Jennifer Sinclair, Director of Coast Guard Force Readiness Command, held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the transfer of the Birmingham-Southern campus to the Coast Guard.
This decision is a key part of the service's strategic initiative to modernize its workforce and enhance mission readiness. The new campus will expand the Coast Guard's overall training capacity, support record accessions, better prepare personnel for the missions of tomorrow, and be the new home of the Enlisted Training Center of Excellence.
Why Birmingham-Southern College?
In November, the Coast Guard issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking potential locations for the new center based on a list of requirements, including lodging for 1,200 students, a medical facility to support 1,000 personnel, a land area of 150-250 acres, and 14 classrooms sized to accommodate 30-60 students, among other criteria. Birmingham-Southern College best satisfied Coast Guard training mission requirements, met all the service’s eligibility criteria, presented the lowest life-cycle cost of all options, and with turn-key ready facilities is best able to meet urgency of training mission expansion needs.
Birmingham-Southern College’s modern, move-in-ready facilities will allow the service to expedite training mission growth, saving significant time and money compared to building a new campus from the ground up. The site includes classrooms, housing, and administrative buildings that are well suited for our training needs.
“We must invest in our most valuable treasure—our people—to meet the increasingly complex maritime security challenges facing the Nation,” said ADM Lunday. “The acquisition of the historic Birmingham-Southern College as our new training center is a critical step in our Force Design 2028 strategy, providing the right facilities necessary to grow our service and ensure the Coast Guard stands always ready.”
The acquisition of Birmingham-Southern College, alongside the continued investments at Training Center Cape May and the Coast Guard Academy, is a critical step in building a more resilient workforce ready to meet the complex maritime challenges of the future.
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