The U.S. Coast Guard brought in 5,445 new enlisted members in 2026, marking its largest enlisted recruiting class in nearly four decades and providing a significant boost to the service’s manpower.

The recruiting total represents the Coast Guard’s biggest enlisted class since 1987. The increase comes as the service has focused on expanding its workforce to meet growing operational demands across the nation’s maritime borders, waterways and coastal areas.

The Coast Guard is responsible for a broad range of missions, including maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, port security, drug interdiction, protecting critical infrastructure and responding to emergencies at sea.

The larger recruiting class gives the service additional personnel as it works to maintain those missions while addressing long-standing challenges in military recruiting. The Coast Guard, like other branches of the U.S. military, has faced periods of difficulty meeting personnel targets in recent years.

The 5,445 new members represent recruits who will enter the service and receive training for a variety of enlisted positions. Their addition is expected to strengthen staffing across Coast Guard units and support the service’s ability to respond to missions nationwide.

The recruiting milestone comes as the Coast Guard continues preparing for an increasingly demanding maritime environment, including increased activity along U.S. borders and greater competition and security concerns in strategic waterways.

The record-setting class marks a notable turnaround for a service that has faced recruiting challenges and provides the Coast Guard with one of its largest influxes of new enlisted personnel in decades.