Coast Guard Reinstates 56 Members Removed for Refusing COVID-19 Vaccines

‘This decision to reinstate these members of the Coast Guard is a major step in the right direction,’ the homeland security secretary said.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at the White House in Washington on Nov. 17, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

The Coast Guard has reinstated 56 members who were removed for not receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, officials said Feb. 24.

The members, who had not received a vaccine, contravening a mandate implemented by the Coast Guard in 2021, have been fully reinstated with back pay.