The US Coast Guard is facing political controversy after a report by The Washington Post claimed the service will no longer classify the swastika, a symbol of fascism, white supremacy, and the Holocaust in the western world, as a hate symbol under a new policy taking effect December 15. According to the Post, the same reclassification would apply to nooses and the Confederate flag, though the latter remains banned. Certain historical displays or artworks in which the Confederate flag is a minor element are still permissible.
The report cited publicly available Coast Guard documents and noted that the change comes as the service aligns with the Trump administration’s review of military harassment and hazing standards. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in September called previous rules “overly broad,” arguing they could undermine combat readiness.
The November 2025 Coast Guard policy document lists “potentially divisive symbols and flags,” including swastikas, nooses, and other symbols adopted by hate-based groups. In contrast, a February 2023 policy explicitly designated such symbols as constituting a potential hate incident, allowing commanders to order their removal.
After The Post report, Coast Guard Acting Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday sent a service-wide email affirming that swastikas, nooses, and other extremist imagery remain prohibited. “These symbols violate our core values and are treated with the seriousness they warrant under current policy,” he said. The Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security later criticised the report, calling it “categorically false” and “fake crap,” respectively, in statements attributed to Lunday and DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
An anonymous Coast Guard official expressed concern about the policy wording. “If you are at sea, and your shipmate has a swastika in their rack, and you are Black or Jewish, and you are going to be stuck with them for the next 60 days, are you going to feel safe reporting that?” the official told The Post.
Senator Jacky Rosen (Democratic Party Nevada), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, urged the administration to reverse the changes, warning that they “send the wrong message” amid rising antisemitism. Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Reform Movement’s advocacy arm, called the policy change “an indelible stain on the Coast Guard” in a letter to Lunday.
Historical context highlights the sensitivity of such symbols within the service. In 2019, the Coast Guard’s policy allowed commanders to order swastikas, nooses, or similar imagery removed even if not part of a reportable hate incident. That policy followed the arrest of United States Coast Guard lieutenant Christopher Hasson, charged with plotting attacks on Democratic lawmakers and found to be a white nationalist.
Earlier, in 2007, two noose incidents aboard Coast Guard facilities drew national attention.
The noose is not merely a knot; it is one of the most potent and unmistakable symbols of racial hatred, violence, and intimidation in the United States. Historically, it evokes the practice of lynching, during which mobs, primarily in Southern United States, where thousands of African Americans were tortured and murdered between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries. Beyond its historical context, the display of a noose conveys an implicit death threat, specifically targeting Black individuals, serving to terrorize, dehumanize, and assert racist power.
The initial incident occurred in July 2007 when a noose, was discovered in the bag of a Black cadet aboard a Coast Guard vessel.
This discovery immediately triggered an institutional response, including the initiation of race relations and diversity training. However, the crisis escalated sharply in August 2007 when a second noose was found, this time placed conspicuously in the office of a white female officer who was directly tasked with leading the new diversity outreach efforts. These successive acts of intimidation, occurring within a premier military institution and seemingly targeting both a victim and the subsequent efforts toward reconciliation, collectively drew national attention, underscoring severe racial tensions within the service.
The Coast Guard, a military service under the Department of Homeland Security, has been central to President Trump’s homeland defense initiatives. Former Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan, the first woman to lead a US military branch, was dismissed on Trump’s first day in office for her diversity initiatives and handling of sexual assault investigations.
Unlike the Coast Guard, other military services under the Pentagon continue to classify extremist symbols within broader harassment or extremism policies. US military guidance generally prohibits symbols supporting extremist activities, whether displayed on or off installations. Internationally, Germany prohibits public display of Nazi emblems, punishable by fines or imprisonment, except for educational, artistic, or journalistic purposes.
The new reported policy imposes a 45-day deadline for reporting divisive symbols, raising concerns for personnel deployed at sea for months. “The previous policy required immediate reporting, but the new deadline could chill reporting and jeopardize safety,” the anonymous Coast Guard official said.
The policy change comes amid broader debates over extremism, military culture, and civil-military relations. The Washington Post highlighted how these changes fit into the Trump administration’s reshaping of military harassment guidelines, drawing criticism from lawmakers and advocacy groups, while the DHS and Coast Guard maintain that the report mischaracterized the policy.