US Coast Guard to no longer classify swastika as a ‘hate symbol’

The US Coast Guard will no longer classify the swastika, a symbol of fascism and white supremacy, as a hate symbol under a new policy set to take effect next month.

Instead, the Coast Guard will classify the Nazi-era emblem as “potentially divisive” under its new guidelines.

According to documents reviewed by The Washington Post, the policy, which takes effect on December 15, also changes the classification of the noose and the Confederate flag, although the display of the Confederate flag remains prohibited.

Under this policy, certain historical displays or works of art where the Confederate flag is a minor element are still permitted.

Although the Coast Guard is not part of the Department of Defense, it is realigning its policies to conform with the Trump administration’s changing tolerance for harassment and bullying within the US military.

In September, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered a review and revision of these policies, calling the military’s current standards “overly broad” and claiming they jeopardized the combat readiness of troops.

Following the publication of the news, Coast Guard spokesperson Jennifer Plozai stated by phone that the agency disagreed with the WP’s report but would review the policy changes. “We will review the text,” Plozai said.

In a statement attributed to the Coast Guard’s acting commandant, Admiral Kevin Lunday, the agency declined to explain why its new policy no longer classifies the swastika, noose, and Confederate flag as hate symbols.

However, Lunday affirmed that such symbols “and other extremist or racist imagery violate our core values and are addressed with the seriousness they deserve under current policy.”

Late Thursday, Lunday sent an email to the entire Coast Guard describing these symbols as “prohibited,” but the wording of the new policy left open the possibility that they could be displayed without being removed.

In his email, he stated that the updated guidelines were designed to “simplify administrative requirements” and added, “We will continue to protect our people and create a safe, respectful, and professional workplace for all.”

A Coast Guard official who saw the new text described the policy changes as “chilling.”

“If we are not clear about the divisive nature of swastikas, we do not deserve the nation’s trust,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

The Coast Guard is a military service branch under the Department of Homeland Security and falls under the jurisdiction of Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristi L. Noem.

However, this service, central to President Donald Trump’s growing focus on domestic security, had been sidelined like others due to the administration’s hasty removal of its leadership and its broader targeting of military culture.

Former Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan, the first woman to lead a branch of the US military, was fired on Trump’s first day in office due to the administration officials’ focus at the time on diversity initiatives and her handling of sexual assault investigations.

Within days, Lunday ordered the suspension of the Coast Guard’s harassment and bullying policy. This policy, among other guidelines, explicitly stated that the swastika was on a “list of symbols whose display, presentation, creation, or depiction could constitute a potential hate incident.” The noose and the Confederate flag also fit this description in the previous policy.

Lunday was later nominated by Trump to be the commandant of the service. His Senate confirmation hearing was held on Wednesday, and he was scheduled to meet with lawmakers on Thursday. It is unclear when the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which has jurisdiction over the DHS, will vote to advance Lunday’s nomination.

The changes in the classification of the swastika and the noose were part of an effort to remove the concept of hate incidents from the Coast Guard’s regulations.

In its new policy, recently published online, the Coast Guard stated, “Behaviors previously addressed as potential hate incidents, including those involving symbols identified with oppression or hatred, will be processed as harassment reports … The term ‘hate incident’ is no longer in the policy.