Part of massive Trump Administration Coast Guard expansion.
Coast Guard MWR & exchange system expected to develop facilities as part of broad nation-wide facility upgrade push.
The Coast Guard cut the ribbon on a new training center at the former Birmingham-Southern College. The base will house the Enlisted Training Center of Excellence..
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am that the Coast Guard has chosen to establish an enlisted leadership training center in Birmingham, Ala. I certainly look forward to being there later this week with Adm. (Kevin) Lunday and, hopefully, others,” said U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing Wednesday regarding thedepartment’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2027.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin delivers his remarks at Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Friday, June 5, 2026. (Eric Kiekeben)
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, whose department oversees the Coast Guard, marveled at the new partnership and the way the community has embraced the initiative.
“We want to be in a place that wants us there, that welcomes us,” he said. “I think we’re going to be here a very, very long time, and we’re going to be an asset to your community.”
Mullin also noted the economic benefit of bringing the training center to the campus.
“You’re going to see an investment and that’s going to bring more companies to your community too,” he said.
(Left to right) BSC President Daniel Coleman, Congressman Robert Aderholt, Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Kevin E. Lunday, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, Alabama Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, and Command Master Chief Matthew Buckman cut the ribbon on the U.S. Coast Guard’s new facility in Birmingham.
It’s expected that the Coast Guard MWR and exchange will develop facilities to accommodate the expansion. The Coast Guard exchange system has unveiled an aggressive program to upgrade stores and Coastie life. Here’s a list of facilities that CGX announced during an ALA Exchange Council meeting last month.
- South Portland, Maine (July opening)
- Alexandria. Virginia (late June opening)
24/7 Hybrid Store Conversions
- Portland, Oregon (summer – this includes moving the store to a new location and converting it to a 24/7 location)
- Yorktown, Virginia (summer)
- Sault Ste Marie, Michigan (summer)
- Elizabeth City, North Carolina (summer)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (complete)
- Honolulu, Hawaii (this week)
- Rockland, Maine (summer)
- Miami, Florida (summer)
- Traverse City, Michigan (summer)
- Ellington Field, Texas (summer)
CGXpress (Micromarts)
- Kodiak, Alaska (July)
- Alameda, California (completed)
Store Remodels
- Mobile, Alabama (late June completion)
The Coast Guard Band. Homeland Security announced plans to purchase the closed-down the 192-acre campus in March, after the department began soliciting potential locations for a new training center in November 2025, the Stars and Stripes reported. During the search, Homeland Security had a list of various requirements for the new facility, including accommodating 1,200 recruits and supporting personnel growth of up to 15,000. The Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028 Execution Plan aims to improve the branch’s training systems by investing in infrastructure and maximizing capacity at existing training centers, as well as establish “a large, multipurpose training facility,” according to a commentary posted in January. “We are able to invest in their continuing training and be able to see that they have the skills and the tools needed to deliver on the threats that face America and our waterways every single day is vitally important,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said.
“We must invest in our most valuable treasure—our people—to meet the increasingly complex maritime security challenges facing the Nation,” said Admiral Kevin E. Lunday, Commandant of the Coast Guard. “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.”
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 recruits, 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 best satisfied Coast Guard training mission requirements, offering turn-key ready facilities critical to supporting immediate commencement of training missions, while meeting all the service’s eligibility criteria with nominal investment compared to new construction.
