The United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, N.J., is the nation’s only Coast Guard Recruit Training Center. In 1948, all entry-level training on the East Coast was moved to the U.S. Coast Guard Recruit Training Station in Cape May. The Coast Guard consolidated all recruit training functions in Cape May in 1982.
The economic impacts of TRACEN are substantial. It provides year-round employment in a regional economy that is typically seasonal. Additionally, the area offers unique employment opportunities with wages significantly higher than the regional average.
The Coast Guard is the largest employer in Cape May County, employing nearly 614 military and civilian personnel, which totals approximately $39.5 million in annual salary costs.
Now, imagine taking all of that away? The thought of that possibility would send shockwaves through a community. Last week, people misinterpreted news articles and began frantically discussing the possibility of the Coast Guard pulling up its anchor here in Cape May.
The Coast Guard brought in 5,204 active-duty enlisted service members for Fiscal Year 2025, approximately 121 percent of the recruiting goal. The Coast Guard, like the other military branches, met its goal last year. The Coast Guard also announced last week that it had brought in the highest number of new active-duty enlisted members since 1991.
Big beautiful bill
On July 4th of this year, the U.S. Coast Guard welcomed the nearly $25 billion investment in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, marking the most significant single funding commitment in the Service’s history. $425 million of that money has been earmarked for TRACEN.
At any point in time, roughly 500 recruits are on base. That average figure translates to a total annual salary cost of nearly $14.5 million for recruits.
So, what caused the trepidation around town over the Coast Guard leaving?
Given the increase in recruits and the projected growth of up to 15,000 personnel, the Coast Guard announced that it is seeking a location for a new training center that could accommodate up to 1,200 recruits. The announcement seemed vague.
The request for information, which has a Dec. 8 deadline, also includes requirements for a location that can support a 400-seat dining facility, a medical facility to support 1,000 personnel, 14 classrooms, a short-course meter pool, and a multipurpose gym. The location must also be within 30 miles of an airport. Sounds like a college campus.
Local officials reassured the public that the Training Center would not be relocated. The Coast Guard is simply looking for an additional location outside of Cape May. But how did we go from allocating $425 million on additional dormitories (barracks) in Cape May to needing a “second location?”
Blue state red state
Could politics play a role in determining where the Coast Guard ultimately winds up? Given the recent trouncing victory of Democratic Governor-elect Mikkie Sherrill, it appears that New Jersey will remain a “Blue State” for the foreseeable future, despite the best efforts of Cape May County to deliver the votes for her opponent, Jack Ciattarelli.
So $425 million was earmarked for TRACEN, but now we are hearing about another “second training location.” That’s cause for concern because it’s a short step from “a second training location” to “we have found cost savings by moving the whole kit and kaboodle to a new location,” especially if that happens to be land owned by a donor or friends of a high-ranking political figure and located in a red state.
However, let’s speculate and hypothesize whether that could become an avenue for the current administration to pursue.
Cape May County was officially designated a “Coast Guard Community” on May 8, 2015, recognizing the county’s deep and supportive relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard. This prestigious designation, confirmed by Congress and the Coast Guard, acknowledges our community’s long-standing history with the service, dating back to the early 1800s, and its ongoing support for Coast Guard personnel and their families, which includes events like the annual Coast Guard Community Festival and Operation Fireside.
“This is not taking anything from Cape May. This is all good news,” U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, told the Press of Atlantic City. A secondary site is needed as the Coast Guard greatly expands its ranks, while also maximizing the number of recruits Cape May can process. “This is a historic investment in expanding the Coast Guard,” he said.
Perhaps it would be helpful if civic leaders and former Senate candidate Curtis Bashaw invited the Homeland Security secretary to Cape May for a vacation visit to Congress Hall. Secretary Noem would no doubt love Congress Hall and fall in love with Cape May.
I may be cynical, but the moves made so far strike me as a first shoe (“a second training location”) as a prelude to the second shoe (“one big station somewhere else to save money”) dropping.
As a federal institution, the host community experiences significant economic impacts, as capital, operational, and personnel expenses are funded directly by dollars imported into the region. But for the Training Center’s location in the County, these dollars would not be in the local economy.
