DeWine to Noem: Pick Ohio for Coast Guard’s next training site
Coast Guard Cutter Neah Bay (WTGB 105) conducts ice breaking operations on Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio, Jan. 4, 2026. Coast Guard Ice breaking missions help ensure goods such as food, oil and medical supplies, meet their destinations. (Courtesy photo by Lance Aerial Media)
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine encouraged U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday to select the state as the site for the U.S. Coast Guard’s next major training facility.
“It’s my mission that Ohio be the most military-friendly state in the nation,” DeWine wrote on X. “Today, I sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, encouraging her to select Ohio for the U.S. Coast Guard’s next training site.”
It's my mission that Ohio be the most military-friendly state in the nation. Today, I sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, encouraging her to select Ohio for the U.S. Coast Guard's next training site. pic.twitter.com/I6m4kddpBq
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) January 12, 2026
DeWine also attached a letter addressed to Noem at the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C., in which he emphasized Ohio’s strategic advantages and commitment to military personnel.
“The former site of Urbana University is already well-positioned to support the needs of the Coast Guard’s next training center. The site has readily available infrastructure, dorms, a cafeteria, an indoor swimming pool, and more that would be critical to support a training facility,” he wrote.
DeWine noted that Coast Guard staff and trainees can also use Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the 88th Air Base Wing Medical Center.
“The State of Ohio and Jobsohio, the State’s private economic development arm, stand ready to provide the Coast Guard with grants, incentives, and other assistance needed to make the Urbana site the perfect fit. This is in our DNA!” he wrote.
In the letter, DeWine also noted his administration’s commitment to supporting military families.
“Further, it is my vision that Ohio be the most military-friendly state in our Nation. Ohio started the Purple Star school program, supporting military families with the support they need in K-12 schools so they can thrive in Ohio,” he wrote. “We are also one of the first states to offer military spouses occupational license reciprocity, making moves to Ohio for all active-duty families easier to navigate for the entire family.”
He concluded by writing that Ohioans “stand ready to assist you as you prepare a new generation of Americans to serve their country with honor and distinction in the United States Coast Guard.”
The move comes amid the clash between Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, who are under the purview of Noem, and protesters in Minnesota after one of the officers fatally shot a Minneapolis resident, Renee Good. Protests also emerged in Ohio after Good’s death.
Vice President J.D. Vance criticized the mass media, saying their coverage of the events is biased. He added during the same press conference that ICE agents have “absolute immunity,” which sparked some criticism, with some arguing federal agents don’t have that level of authority.
