USCGC Eagle (WIX-327)

This topic gained prominence due to a policy debate within the Coast Guard concerning how to officially categorize symbols like the swastika and the noose. According to recent news reports, the service had initially classified these items as "potentially divisive" rather than explicitly as hate symbols, a decision that drew significant public and media scrutiny.

In response to this attention, the Coast Guard reversed its position. Multiple news outlets reported in late 2025 that the service issued a new directive, stating it would no longer use the "potentially divisive" classification for these symbols and would instead recognize them explicitly as hate symbols. This policy shift ended a brief but intense period of controversy over the Coast Guard's approach to addressing extremist imagery within its ranks.