Paul A. Yost, Jr.

Paul Alexander Yost Jr. (January 3, 1929 – February 9, 2022) was an admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 18th commandant from 1986 to 1990.

Tenure as Commandant Yost was responsible for eliminating the longstanding tradition of beards at sea. He was also known for driving the Coast Guard toward a robust coastal defense mission, and a parallel initiative to dramatically increase the armament aboard Coast Guard cutters. Prior to his tenure Coast Guard cutters were outfitted with weapons systems designed to fight the war on drugs, and other law enforcement related missions. He added naval warfare systems to larger cutters, which included the Harpoon missile system, close-in weapon systems (CIWS), and other similar upgrades. Following his retirement, the Harpoon missile systems were removed and the coastal defense mission was de-emphasised in favor of the more traditional missions of search and rescue, law enforcement, marine safety and aids to navigation. Yost's focus on the coastal defense mission was often derided by Coast Guardsmen and Congress alike who referred to his era as the "Yost-Guard."

Retirement and death Following his retirement from the Coast Guard in 1990, Yost served as President of the Alexandria, Virginia-based James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation until 2010. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and had served on the church's Military Relations Committee.

Following his retirement from the Coast Guard, he received the Naval Order of the United States Distinguished Sea Service Award in 1992. Yost died February 9, 2022, in Provo, Utah.