The Coast Guard will begin accepting applications for its new Coast Guards Academy on Friday, the Department of Defense announced Thursday.

The Coast Guard has a total of 6,832 applicants who are currently serving in the Coast Guards Reserve, the Defense Department said in a statement.

The Academy will start accepting applications on Jan. 1, 2019, with the next graduating class set to begin training in mid-2019.

The program, which will be led by the National Guard, will also include military police and special operations trainers, including officers from the Coast and Navy, the Pentagon said.

The academy will train up to 10,000 Coast Guard members over the course of five years.

The Defense Department has also begun training new Coast and Air Force recruits in environmental, disaster and emergency preparedness.

The new Coast Service Academy, in partnership with the Coast Protection and Recreational Resources Institute, will be headquartered at Fort Bragg, N.C., and include 1,400 enlisted members and 1,300 reserve members.