James Milton Loy is a retired admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security in 2005 and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) from November 4, 2003, to March 1, 2005. Prior to his appointment as deputy secretary, he served as the second administrator of the Transportation Security Administration from 2002 to 2003, and before that as the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard from 1998 to 2002. Also in 2004, Loy was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
The commandant of the Coast Guard is the service chief and highest-ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. The commandant is an admiral, appointed for a four-year term by the president of the United States upon confirmation by the United States Senate. The commandant is assisted by a vice commandant, who is also an admiral, and two area commanders and two deputy commandants, all of whom are vice admirals.
John William Kime was an admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 19th commandant from 1990 to 1994.
Thad William Allen is a former admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 23rd commandant from 2006 to 2010. Allen is best known for his performance directing the federal response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast region from September 2005 to January 2006, and for his role as National Incident Commander of the Unified Command for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Robert J. Papp Jr. succeeded him as Commandant on 25 May 2010.
Vice Admiral John P. Currier was the 28th Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. He assumed the position from Vice Admiral Sally Brice-O'Hara on May 18, 2012 and was relieved on May 20, 2014 by Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger.
This article covers the organization of the United States Coast Guard.
Vice Admiral Sally Brice-O'Hara is an American retired Coast Guardsman who was the 27th Vice-Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.
David Peter Pekoske is an American government official and retired U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral who has served as the seventh administrator of the Transportation Security Administration in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since 2017. He served as the acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security from April to November 2019 and again from January to June 2021. From January 20, 2021 to February 2, 2021 he served as acting secretary of homeland security, during the Senate confirmation of Alejandro Mayorkas. Pekoske retired with 33 years of active military service in 2010 as the 26th vice commandant of the Coast Guard.
James Angus Watson IV is a retired United States Coast Guard Rear Admiral. He currently serves as a senior vice president at the American Bureau of Shipping.
Paul Frederick Zukunft is a retired admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 25th commandant. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Commandant, with the rank of admiral, in May 2014 and relieved Robert J. Papp Jr. as commandant on 30 May 2014. Prior to his selection as Commandant, he served as Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area. In this position, Zukunft was the operational commander for all U.S. Coast Guard missions within the half of the world that ranges from the Rocky Mountains to the waters off the East Coast of Africa. He concurrently served as Commander, Defense Force West and provided U.S. Coast Guard mission support to the U.S. Department of Defense and Combatant Commanders.
Sandra Leigh Stosz is a retired United States Coast Guard Vice Admiral whose final active duty assignment was as Deputy Commandant for Mission Support. Previously, she was chosen by the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, ADM Robert J. Papp to become the superintendent of the United States Coast Guard Academy in 2011. As such, she is the first woman to lead a United States service academy. At the time of her appointment to head the Coast Guard Academy, she was the Coast Guard's director of Reserve and leadership. Stosz was confirmed as a vice admiral in May 2015.
Martin Haynes Daniell, Jr. is a retired vice admiral in the United States Coast Guard who served as vice commandant from 1990 to 1992. He is the son of Martin H. and Winifred Daniell. Prior to serving as vice commandant, he was commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District. During that time he also headed a drug task force in Southern Florida and in the Southeast Region of the National Narcotics Border Interdiction System. He had also been stationed at the Coast Guard headquarters, where he was chief, operational law enforcement division; deputy chief, office of operations; deputy chief of staff of the Coast Guard; and chief of the office of navigation. Daniell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Dartmouth College, Hanover, Hew Hampshire, in 1957 and earned Master of Science degree in management from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. Daniell was born in Ensenada, Guanica, Puerto Rico. He is married to Carolyn Betancourt and has three children.
There have been women in the United States Coast Guard since 1918, and women continue to serve in it today.
Charles W. Ray is a retired United States Coast Guard admiral who served as the vice commandant of the Coast Guard from May 24, 2018 to June 18, 2021. He previously served as the Coast Guard's deputy commandant for operations.
Linda Lee Fagan is a United States Coast Guard admiral who serves as the 27th Commandant of the Coast Guard. Previously, in 2021 she became the 32nd Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard’s first female four-star admiral. Before that, she was the commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area with prior terms as Coast Guard Deputy for Operations, Policy, and Capabilities, commander, First Coast Guard District, and commander, Coast Guard Sector New York. Fagan is also the Coast Guard's first Gold Ancient Trident, the officer with the longest service record in the Marine Safety Field. In April 2021, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced her nomination as the next Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, succeeding Charles W. Ray. She was confirmed on June 17, 2021, and assumed office on June 18.
Paul F. Thomas is a United States Coast Guard vice admiral who serves as Deputy Commandant for Mission Support since June 22, 2021. He previously served as Deputy for Personnel Readiness to the Deputy Commandant for Mission Support from July 2019 to June 2021, with tours as commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District from August 2017 to July 2019 and commander of Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville from July 2006 to August 2009.
'Leopoldo "Leo" Velarde Laroya' is a Filipino Admiral who served as the 28th Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard. Prior to his promotion as commandant, he also served as the Deputy Commandant for Operations, and led three commands: the Maritime Safety Services Command, the Coast Guard Education, Training and Doctrine Command and the Maritime Security and Law Enforcement Command.
Peter Williams Gautier is a United States Coast Guard vice admiral who serves as the deputy commandant for operations. He previously served as the deputy commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area.
Kevin Eugene Lunday is a United States Coast Guard vice admiral who serves as commander of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area since May 24, 2022, and director, Homeland Security Joint Task Force – East once the appointment is confirmed. He most recently served as the deputy for materiel readiness to the deputy commandant for mission support of the United States Coast Guard from July 2020 to April 2022. Lunday also previously commanded the Coast Guard Fourteenth District from July 2018 to June 2020, Coast Guard Cyber Command from 2016 to 2018, and served as the director of exercises and training (J7) of United States Cyber Command from 2014 to 2016.
