James A. Watson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 17, 1956 |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service |  United States Coast Guard |
| Years of service | 1974–2012 |
| Rank |  Rear Admiral |
| Battles / wars | September 11 attacks |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
James Angus Watson IV [1] (born 1956) is a retired United States Coast Guard Rear Admiral. [2] He currently serves as a senior vice president at the American Bureau of Shipping. [3]
Watson became Deputy Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command in April 2010. Among his duties is Federal On Scene Coordinator of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He succeeded Mary Landry on June 1, 2010 in that position. He had been her deputy. [4]
He first graduated with honors from Mount Saint Joe in 1974 followed by the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering. He received Master of Science degrees in 1985 in Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture from the University of Michigan. He received a Master of Science degree in Strategic Studies from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. [2]
He was Engineering Officer/Student Engineer aboard the USCGC Bibb (WPG-31) (1978–1980). In headquarters he was Staff Engineer – Marine Technical and Hazardous Materials Division (1980–1983), Staff Naval Architect - USCG Marine Safety Center (1986–1989), Chief of Port Operations Marine Safety Office Puget Sound (1989–1992), Executive Officer Marine Safety Office Savannah (1992–1995), Commanding Officer Marine Safety Office San Diego (1995–1998), Program Reviewer - Office of Budget and Programs (1998–2000), Commanding Officer Marine Safety Office Miami (2001–2004), Chief, Office of Budget and Programs, Coast Guard Headquarters (2004–2006), Chief of Staff of the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami (2006–2007). [2]
He was promoted to flag officer in 2007 as Director of Prevention Policy for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship, Coast Guard Headquarters where he was responsible for Waterways Management, Boating Safety, Commercial Vessel Safety and Security, Ports and Cargo Safety and Security, Maritime Investigations, and Quality Traveling Inspectors, Atlantic Area’s first Director of Operations and Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command in April 2010. [2] Watson retired in June 2012 to become Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement at the United States Department of the Interior.
His personal military awards include the Distinguished Service Award, five Legions of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, and six Coast Guard Commendation Medals. [5]
In the 2024 United States presidential election, Watson endorsed Kamala Harris. [6]
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the United States military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its duties. It is the largest coast guard in the world, rivaling the capabilities and size of most navies.
John William Kime was an admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 19th commandant from 1990 to 1994.
The USCGC Bibb (WPG-31) was a 327-foot (100 m) Secretary-Class Coast Guard ship commissioned in 1936. Seven similar "combat cutters" were built and named for secretaries of the United States Treasury. Bibb was named for U.S. Secretary of the Treasury George M. Bibb.
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.
Coast Guard Intelligence (CGI) is the military intelligence branch of the United States Coast Guard, and a component of the Central Security Service of the United States Department of Defense.
This article covers the organization of the United States Coast Guard.
William Dale Baumgartner was a United States Coast Guard rear admiral who served as the Commander, Seventh Coast Guard District. He was also the Judge Advocate General and Chief Counsel of the United States Coast Guard. In this capacity, he was the Coast Guard's senior legal advisor and is responsible for all aspects of the service's legal program.
United States Naval Districts is a system created by the United States Navy to organize military facilities, numbered sequentially by geographic region, for the operational and administrative control of naval bases and shore commands in the United States and around the world. Established in 1903, naval districts became the foundational system for organizing U.S. naval forces ashore during the 20th century. The term "Naval" forces includes United States Marine Corps and current United States Coast Guard units.
Ronald James Rábago is a retired United States Coast Guard rear admiral who in 2006 became the first person of Hispanic American descent to be promoted to flag rank in the United States Coast Guard. He retired as the assistant commandant for engineering and logistics and the United States Coast Guard's chief engineer in 2014.
Erroll Mingo Brown is a retired rear admiral in the United States Coast Guard. Brown was the first African-American promoted to flag rank in the Coast Guard.
Mary E. Landry is an American disaster-management official and retired rear admiral of the United States Coast Guard.
The 2010 oil spill from Deepwater Horizon was an environmental disaster off the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico, on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. It is considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry and estimated to be 8 to 31 percent larger in volume than the previous largest, the Ixtoc I oil spill, also in the Gulf of Mexico. Caused in the aftermath of a blowout and explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, the United States federal government estimated the total discharge at 4.9 million barrels. After several failed efforts to contain the flow, the well was declared sealed on 19 September 2010. Reports in early 2012 indicated that the well site was still leaking. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is regarded as one of the largest environmental disasters in world history.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is an agency under the United States Department of the Interior. Established in 2011, BSEE is an agency responsible for improving safety and ensuring environmental protection in the offshore energy industry, mainly natural gas and oil, on the United States Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The agency oversees the safety and environmental enforcement functions formerly under the Minerals Management Service, including the authority to inspect, investigate, summon witnesses and produce evidence, levy penalties, cancel or suspend activities, and oversee safety, response, and removal preparedness.
The Unified Command provides Incident Command System/Unified Command (ICS) for coordinating response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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.
Hispanics in the United States Coast Guard can trace their tradition of service to the early 19th century, when they initially performed duties at light house stations as keepers and assistant keepers in its predecessor services. Hispanic is an ethnic term employed to categorize any citizen or resident of the United States, of any racial background, of any country, and of any religion, who has at least one ancestor from the people of Spain, or is of non-Hispanic origin, but has an ancestor from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central or South America, or some other Hispanic origin. The three largest Hispanic groups in the United States are the Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans.
Rear Admiral (ret.) Craig E. Bone is a former government executive under President George W. Bush, playing a key role in the forwarding of maritime domain awareness works, inter alia the container security initiative and implementation of the Maritime Transportation Security Act, as part of the wider Global Maritime Intelligence Integration Plan of this administration.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was discovered on the afternoon of 22 April 2010 when a large oil slick began to spread at the former rig site. According to the Flow Rate Technical Group, the leak amounted to about 4.9 million barrels of oil, exceeding the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill as the largest ever to originate in U.S.-controlled waters and the 1979 Ixtoc I oil spill as the largest spill in the Gulf of Mexico. BP has challenged this calculation saying that it is overestimated as it includes over 810,000 barrels of oil which was collected before it could enter the Gulf waters.
Marine Science Technician (MST) is an enlisted rate in the United States Coast Guard. They are specialists in enforcing Federal Maritime Laws for Marine Safety, Marine Security, and Environmental Protection.
| Events | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Companies and organisations |
| ||||||||
| People |
| ||||||||
| Places | |||||||||
| Vessels |
| ||||||||
| Reactions and impact |
| ||||||||
| Other | |||||||||
