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 one of the largest and most powerful coast guards in the world,rivaling the capabilities and size of most navies.
The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security,the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the attacks of September 11,2001.
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.
Thomas Hansen Collins is a former admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 22nd commandant from May 2002 to May 2006.
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 widely praised 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.
This article covers the organization of the United States Coast Guard.
Admiral Robert Joseph Papp Jr. is a retired admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 24th commandant from 2010 to 2014. He led the largest component of the United States Department of Homeland Security,with 42,000 active duty,8,200 Reserve,8,000 civilian,and 31,000 Auxiliary personnel.
Daniel B. Lloyd is a retired United States Coast Guard Rear Admiral. His last tour of duty in 2011,was as the Director of Joint Interagency Task Force South. Lloyd assumed the duties of Military Advisor to the Secretary,United States Department of Homeland Security,in June 2006. In this role,he was responsible for advising the Secretary on matters involving coordination between the Department of Homeland Security and all branches of the military.
John C. Acton is a retired United States Coast Guard rear admiral who served as the Director of Operations Coordination for DHS. Acton formerly served as Director of the DHS Presidential Transition Team.
The Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the Department of Homeland Security,which is presented to United States Armed Forces servicemembers for exceptionally meritorious service. The current version of the medal was established in February 2003,retroactive to March 1,2002.
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.
Patrick M. Stillman is a retired Rear Admiral of the United States Coast Guard.
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.
Captain Charley L. Diaz is a 30-year United States Coast Guard veteran who served on Active Duty from 1982 to 2012. Diaz is best known for leading the crew of the USCGC Sherman (WHEC-720) in the seizure of the Panamanian freighter GATUN off the coast of Panama in March 2007,which netted nearly 20 tons of cocaine worth an estimated $600 million. It was the largest maritime drug bust in US history.
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.
Peter Vance Neffenger is a United States Coast Guard Admiral and public servant who served as Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration from July 2015 to January 20,2017.
Karl Leo Schultz is a retired United States Coast Guard admiral who served as the 26th Commandant of the Coast Guard from 2018 to 2022.
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.
Douglas Margrave Fears is a retired United States Coast Guard rear admiral who last served as Director of Joint Interagency Task Force South. He previously served as Assistant Commandant for Response Policy. Fears was the Homeland Security Advisor to President Donald Trump until July 12,2019.
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.
