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 (U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area and U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area) and two deputy commandants (deputy commandant for operations and deputy commandant for mission support), all of whom are vice admirals.
Though the United States Coast Guard is one of the six military branches of the United States, unlike the other service chiefs, the commandant of the Coast Guard is not a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The commandant is, however, entitled to the same supplemental pay as each member of the Joint Chiefs, per ($4,000 per annum in 2009), and is accorded privilege of the floor under Senate Rule XXIII(1) as a de facto Joint Chiefs of Staff member during presidential addresses.
The commandant maintains operational command over the Coast Guard, unlike the chiefs of the other services, who serve only administrative roles. Thus, while the operational chain of command for the other services (per the Goldwater–Nichols Act) goes from the president through the secretary of defense to the combatant commanders of the unified combatant commands, command and control of the Coast Guard goes from the president through the secretary of homeland security (or secretary of defense, when the Coast Guard is acting as a service in the Department of the Navy) through the commandant. Prior to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, the United States Coast Guard or its predecessor, the Revenue Cutter Service operated under and the commandant reported to the secretary of transportation from 1966 to 2003, and the secretary of the treasury from 1790 until 1966.
As of 15 January 2026, the 28th commandant of the Coast Guard is Admiral Kevin Lunday.
History The title of commandant dates to a 1923 act that distributed the commissioned line and engineer officers of the U.S. Coast Guard in grades. Before 1923, the rank and title of the head of the Coast Guard was "captain-commandant." The rank "captain-commandant" originated in the Revenue Cutter Service in 1908. The original holder of that rank was the Chief of the Revenue Cutter Service (also known as the Revenue-Marine). The Coast Guard traces the lineage of commandants back to Captain Leonard G. Shepard, chief of the Revenue Marine-Bureau, even though he never officially received the title of captain-commandant. The captain-commandant position was created in 1908 when Captain Worth G. Ross was the first to actually hold the position. Although he was retired, Ross's predecessor, Captain Charles F. Shoemaker, was elevated to the rank of captain-commandant. Shoemaker's predecessor, Captain Shepard, had already died and was not elevated to the rank.
Chiefs of the Revenue Marine Bureau
Chiefs exercised centralized control over the Revenue-Marine Bureau.
Captain Alexander V. Fraser, USRM, 1843–1848Noble, p 24 Captain Richard Evans, USRM, 1848–1849Noble, p 21
In 1849 the Revenue-Marine Bureau was dissolved, and the Revenue Marine fell under the control the commissioner of customs until the Revenue-Marine Bureau was again established in 1869.
N. Broughton Devereux, 1869–1871 Sumner I. Kimball, 1871–1878 Ezra Clark, 1878–1885 Peter Bonnett, 1885–1889
List of commandants There have been 28 commandants of the Coast Guard since the office of chief of the Revenue-Marine Bureau was transferred to a military billet.
Portrait Name(born-died) Term of office Notes Took office Left office Time in office 1CaptainLeonard G. Shepard Shepard became the first military Chief of the "Revenue-Marine Division" of the Treasury Department and is considered to be the first Commandant.Captain Leonard G. Shepard, U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Notable-People/All/Article/1762441/captain-leonard-g-shepard/ 2Captain Charles F. Shoemaker On 8 May 1908, Shoemaker was promoted to the rank of Captain-Commandant on the Retired List by Act of Congress. 3Captain-commandantWorth G. Ross Ross was instrumental in the establishment of what was to become the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. 4CommodoreEllsworth P. Bertholf Served during the merger of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service with the U.S. Life-Saving Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard. Was the first Coast Guard officer to achieve flag rank. 5Rear AdmiralWilliam E. Reynolds Reynolds was the first Coast Guard officer to be promoted to the rank of rear admiral. 6Rear AdmiralFrederick C. Billard Billard was appointed to three consecutive terms as Commandant and died in office 17 May 1932, serving through the Prohibition Era and reorganization of the academy. 7Rear AdmiralHarry G. Hamlet Hamlet persuaded Congress to dismiss efforts to merge the Coast Guard with the U.S. Navy. Continued serving after term as Commandant was over and eventually retired as a vice admiral by act of Congress. 8AdmiralRussell R. Waesche First Commandant to be promoted to vice admiral and admiral. Commandant during World War II and helped the Coast Guard remain a separate distinct service while it was assigned to the U.S. Navy. Oversaw the largest manpower buildup in Coast Guard history and was instrumental in the formation of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. 9AdmiralJoseph F. Farley Farley served during the difficult Post-World War II era when additional statutory responsibilities were being added to the Coast Guard's mission structure and personnel allowances were being reduced. 10Vice AdmiralMerlin O'Neill O'Neill directed the increase in port security activities required by the passage of the Magnuson Act and revitalized the Coast Guard Reserve program emphasizing its defense mission during wartime. 11AdmiralAlfred C. Richmond Richmond served two full terms as Commandant and was the United States delegate to many international maritime conferences during his tenure. 12AdmiralEdwin J. Roland Roland oversaw the replacement of many World War II era cutters under fleet modernization programs during his tenure. He assisted the U.S. Navy with operations in Vietnam by supplying crews and cutters for Operation Market Time. 13AdmiralWillard J. Smith Smith was the Commandant of the Coast Guard when the service was transferred from the Department of the Treasury to the newly formed Department of Transportation. 14AdmiralChester R. Bender The Coast Guard undertook new statutory responsibilities in the areas of marine safety, environmental protection and law enforcement during his tenure, however Bender is best known for his changes in the dress uniform worn by Coast Guardsmen; sometimes referred to as "Bender's Blues". 15AdmiralOwen W. Siler Several changes in environmental duties occurred during Siler's tenure as well as a step-up in drug interdiction activities. Under his tenure, the replacement of aging cutters was given budget priority, and the first women entered the Coast Guard Academy. 16AdmiralJohn B. Hayes Hayes experienced severe budget problems during his tenure while fending off a move in Congress to transfer the Coast Guard to the Navy. Drug interdiction was increased and several high-profile search and rescue cases occurred during his watch which helped keep the Coast Guard in the public eye. 17AdmiralJames S. Gracey Gracey faced tight budgets at the same time he was successful at replacing aging cutters. Increasing the Coast Guard's role in the defense of coastal waters was accomplished. 18AdmiralPaul A. Yost Jr. Yost successfully maintained the service through difficult budget battles each year. In doing so, he also emphasized three 'primary mission areas": maritime law enforcement, maritime safety, and defense readiness. There was an increased emphasis on military/naval capabilities of the service. 19AdmiralJ. William Kime Kime led the service during the end of the Cold War, collapse of the Soviet Union, the Persian Gulf War's Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, as well as increasing operations in drug interdiction and environmental law enforcement. 20AdmiralRobert E. Kramek During his tenure as Commandant, he successfully led the service through difficult budget battles each year and directed the "streamlining" plan that was mandated by the National Performance Review and "Mandate for Change." 21AdmiralJames Loy As the USCG Commandant, Loy reacted to the September 11 attacks of 2001. In the short term, he supervised the resumption of sea-borne trade throughout the U.S., after the USCG had shut down most major ports after the attacks. In the long term, Loy led the U.S. delegation to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and was instrumental in ensuring that the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code was approved and implemented in 2002. The code came into effect in 2004. 22AdmiralThomas H. Collins Collins guided the U.S. Coast Guard in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks of 2001. As part of this effort to tighten maritime security, Collins encouraged people involved in the maritime industry and the recreational boating industry to report suspicious activity to the National Response Center. This program was extended and formalized as America's Waterway Watch in 2005. 23AdmiralThad W. Allen Allen led the effort to reform and modernize all aspects of the Coast Guard, improving and sustaining Mission Execution. Admiral Allen continually stated his ultimate aim was to make the Coast Guard a "change-centric" organization capable of quickly and efficiently adapting to meet the growing and ever-changing demands of the future. Additionally he was the first high-ranking member of the Federal government to embrace social media, pioneering the effort to connect to his audience through all manners of digital technology. During his final months in office he led the Coast Guard's exemplary response to the earthquake in Haiti and then, first as Commandant and concurrently as the National Incident Commander, he led the nation's response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, holding the latter post well after his tenure as Commandant had come to a close. 24AdmiralRobert J. Papp Jr. 25AdmiralPaul F. Zukunft 26AdmiralKarl L. Schultz 27AdmiralLinda L. Fagan Fagan is the first woman to serve as Coast Guard Commandant, and simultaneously the first woman to lead a military branch in the United States. – AdmiralKevin E. Lunday Served as acting commandant from January 2025 to January 2026, prior to being confirmed by the Senate to the office.28 Incumbent
Timeline
See also Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard
Notes Footnotes
Citations
References cited
External links Commandant's official website