Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard

Second-in-command of the United States Coast Guard

Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard
Seal of the Coast Guard
Flag of the Vice Commandant
Incumbent ADM Kevin E. Lunday since June 13, 2024
United States Coast Guard
Type	Service vice chief
Reports to	Commandant of the Coast Guard
Seat	Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building, Washington, D.C.
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Constituting instrument	14 U.S.C. § 304
Formation	1929
First holder	Benjamin M. Chiswell
Website	www.uscg.mil

The vice commandant of the Coast Guard serves as the second-in-command of the United States Coast Guard, behind only the commandant of the Coast Guard.

Since 1929, 31 officers have served as Vice Commandant, or, as the position was referred to before 1972, Assistant Commandant. The title of the position was changed effective October 2, 1972, pursuant to Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 92–451. This position has been historically held by a vice admiral until the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 elevated the statutory rank for the position to admiral.

The current vice commandant is Admiral Kevin E. Lunday, who assumed office on June 13, 2024.^[1]

Vice commandants of the Coast Guard

No.	Name	Tenure
1	Captain Benjamin M. Chiswell	1929–1931
2	Rear Admiral Leon C. Covell	1931–1941
3	Rear Admiral Lloyd T. Chalker	1941–1946
4	Vice ADmiral Merlin O'Neill	1946–1949
5	Rear Admiral Alfred C. Richmond	1949–1954
6	Vice Admiral James Hirshfield	1954–1962
7	Vice Admiral Edwin J. Roland	1962–1962
8	Vice Admiral Donald M. Morrison	1962–1964
9	Vice Admiral William D. Shields	1964–1966
10	Vice Admiral Paul E. Trimble	1966–1970
11	Vice Admiral Thomas R. Sargent III	1970–1974
12	Vice Admiral Ellis L. Perry	1974–1978
13	Vice Admiral Robert H. Scarborough	1978–1982
14	Vice Admiral Benedict L. Stabile	1982–1986
15	Vice Admiral James C. Irwin	1986–1988
16	Vice Admiral Clyde T. Lusk	1988–1990
17	Vice Admiral Martin H. Daniell	1990–1992
18	Vice Admiral Robert T. Nelson	1992–1994
19	Vice Admiral Arthur E. Henn	1994–1996
20	Vice Admiral Richard D. Herr	1996–1998
21	Vice Admiral James C. Card	1998–2000
22	Vice Admiral Thomas H. Collins	2000–2002
23	Vice Admiral Thomas J. Barrett	2002–2004
24	Vice Admiral Terry M. Cross	2004–2006
25	Vice Admiral Vivien Crea	2006–2009
26	Vice Admiral David Pekoske	2009–2010
27	Vice Admiral Sally Brice-O'Hara	2010–2012
28	Vice Admiral John Currier	2012–2014
29	Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger	2014–2015
30	Admiral Charles D. Michel^[2]^[3]	2015–2018
31	Admiral Charles W. Ray	2018–2021
32	Admiral Linda L. Fagan	2021–2022
33	Admiral Steven D. Poulin	2022–2024
34	Admiral Kevin E. Lunday	2024–present

References

^ https://www.uscg.mil/Biographies/Article/3806239/admiral-kevin-e-lunday/
^ Originally a vice admiral when he assumed office on August 6, 2015. Michel was promoted to admiral on May 24, 2016 when the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 elevated the vice commandant's rank to admiral.
^ Eckstein, Megan (2016-06-02). "USCG Adm. Michel Promoted; Vice Comm. Now A 4-Star Job". USNI News. Retrieved 2022-12-27.