Commandant of The Coast Guard

Commandant Of The Coast Guard

The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard is the highest ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. The Commandant is normally the only four-star Admiral in the Coast Guard and is 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, two Assistant Commandants/Area Commanders and a Chief of Staff, all of whom are three-star Vice Admirals.

Unlike the chiefs of the other branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Commandant of the Coast Guard is not a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; he is, however, entitled to the same supplemental pay as the Joint Chiefs, per 37 U.S.C § 414(a)(5) ($4,000 per annum in 2009), and is accorded privilege of the floor under Senate Rule XXIII(1) as a de facto JCS member during Presidential addresses. Furthermore, in contrast to the Joint Chiefs who are not in the military's operational chain of command, the Commandant of the Coast Guard commands his service. He reports to the President, via the Secretary of Homeland Security. Prior to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, the Commandant reported to the Secretary of Transportation from 1966 to 2003. Until the creation of the Department of Transportation in 1966, the Commandant and the earlier counterparts had reported to the Secretary of the Treasury since 1790.