Thad Allen

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  5. 1949 births
  6. Commandants of the United States Coast Guard
  7. Deepwater Horizon oil spill
  8. George Washington University alumni
  9. Living people
  10. MIT Sloan School of Management alumni
  11. People from Los Angeles, California
  12. People from Tucson, Arizona
  13. Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
  14. Recipients of the Legion of Merit
  15. Sloan Fellows
  16. United States Coast Guard Academy alumni
  17. United States Coast Guard admirals
  18. United States Department of Homeland Security officials


Thad W. Allen
250px
Born (1949-01-16) January 16, 1949 (age 75)
Tucson, Arizona
Allegiance  United States of America
Service/branch 22x20px United States Coast Guard
Years of service 1971–2010
Rank 35px Admiral
Commands held United States Coast Guard
Deepwater Horizon Unified Command
Battles/wars September 11 attacks
Awards Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal (2)
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal (3)
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal (3)
Other work National Incident Commander, Deepwater Horizon response

Thad William Allen (born January 16, 1949) is a retired United States Coast Guard admiral who served as the 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard. Allen is best known for his widely-praised[1][2][3] performance directing the federal response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast region from September 2005 to January 2006. Robert J. Papp, Jr. succeeded him as Commandant on May 25, 2010, in a change of command ceremony.

Following his position as commandant, Allen continued to serve on active duty for 36 days in his role as National Incident Commander of the Unified Command for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Allen officially retired from the U.S. Coast Guard on June 30, 2010, but continues to serve as a civilian as the National Incident Commander of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He is a Senior Fellow at the RAND Corporation.[4]

Background

Allen was born in Tucson, Arizona, the son of retired Coast Guard Chief Damage Controlman Clyde and Mrs. Wilma Allen. His father is a World War II veteran. Allen is a 1967 graduate of Palo Verde High School in Tucson. His family moved frequently during his childhood with his father's assignments. He attended the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, where he was a standout football player, graduating in 1971.[5] He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from George Washington University and a Master's degree in Management (S.M.) from the MIT Sloan School of Management as a Sloan Fellow.[6] He was elected a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow in 2003.[7]

Operational assignments

Admiral Thad Allen, then a Lieutenant, poses with his crew on 22 August 1975 (front row, second from the right). Allen was the last commanding officer of LORAN Station Lampang, Thailand. Station Lampang was part of the LORAN chain first put into use as part of “Operation Tight Reign” in support of military operations in Vietnam.

In his four decades of service, Allen has held operational command both at sea and ashore, conducting missions to support the maritime safety, security and environmental stewardship interests of the nation. He served aboard USCGC Androscoggin (WHEC-68), and USCGC Gallatin (WHEC-721) and commanded USCGC Citrus (WLB-300). He performed dual roles as Commanding Officer of Group Long Island Sound and Captain of the Port, and he commanded Group Atlantic City and LORAN Station Lampang, Thailand[6] from 1974 to 1975.[8] He also commanded the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami and the Atlantic Area in Portsmouth, Va.[7]

Flag officer

Allen's first assignment as a flag officer was as Commander, Seventh Coast Guard District, where he directed all operations in the Southeastern United States and Caribbean. Following that assignment he served as Commander, Atlantic Area and U.S. Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic. In this capacity he oversaw all Coast Guard operations on the U.S. East Coast, Gulf Coast, and Great Lakes in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Allen served as the Coast Guard's Chief of Staff from May 2002 until May 2006. As Chief of Staff, Allen was third in the Coast Guard's command structure, and was commanding officer of Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.[6]

Allen is a member of the Coast Guard Academy Board of Trustees. He was also the director of the bureaucratic transition of the Coast Guard from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Homeland Security.

Hurricane Katrina

On September 5, 2005, while serving as Coast Guard Chief of Staff, Allen was appointed deputy to Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael D. Brown by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, and placed in charge of Hurricane Katrina search-and-rescue and recovery efforts. Former colleagues interviewed after the announcement praised Allen as well-suited to the task.[2]

On September 9, 2005, Allen was given full command of the Bush administration's Hurricane Katrina onsite relief efforts. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff elevated Allen following the removal of Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael D. Brown from that position. Allen announced on January 25 that he would be relieved of this responsibility on January 27, 2006.[9]

Commandant

Allen assumed the duties of the 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard on May 25, 2006.[7] He was appointed to a four-year term by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate.[10] Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr. succeeded him as Commandant on May 25, 2010, in a change of command ceremony.[11]

Deepwater Horizon oil spill

On April 30, 2010, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that Allen would serve as the National Incident Commander for the federal government's response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.[12] Even after his end of service as Commandant on May 25, 2010, Allen continued to serve on active duty in the Coast Guard as National Incident Commander.[13]

Retirement

On June 30, 2010, Admiral Thad Allen officially retired from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Personal

Allen resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with his wife Pamela A. Hess, whom he married in October 1975. They have three children and two grandchildren.[7]

Awards and decorations

150pxAdvanced Boat Force Operations Insignia
150pxCutterman Insignia
75pxOffice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal with gold award star[14][15][16]
80px Defense Distinguished Service Medal[14]
Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal with 2 gold award stars
80px Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with 2 gold award stars
Coast Guard Commendation Medal with 2 gold award stars and Operational Distinguishing Device
80px Transportation 9-11 Medal
Coast Guard Achievement Medal with gold award star and "O" device
Commandant's Letter of Commendation Ribbon with 1 award star
80px Coast Guard Presidential Unit Citation with "hurricane symbol"
80px Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award
Coast Guard Unit Commendation with 1 award star and "O" device
Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation with 1 award star
80px Meritorious Team Commendation
Coast Guard "E" Ribbon with 1 award star
80px Coast Guard Bicentennial Unit Commendation
National Defense Service Medal with 2 bronze service stars
80px Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
80px Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal with 1 service star
Special Operations Service Ribbon with 1 service star
Sea Service Ribbon with 1 service star
80px Restricted Duty Ribbon
80px Expert Rifle Marksmanship Medal
80px Expert Pistol Marksmanship Medal

Allen's civilian awards include the 2006 Strategic Vision Award by the Global Strategy Institute (GSI) of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). In 2009, he was awarded the Admiral Of The Ocean Sea Award (AOTOS) from the United Seaman's Service and the 2009 Business Achievement Award given by Beta Gamma Sigma, the academic honor society affiliated with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. He was nominated for this award by the United States Coast Guard Academy.[17]

See also

32x28px United States Coast Guard portal

References

  1. ↑ http://www.military.com/news/article/adm-allen-in-hot-seat-over-oil-spill.html?ESRC=topstories.RSS
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Coast Guard's Chief of Staff To Assist FEMA Head Brown", Washington Post, September 7, 2005
  3. ↑ Transcript of C-Span interview
  4. ↑ "Admiral Thad W. Allen to Join RAND as Senior Fellow," RAND Corporation website, Oct 1, 2010: http://www.rand.org/news/press/2010/10/01/index.html
  5. ↑ White, Josh (2005-09-07). "Coast Guard's Chief of Staff To Assist FEMA Head Brown". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/06/AR2005090601677.html?referrer=email. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Official biography, USCG website
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Impact of Ice-Dimishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations". Summary Report. National Ice Center and United States Arctic Research Commission. 2007. p. 56. http://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/documents/2007IceSymp/Summary_Report_2007.pdf. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  8. ↑ "Loran Station Lampang." Loran History Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 July 2010. <http://www.loran-history.info/lampang/lampang.htm>.
  9. ↑ Speech at Coast Guard Station Washington, D.C, January 25, 2006
  10. ↑ Commandant's Corner, USCG Website
  11. ↑ Papp Nominated To Be Next Coast Guard Commandant http://hamptonroads.com/2009/12/obama-nominates-portsmouthbased-vice-adm-be-next-coast-guard-commandant
  12. ↑ Thad Allen named National Incident Commander for Deepwater Horizon spill
  13. ↑ Change of Command: Commandant of the Coast Guard
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Navy Times dated 25 May 2010
  15. ↑ Washington Post dated May 11, 2006
  16. ↑ Gold award star per COMDTINST M1650.25D, Table 1
  17. ↑ "Ethical Business Leadership" in Beta Gamma Sigma International Exchange, Vol. 8 No. 2 (2009 Summer), p. 3.

External links

Military offices
Preceded by
Thomas H. Collins 		Commandant of the Coast Guard
2006–2010 		Succeeded by
Robert J. Papp, Jr.
de:Thad W. Allen

io:Thad Allen he:ת'אד אלן


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