Admiral Thad Allen Join RAND as Senior Fellow

Adm. Thad W. Allen announced that after completing his service as national incident commander of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, he will join the RAND Corporation as a senior fellow, effective Oct. 4.

“Thad Allen has served the U.S. government and U.S. Coast Guard with great distinction,” said RAND President and CEO James A. Thomson. “We are delighted he will continue to take on the most difficult policy challenges as a RAND senior fellow. His experience and expertise will be apparent in our research and analysis on an array of homeland security, environmental and national security challenges.”

Allen was scheduled to join RAND in May 2010, shortly after he retired as commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. But his transition was delayed when he was asked by President Obama to manage the oil spill emergency response and clean-up, for which his leadership has been widely praised.

Allen became the 23rd commandant of the United States Coast Guard in May of 2006 and led a massive effort to update the service’s antiquated command and logistics organizations, and address future maritime challenges facing the nation.

While serving as the Coast Guard’s chief of staff, Allen served as the principal federal official overseeing Hurricane Katrina response and recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region. During his Coast Guard career, Allen held many command posts, including command of the Coast Guard’s Atlantic forces in its response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Allen received his bachelor’s degree from the United States Coast Guard Academy, a master of public administration from George Washington University and a master’s degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management.  He is the recipient of two Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medals, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, three Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medals, a Legion of Merit Medal and three Meritorious Service Medals.

Allen will be based in the RAND office in Arlington, Va., and will focus his work on homeland security, ocean policy and defense policy issues.

His work at RAND initially will be concentrated in the RAND Homeland Security and Defense Center, a joint center of the RAND National Security Research Division and RAND Infrastructure, Safety and Environment. The center conducts analysis to prepare and protect communities and critical infrastructure from natural disasters and terrorism. Center projects examine a wide range of risk management problems including coastal and border security, emergency preparedness and response, defense support to civil authorities, transportation security, domestic intelligence programs, technology acquisition and related topics.