Vice Adm. Neffenger Becomes Vice Commandant

Posted by Michelle Howard May 20, 2014

Vice Adm. Peter Neffenger speaks during the vice commandant change of watch ceremony at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, May 20, 2014. Neffenger became the 29th vice commandant of the Coast Guard during the event. (U.S. Coast Guard photo Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Kelley)

U.S. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Peter Neffenger relieved Vice Adm. John Currier as Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard during a change of watch ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, D.C., Tuesday.

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp presided over the ceremony and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson attended.

“It has been my honor to serve our nation as the vice commandant,” said Currier. “Thanks to all of my shipmates in this great organization and semper paratus.”

The change-of-watch ceremony is a time-honored event preserved by rich heritage of naval tradition. It is a formal custom that is designed to strengthen the respect of authority, which is vital to any military organization.

The ceremony marked the completion of a distinguished military career that began at Officer Candidate School in Yorktown, Va., in 1976. He was designated a naval aviator in 1977 and an aeronautical engineer in 1982.

Currier served at six Coast Guard Air Stations throughout his career, highlighted by command of Air Stations Detroit and Miami. Subsequently, he was assigned as Pacific Area Chief of Operations then Pacific Area chief of staff. Currier was promoted to flag rank in 2005. He then served as Assistant Commandant for Acquisition at Coast Guard Headquarters, then as commander of the 13th District. He assumed the duties of the Coast Guard’s chief of staff in 2009, later transitioning to the service’s first Deputy Commandant for Mission Support. Following the ceremony, Currier formally retired from the Coast Guard after nearly 38 years of service.

"Vice Admiral Currier has served our nation with distinction for nearly 38 years and the Coast Guard is safer, more proficient and more capable due to his exceptional leadership," said Neffenger. “I am truly humbled to follow his impeccable service as vice commandant. I wish him fair winds and following seas."

Neffenger became the 29th vice commandant of the Coast Guard after serving as the Deputy Commandant for Operations, responsible for establishing and providing operational strategy, policy, guidance and resources as needed to meet national priorities for Coast Guard missions, programs and services. He was commissioned in 1982 at Officer Candidate School. Neffenger commanded Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach, Calif.; served as a fellow to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee; as the Coast Guard liaison officer to the Territory of American Samoa; as an engineer on the Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin; and as chief of the Office of Budget and Programs at Coast Guard Headquarters. As a flag officer, Neffenger served as director of the Strategic Management Directorate, was the Deputy National Incident Commander for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, the largest and most complex oil spill in the nation’s history and as commander of the 9th District, where he oversaw Coast Guard operations throughout the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway region.