Commanding Officer
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Forward
Commander Grantham
Commander Andrew Grantham assumed command of USCGC FORWARD in May 2024 after two years at the Coast Guard Civil Rights Directorate, where he served as the Executive Assistant to the Director and advised on program administration, initiatives, correspondence, equity issues affecting the fifty-five thousand military and civilian workforces.
Commander Grantham is a permanent cutterman. He served as Operations Officer USCGC KIMBALL (WMSL 756) on the pre-commission “plank owner” crew and delivered the cutter to its homeport in Honolulu, Hawaii. He also completed cutter assignments as Operations Officer on USCGC ACTIVE (WMEC 618) in Port Angeles, Washington, and as a Deck Watch Officer on USCGC RESOLUTE (WMEC 620) in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Commander Grantham’s other ashore assignments include Section Chief for Human Resources and Administration at the Coast Guard Personnel Service Center, and seven years of international affairs experience as the International Affairs Officer at Coast Guard Pacific Area and as a Deployable Team Leader, instructor, and curriculum manager for the International Mobile Training Branch at Training Center Yorktown.
Commander Grantham holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Operations Research and Computer Analysis from the United States Coast Guard Academy, and a Master of Organizational Leadership from Colorado Christian University.