Commanding Officer
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Forward
Commander Galgano
Commander Victor J. Galgano graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management. In 2012 he earned a Master of Science Degree in Instructional Systems and a Master Certificate in Human Performance Technology from The Florida State University.
Commander Galgano’s previous afloat assignments include Deck Watch Officer aboard USCGC Tampa, Commanding Officer of USCGC Sea Devil, Operations Officer of USCGC Bear, and Executive Officer of USCGC Harriet Lane.
His assignments ashore include serving within the Office of Cutter Forces at US Coast Guard Headquarters as Lead Action Officer for the Sea Duty Readiness Council and as Chief of the Strategic Homeporting and Patrol Boat Capability Division. In these roles, Commander Galgano drove policy and homeport decision-making efforts and championed workforce initiatives to improve quality of life and job satisfaction for personnel serving onboard cutters. He has also filled multiple positions within the Force Readiness Command enterprise and has been a thought-leader for the future of training within the Service. In 2019, he co-led a team of subject matter experts to pen the Coast Guard’s first total workforce learning strategy known as Modernized Ready Learning.
He most recently served as Training Director, Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown, Virginia where he oversaw the development and execution of technical training for 20,000 members of the total Coast Guard workforce. He also co-architected the Servicemember Transformation and Readiness Training course, which has provided invaluable military life-skills training to 5,000 newly hired enlisted personnel since inception in 2025.
Commander Galgano is a Permanent Cutterman. His personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, five Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and two Coast Guard Achievement Medals.