COMMANDING OFFICER
Commander Patrick R. Powers
Commander Powers is a 2008 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Management. He also holds a Master of Arts in Defense and Strategic Studies, along with a Graduate Certificate in Maritime History, from the Naval War College, and a Master of Science in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning, with a Graduate Certificate in Instructional Design, from Boise State University.
A career cutterman with over nine years of sea time in the Coast Guard, Commander Powers has served aboard five cutters, including as the Commanding Officer of CGC Key Largo (WPB 1324) and as the Executive Officer of CGC Eagle (WIX 327), America’s Tall Ship.
Most recently, he served in the Office of the Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security as the Designated Federal Officer for the President’s Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). His previous shore assignments include serving as Chief of the Fisheries Enforcement Division within the Office of Maritime Law Enforcement at Coast Guard Headquarters, as well as two tours at the Coast Guard Academy, first as an Instructor of Nautical Science and later as the Assistant Cadet Training Officer.
In addition to these permanent assignments, Commander Powers was detailed to the Department of Homeland Security to support two Presidential initiatives. First, he served as Chief of Staff to the Office of General Counsel in connection with the Independent Review Panel for the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt of then former President Donald J. Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Second, he served as the Deputy Executive Director for the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026. Additionally, he served as a member of the Major Incident Investigation Board for the fire aboard CGC Benjamin Dailey (WPC 1123) on December 10, 2021, while the vessel was dry-docked at the Tampa Ship LLC shipyard in Tampa, Florida.