COMMAND
COMMANDING OFFICER: CAPT Benjamin J. Spector
Captain Benjamin Spector is the third Commanding Officer of USCGC CALHOUN (WMSL 759) and assumed command in June of 2026. He previously served as the Coast Guard Liaison Officer to U.S. Fleet Forces Command. A native of Metuchen, New Jersey, he earned his commission from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Captain Spector’s early afloat assignments include serving as a Deck Watch Officer aboard USCGC SENECA (WMEC 906) in Boston, Massachusetts, and as Executive Officer of USCGC AQUIDNECK (WPB 1309), forward-deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. In 2006, he assumed command of USCGC CHINOOK (WPB 87308) in New London, Connecticut.
Selected for the Eisenhower Leadership Development Program, Captain Spector attended Teachers College at Columbia University in 2008, earning a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership alongside specialized training at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He subsequently returned to his alma mater, serving as a Company Officer and assistant coach for the men’s Cross Country and Track programs at the Coast Guard Academy.
Returning to sea in 2012, he served as Operations Officer aboard USCGC MORGENTHAU (WHEC 722) in Alameda, California, before transferring to USCGC JARVIS (WHEC 725) as Operations Officer to oversee the cutter's transfer to the Bangladesh Navy. His subsequent staff and operational leadership tours include serving as the Afloat Assignment Officer at the Personnel Service Center in Washington, D.C.; Executive Officer of USCGC MOHAWK (WMEC 913) in Key West, Florida; and Deputy of the Cutter Forces Section for Coast Guard Atlantic Area.
Captain Spector’s most recent afloat assignment was as the Commanding Officer of USCGC ESCANABA (WMEC 907) from June 2021 to July 2023. Following this tour, he completed a program of study at the National War College at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., earning a Master of Science in National Security Strategy.
Captain Spector’s personal military decorations include three Meritorious Service Medals, four Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, among various other unit and service awards.
EXECUTIVE OFFICER: CDR Charles R. Wilson
Commander Charles “Chuck” Wilson is currently assigned as the Executive Officer of USCGC Calhoun (WMSL 759). Prior to reporting to CGC Calhoun, CDR Wilson was assigned to Coast Guard Headquarters, Force Design 2028 Implementation Team, serving as a Control Tower for Border Control initiatives, he directed cross-functional teams to rapidly field high-impact border security initiatives, including the deployment of advanced unmanned aerial systems and the foundational establishment of the Coast Guard Special Missions Command. Prior to joining the I–Team, CDR Wilson was assigned to the Office of Cutter Forces (CG-751) from June 2023 to August 2025, serving as Sponsor Representative and Program Manager for the Department of Homeland Security’s largest single acquisition, the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC), a $16.4B program of record.
While assigned in Washington, DC, CDR Wilson served the President of the United States (POTUS) as a White House Military Social Aide, facilitating personal engagements with the POTUS such as State dinners, receptions with world leaders, meetings with members of congress, and national significant events such as Medal of Honor ceremonies, Presidential Inauguration, and State Funerals.
CDR Wilson’s most recent operational tour was commanding officer of CGC Joseph Doyle, where he served as the Senior Officer Present Afloat (SOPA) among six Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) and one 87-foot patrol boat from June 2021 to June 2023. CDR Wilson’s other operational tours included serving as Operations Officer of CGC Bear in (WMEC 901) in Portsmouth, VA from 2019 to 2021; Officer-in-Charge of Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 405 with Tactical Law Enforcement Team (TACLET) South in Miami, FL from 2013 to 2016; and Deck Watch Officer aboard CGC Stratton (WMSL 752) in Alameda, CA from 2011 to 2013, in the commissioning crew.
CDR Wilson earned his commission in 2011 and Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the United States Coast Guard Academy. He also earned a Master of Science in Information Technology Management from the University of Maryland in 2018. Following graduate school, he served as Server Virtualization Service Manager at USCG Telecommunication & Information Systems Command (TISCOM) in Alexandria, Virginia from 2018 to 2019.
CDR Wilson’s military awards include one Meritorious Service Medal and six CG Commendation Medals in addition to other personal and service awards. He is a native of Savannah, Georgia where he served in the Air National Guard as an Aircraft Structural Mechanic on USAF C-130s from 2003 to 2007 and deployed in support of Hurricane Katrina Relief where he fell in love with the Coast Guard mission and the stalwart men and women of the Coast Guard.
COMMAND SENIOR ENLISTED LEADER: MKC Justin T. Harris
Chief Machinery Technician Justin T. Harris assumed the duties of Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL) aboard USCGC CALHOUN (WMSL 759) in March 2026, having initially joined the cutter's crew in the summer of 2025. Concurrently serving as the Auxiliary Department Chief, he acts as the direct advisor to the Commanding Officer on all matters pertaining to the health, morale, welfare, and professional development of the crew, while also leading his department in maintaining critical engineering systems.
A native of Texas, Chief Harris has built a diverse and operationally intensive career across the cutter and boat forces communities. Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Engineering Petty Officer (EPO) at Coast Guard Station Menemsha, Massachusetts, and as the EPO at Aids to Navigation Team (ANT) Venice, Louisiana. His underway experience includes serving as a Plankowner on the commissioning crew of USCGC JACOB POROO (WPC 1125), as well as tours aboard USCGC KANKAKEE (WLIC 75300) in Memphis, Tennessee, and USCGC CYPRESS (WLB 210) while homeported in Mobile, Alabama.
Chief Harris has also completed operational ashore and overseas tours, including a critical shoreside support assignment with Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) and operational tours at Station Bayfield, Wisconsin, and Station Venice, Louisiana.
A dedicated lifelong learner, Chief Harris is a proud graduate of the Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Academy, Class 302. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Chief Harris’s leadership philosophy is rooted in two core principles: taking care of one another—because "in the dark of the night, we are all we have"—and maintaining a healthy work-life balance to ensure the crew and their families are equally supported.
His military decorations include three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, four Coast Guard Achievement Medals, two Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medals, and numerous other personal, team, and unit awards. He has proudly earned his Permanent Cutterman insignia, Advanced Boat Forces insignia, and the Response Operations Ashore insignia.