Matthew Walter serves as Commander, Sector Eastern Great Lakes. In this role, he is the Captain of the Port, Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, Officer in Charge of Marine Inspection, and Federal On-Scene Coordinator. He is responsible for 355 active duty members, 114 reservists, 16 civil servants, and 600 Auxiliarists.

His area of responsibility comprises the Eastern Great Lakes, including 570 miles of shoreline from Massena, NY to Vermilion, OH, as well as a 455-mile border with Canada. This area includes Lake Ontario, 80 percent of Lake Erie, the New York Finger Lakes region, Niagara Falls, and the Erie Canal System, covering three U.S. states. He oversees 14 Coast Guard subunits, comprising 11 stations, one Aids to Navigation Team, and two Marine Safety Units.

The Sector responds to nearly 1,000 search and rescue cases annually, making it the third most active U.S. Coast Guard Sector for SAR. The Sector also conducts nearly 3,000 vessel boardings each year and supports over 35 billion dollars in economic activity from ships transiting the gateway to all U.S. Great Lakes. The Sector works closely with U.S., Canadian, Tribal, and public and private partners to ensure safe, efficient, and shared use of vital waterways.

Graduating in 2003 from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, CAPT Walter served aboard USCGC VALIANT, homeported in Miami, FL, and spent the next seven years serving in the Great Lakes, including assignments as Executive Officer of USCGC NEAH BAY in Cleveland, OH, the Ninth Coast Guard District Command Center, and Commanding Officer of USCGC BISCAYNE BAY in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. While underway, he supported the Coast Guard’s largest domestic icebreaking mission, ensuring the safe transit of maritime commerce and access to island communities in ice-choked waterways from Buffalo, NY to Duluth, MN.

While serving in the Coast Guard’s Office of Navigation Systems in Washington, D.C., he was awarded the 2018 Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s Award for Excellence and the 2018 Office of Management and Budget Gears of Government Award for his contributions to advancing Coast Guard policy allowing commercial vessels to use electronic charts to meet legal chart carriage requirements without compromising safety. During that time, CAPT Walter also responded to national emergencies serving in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Response Coordination Center as an oil spill and hazardous material release manager and surged locally in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Florence.

Returning to the Great Lakes in 2019, CAPT Walter served as Response Department Head at Sector Sault Sainte Marie, MI until 2022 before moving to South America as the Coast Guard’s attaché to Brazil.

CAPT Walter earned a master’s degree with honors in Leadership with a focus in emergency management from Grand Canyon University. He is a Certified Emergency Manager through the International Association of Emergency Managers. His personal awards reflect the exceptional men and women who served alongside him.

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Commander Adam Mosley assumed the duties of Deputy Commander, Coast Guard Sector Eastern Great Lakes in June 2025. In this role, he helps oversee the multi-mission operations of the Sector team across three states and 15 sub-units comprised of 370 active duty and civilian members, 115 reservists, and 650 Auxiliarists operating from the St. Lawrence Seaway westward through Lakes Ontario and Erie to Lorain, Ohio, including Niagara Falls and portions of the Finger Lakes region and Erie Barge Canal.

Commander Mosley’s Coast Guard career began in 2009 after graduating from the U.S. Coast Guard Officer Candidate School. He served three years as the Chemical Officer at the Atlantic Strike Team in Fort Dix, New Jersey and three years as the Incident Management and Emergency Management Supervisor at Marine Safety Unit Savannah in Savannah, Georgia. His most recent operational assignment was at Sector Miami in Miami, Florida, where he served three years as the Emergency Manager.

Commander Mosley’s staff assignments included attending a graduate program at the University of Michigan and serving as the International Liaison Officer at the Office of Marine Environmental Response Policy (CG-MER). Prior to Sector Eastern Great Lakes, he served as a facilitator for the Global Maritime Operational Threat Response Coordination Center, where he developed a National Security Council reviewed Munition of Explosive Concern Protocol to resolve offshore safety concerns, supported the production and release of 24 international advisories to the U.S. maritime fleet, and facilitated multiple international incidents involving National Security Council coordination.

Commander Mosley holds an Associate of Science degree from Weber State University, a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University, a Master of Science degree from the University of Michigan, and both a Master of Arts degree and Joint Professional Military Education certification from the United States Naval War College.

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Senior Chief Miguel Martinez assumed the duties as the Command Senior Chief for Sector Eastern Great Lakes, NY in June 2025. He serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the Sector Commander. In this capacity, he provides advice on issues and initiatives impacting approximately 500 Coast Guard members and their families throughout the area of responsibility.

Sector Eastern Great Lakes encompasses 15 Coast Guard stations and units responsible for the Eastern Great Lakes, including 540 miles of shoreline from Vermilion, OH to Massena, NY, 455 miles of the international border with Canada, and 508 miles within the federal waters of the New York Finger Lakes region, Niagara Falls, and the Erie Canal System.

Senior Chief Martinez, originally from Dorado, Puerto Rico, enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in June 2000 and attended Recruit Basic Training in Cape May, NJ with Victor 157. Most recently, he served as the Fixed Wing Aviation Maintenance Technician Platform Manager at Air Station Clearwater.

His previous assignments include two tours at Air Station Barbers Point, three tours at Air Station Clearwater, and one tour each at Air Station Kodiak and Air Station Elizabeth City.

Senior Chief Martinez is a graduate of Class 226 of the Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Academy and Class 94 of the Coast Guard Senior Enlisted Leadership Course.

Senior Chief Martinez’s personal awards include two Coast Guard Commendation Medals, three Coast Guard Achievement Medals, and three Coast Guard Commandant’s Letter of Commendation Ribbons, all with the operational distinguishing device. In addition to various other personal and unit level awards, he wears the Aircrew Insignia.

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