Sector Charleston Commander & Captain of the Port
Captain Shawn A. Lansing
Captain Lansing assumed the duties of Commander, Sector Charleston in July 2025. As Sector Commander and Captain of the Port, he directs all Coast Guard forces and operations in the Port of Charleston and the intracoastal waterways and littorals of South Carolina and Georgia. Sector Charleston is comprised of nearly 800 active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel to include eleven units; four boat stations, three cutters, three aids to navigation teams, and one marine safety unit. Sector Charleston is also supported by three Coast Guard Auxiliary Divisions consisting of over 700 volunteers.
Captain Lansing has served in a wide range of operational assignments over his career, including Deputy Commander, Sector St. Petersburg, Florida; Chief of the Interagency Operations Center, Sector San Francisco, California; and Assistant Chief of Enforcement at Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, California. Before earning his commission in 2002, Captain Lansing served as a Helicopter Rescue Swimmer at Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina and Air Station Astoria, Oregon. He began his Coast Guard career in 1991 aboard USCGC NUNIVAK (WPB-1306), homeported at U.S. Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.
Prior to his current assignment, Captain Lansing served at the Pentagon as Chief, Joint Operations Division Americas where he supported the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in carrying out responsibilities as the principal military advisor to the President and Secretary of Defense, and coordinated with the National Security Council and other federal departments and agencies to advance the National Security Strategy and facilitate contingency and crisis operations across the Western Hemisphere. Other staff assignments include Expeditionary Forces Program Manager in the Office of Specialized Capabilities (CG-721) at Coast Guard Headquarters; Protocol Officer to the 24th Commandant of the Coast Guard; Military Aide to Commander, Atlantic Area; Project Manager for the Operations Command Implementation Team in Portsmouth, Virginia; and as an Action Officer in the District Seventeen Office of Law Enforcement in Juneau, Alaska.
Captain Lansing holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and a Master of Arts in Defense and Strategic Studies with highest distinction from the U.S. Naval War College. His personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), Air Medal (two awards), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal (three awards), Coast Guard Achievement Medal (two awards), and he has earned numerous service and unit awards.