COMMAND
Commodore, PATFORSWA
CAPT Brad Brunaugh
Captain Brad Brunaugh is the Commander of Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) and Commodore for a squadron of six Fast Response Cutters forward deployed to Manama, Bahrain. He is responsible for delivering ready Coast Guard forces to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command for operations in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. Captain Brunaugh is the senior Coast Guard officer in the Middle East and leads more than 300 Coast Guard personnel.
He previously served as the Chief of Resource Management at the Coast Guard’s Oceania District in Honolulu, Hawaii where he managed an $18 million annual operating budget, long-term capital planning, and advised on strategically significant infrastructure projects across the Pacific.
Captain Brunaugh participated in the Secretary of Defense Executive Fellowship at Qualcomm, Inc. in San Diego, California. As one of seventeen military fellows embedded at Fortune 500 corporations, he was assigned to a team building cloud computing and artificial intelligence capability to compete in a market dominated by a single competitor. As part of the senior leadership development program, he engaged with corporate executives at Qualcomm and other companies, explored a variety of business models and organizational cultures, and examined strategic decision making processes.
Captain Brunaugh is a permanent Cutterman and has served on four cutters including most recently as the Executive Officer on USCGC MIDGETT (WMSL 757) in Honolulu, Hawaii from 2020-2022. He also served as the Commanding Officer of USCGC TYBEE (WPB 1330) and Executive Officer of USCGC TEMPEST (WPC 2).
Captain Brunaugh graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 2003 and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame in 2015. He is a Certified Government Financial Manager and Project Management Professional. His other staff assignments include tours at the Coast Guard Academy as a Nautical Science Instructor, Base Cleveland as the Comptroller Department Head, and as a member of the financial system modernization at Coast Guard Headquarters.
Captain Brunaugh is from Littleton, Colorado and is married to his Coast Guard Academy
classmate, Meghan (Ryan). They have four children and live in Honolulu, Hawaii. He
enjoys fitness, golf, college football, and being outdoors.
Deputy, PATFORSWA
Commander Amanda L. Hood
CDR Hood currently serves as the Deputy Commander, USCG Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), and Deputy Commodore, CTG 55.1. She is second in command of the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest overseas unit comprised of six Fast Response Cutters, a shore-side support element, and a Maritime Engagement Team. PATFORSWA provides combat ready assets in support of the U.S. Navy FIFTH Fleet and Naval Central Command.
CDR Hood’s afloat assignments include serving as Commanding Officer of USCGC PIKE (WPB 87365) and as the Executive Officer on USCGC MONOMOY (WPB 1326) forward deployed to PATFORSWA in support of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM, and NEW DAWN. She completed a tour as the Operations Officer aboard USCGC MUNRO (WMSL 755) where she patrolled the Pacific Area of Operations, including the South China Sea, the Eastern Pacific, Oceania, and the Bering Sea. Her first afloat assignment was as the First Lieutenant and Law Enforcement Officer of USCGC ESCANABA (WMEC 907).
CDR Hood’s ashore assignments include the Legal Service Command as the Command Services Division Chief, serving as the Staff Judge Advocate to over 45 commands within the Mission Support enterprise. She was detailed to the Department of Homeland Security Office of the General Counsel (OGC) as an Attorney-Advisor in the Operations and Enforcement Law Division where her portfolio included maritime domain issues, the DHS Countering-Unmanned Aircraft Systems program, and coordinating the OGC Crisis Cell. In her first legal tour, CDR Hood served as a duty attorney in the Office of Maritime & International Law, Response Law Division.
CDR Hood received her commission as an Ensign in 2008, after graduating with high honors from the United States Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. CDR Hood was selected for the Coast Guard’s funded Law Program and earned her Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in 2016. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Defense and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
CDR Hood’s military awards include two Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medals, four Coast Guard Commendation Medals, the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and various other personal and unit awards.
CDR Hood is married to Mr. David Zukowski, who resides in San Francisco with their two cats.
Command Master Chief, PATFORSWA
Command Master Chief Ryan Sullivan
Master Chief Ryan Sullivan assumed the duties of Command Master Chief for Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) on 17 June 2025. He advises and supports the Commodore in leading the Coast Guard’s most forwardly deployed unit, comprising six 154’ Fast Response Cutters, shore-side support personnel, and the Maritime Engagement Team. Under the authority of Naval Forces Central Command, PATFORSWA executes national security missions to disrupt terrorist activity by securing maritime commerce and interdicting weapons and narcotics.
Prior to this assignment, Master Chief Sullivan served as the Intelligence Specialist Rating Force Master Chief and Senior Enlisted Leader for Coast Guard Intelligence at Coast Guard Headquarters. His previous key leadership roles include Command Chief at Cryptologic Unit Colorado and Command Intelligence Officer at Air Station Savannah, GA. He also served as a Signals Intelligence Training liaison and completed an internship in the National Security Agency’s Middle Enlisted Cryptologic Career Advancement Program. Early in his career, Master Chief Sullivan served as a small boat engineer and boarding team member at Station Rockland, ME.
Master Chief Sullivan joined the Coast Guard in October 2007, graduating Recruit Training at Cape May, NJ. He holds a Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management from the National Intelligence University and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Networks and Cybersecurity from the University of Maryland, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Cyber Operations at the same institution. He is a graduate of the Coast Guard Senior Enlisted Leadership Course (Class 91), Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Academy (Class 236), and Intelligence Specialist A-School 01-10.
Master Chief Sullivan is authorized to wear the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Coast Guard Commendation Medal, the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, and the Intelligence Professional Insignia, among other unit, personal, and service awards. He is a native of Colorado Springs, CO.