The First Coast Guard District commander change of command ceremony was held on Friday, May 10, at Coast Guard Base Boston. It was a formal transfer of authority from one service member to another.
Rear Adm. Michael Platt is the new district commander. A native of Boston, he graduated from Hampton University with a bachelor’s degree, American Military University with a master’s degree, and the National War College with a master’s degree in National Security Strategy. He previously served as the Executive Assistant to the 26th Commandant of the Coast Guard and held other senior positions in the Department of Homeland Security.
During his service career, Platt has amassed more than 3,600 hours of flight time in MH-65 helicopters and HC- 144 airplanes. He has served in six Coast Guard aviation units and has earned extensive experience in a variety of areas, including search and rescue, emergency medical services, and environmental operations.
As the commander of the First Coast Guard District, which includes over 12,000 active duty, reserve, civil servant, and auxiliary personnel, Platt will be responsible for overseeing the Coast Guard’s operations in Northern New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. The district is responsible for saving 427 lives, conducting 2,392 search and rescue cases, assisting 4,536 people, and safeguarding approximately $115 million in property at sea annually.
The change of command ceremony marked the end of a four-year tenure as commander for Rear Adm. John Mauger and the beginning of a new era of leadership for the First Coast Guard District. Platforms has assumed command of the district at a critical time, and he is well-positioned to lead the Coast Guard’s mission of service and innovation. With extensive experience in a variety of areas, including search and rescue, emergency medical services, and environmental operations, Platt is well-positioned to build on the Coast Guard’s successes and lead the district into the future.
Rear Adm. Michael Platt relieved Rear Adm. John Mauger as the commander of the First Coast Guard District, as the first African-American servicemember to assume the role.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.
