Commanding Officer
Commander James V. Lovenstein
Commander James V. Lovenstein enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 1986 and his first duty station was onboard Coast Guard Cutter SENECA (WMEC 906) homeported in Boston, MA. After attending the Coast Guards Machinery Technician “A” School in Yorktown, VA he was assigned to the Maintenance Augmentation Team (MAT) in Boston and supported the various 270’ Medium Endurance Cutters throughout New England. After serving four years, he received an honorable discharge and attended college. CDR Lovenstein graduated from the University of Alaska in 1996 with a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering and received a Master Degree in Engineering Management from Northeastern University in Boston, MA in 2002.
CDR Lovenstein re-entered the service in 2002 through the Coast Guards Selected Reserve Direct Commission (SRDC), Reserve Officer Candidate Indoctrination (ROCI) program. His first assignment was Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron Two One (NCWRON 21) in Newport, RI, a deployable joint US Coast Guard & US Navy unit responsible for detecting, deterring, and defending areas, units, or High Value Assets throughout the world.
In 2007 he deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. While deployed he served as the Liaison Naval Officer (LNO) between Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron Two One (NCWRON 21) in Kuwait and Central Task Force Fifty-Six (CTF 56) in Bahrain and was responsible for coordination of operational tasking between CTF 56 and his parent command CTG 56.5 at Kuwait Naval Base. He also served as the Executive Assistant (EA) to Commander Task Unit United Arab Emirates and was responsible for standardizing force protection in accordance with FIFTHFLT directives for the ports of Fujairah and Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates.
After 6 years in the Expeditionary Warfare community, CDR Lovenstein was assigned to Coast Guard Sector Boston as the Reserve Division Chief for the Vessel Boarding Security Team (VBST). Responsibilities included maritime law enforcement in the port of Boston and along the Connecticut River and force protection of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) vessels entering and leaving the port of Boston. He also served as the Deputy Planning Section and Deputy Operation Section Chief during several ICS major events to include Sail Boston 2010 and OPSAIL 2012.
In 2012 CDR Lovenstein transferred to Port Security Unit 301 in Cape Cod, MA, where he served as the Engineer Officer. In 2014 he deployed with Maritime Security Detachment (MARSECDET), Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in support of Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.
In 2015 CDR Lovenstein completed a 1-year active duty tour with District 17 in Juneau, Alaska as an Arctic Shield planner. Duties included advancing seasonal capabilities to perform multiple missions and leveraging partnerships to combine efforts to ensure the safety of the arctic maritime community. Missions included; Search and Rescue, Marine Environmental Protection and Response, Marine Safety and Security, and Aids to Navigation. CDR Lovenstein also served as the lead Coast Guard planner for Arctic CHINOOK, a joint USCG and USNORTHCOM sponsored Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise.
In 2016 CDR Lovenstein transferred to Port Security Unit 308 in Kiln, MS where he served as the Executive Officer.
His awards include the Coast Guard Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal and numerous unit and team awards.
As a civilian Commander Lovenstein is a Project Engineering Manager for Elbit Systems of America. A leading global source of innovative, technology-based systems for diverse defense, homeland security, and commercial applications.
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