Rear Admiral Sean P. Regan assumed command of the United States Coast Guard Oceania District in June 2024. As the Oceania District Commander, he is responsible for all Coast Guard operations in the central Pacific, western Pacific, and Oceania regions. Previously, he was the Director of Training, Exercise, and Wargaming for the North American Aerospace Command (NORAD) and USNORTHCOM and the Deputy Director of Operations at United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).
A Direct Commission graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and the first USCG Flag Officer from a Merchant Marine school in decades, he offers strategic and operational expertise at all levels, including national leadership during historic events. His experience spans military operations, domestic and international crisis response, and international engagements across AFRICOM, SOUTHCOM, NORTHCOM, CENTCOM, INDOPACOM, the Atlantic Arctic, and Oceania.
RADM Regan is a fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations and served as Chief of Staff, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, overseeing five subordinate District Commands, and 49 operational Coast Guard units. He also served as the Chief of Operations for Atlantic Area from 2016 to 2019, coordinating operational and policy support for two-thirds of all Coast Guard efforts worldwide.
In 2004, he commanded the Maritime Safety and Security Team, New Orleans where, during Hurricane Katrina’s massive urban search and rescue effort, he led over 400 security and search and rescue forces. In 2006, he earned a Master of Arts in Military Science from the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College. In 2007, he managed Maritime Homeland Security policy in the Coast Guard’s Office of Counterterrorism and Defense Operations as a Commander.
From 2009 to 2011, he served on the President’s National Security Staff as Director, Maritime Security Policy and Director, Arctic Region Policy, advising on piracy, Arctic oil drilling, mass migration, the Fukushima nuclear release, and maritime security policy.
In 2011, he earned a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. From 2012 through 2014, he served as Deputy Sector Commander, Sector Southeast New England, leading more than 150 Coast Guard members and six patrol boats across nearly every Coast Guard mission.
In 2014, he commanded the Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT), the Coast Guard’s east coast maritime law enforcement counter-terrorism unit, supporting National Security Special Events and Caribbean and U.S. Central Command, Bahrain deployments.
RADM Regan’s awards include two Defense Superior Service Medals, two Legion of Merit, five Meritorious Service Medals, the Coast Guard Commendation Medal, and two Coast Guard Achievement Medals.