Coast Guard welcomes new Northeast commander
by U.S. Coast Guard 1st District Northeast 20 May 2020 10:26 UTC
Rear Adm. Thomas G. Allan, Jr. relieves Rear Adm. Andrew J.Tiongson of his duty as commander of First Coast Guard District in a change of command ceremony, May 19, 2020 at Coast Guard Base Boston, Massachusetts © Petty Officer 3rd Class Briana Carter
The First Coast Guard District held a change-of-command ceremony Tuesday in Boston.
During the ceremony, Rear Adm. Thomas G. Allan, Jr., assumed command of the First Coast Guard District, which encompasses eight states, including 1,225 miles of coastline from the U.S., Canadian border to northern New Jersey, and 1,300 miles offshore.
"My family and I are excited for the new challenge to serve the citizens of the Northeast," said Allan. "And I'm honored to lead the men and women of the First District."
Rear Adm. Andrew J. Tiongson, who served as the First District commander for the past two years, will continue his Coast Guard career as the U.S. Southern Command's Director of Operations directing all U.S. military operations across the Caribbean Basin plus Central and South America.
"My father was a Senior Chief in the Coast Guard, and I grew up in Boston," said Tiongson. "This was a homecoming for me and it was an incredible blessing, the highest of honors, and the greatest of privileges to lead the men and women of the First District for the last two years."
Allan is a career operations ashore officer with tours across multiple units with a concentration in boat forces operations. His most recent assignment was Assistant Commandant for Resources and Chief Financial Officer at Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington D.C.
Vice Adm. Scott A. Buschman, commander of Coast Guard Atlantic Area, presided over the ceremony.
The First Coast Guard District includes more than 12,000 active duty, reserve, civil servant and auxiliary personnel. In an average year, the First Coast Guard District saves 427 lives, conducts 2,392 search and rescue cases, assists 4,536 people, and safeguards approximately $115,000,000 in property at sea.
The change-of-command ceremony is a time-honored military tradition that marks a transfer of total responsibility and authority from one individual to another. The ceremony is conducted in order to formally demonstrate the continuity of authority within a U.S. military command.