JUNEAU, Alaska — Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska personnel conducted a change-of-command ceremony in Juneau at Coast Guard Station Juneau's pier, Friday.
Capt. Stanley Fields relieved Capt. Darwin Jensen as commander of Sector Southeast Alaska in a ceremony presided over by Rear Adm. Megan Dean, commander of Coast Guard District Seventeen.
As the sector commander, Fields is responsible for all Coast Guard operations throughout southeast Alaska to include protecting life and property, enforcing federal laws and treaties, preserving living marine resources, and promoting national security.
Fields was previously assigned as the deputy commander of Sector Key West, Florida, where he served as the acting Captain of the Port overseeing three multi-mission stations, six patrol boats, and an Aids to Navigation Team across 55,000 square nautical miles bordering Cuba and the Bahamas.
Jensen, who originally took command of Sector Southeast Alaska in July 2021, is transferring to Seattle, where he will serve as the chief of prevention for Coast Guard District Thirteen.
Headquartered in Juneau, Sector Southeast Alaska encompasses over 2,000 islands and 18,000 miles of shoreline. During an average year, the 355 active duty, reserve, civilian and auxiliary personnel of the Sector and its eleven sub-units save 263 lives and assist 251 people.
A change-of-command ceremony marks a transfer of total responsibility and authority from one individual to another. It is a time-honored tradition conducted before the assembled crew, as well as honored guests and dignitaries to formally demonstrate the continuity of the authority within a command.
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