Change of Command Coming at USCG R&D Center

The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) will host a Change of Command on July 10, 2026, at the New London Community Recreation Center, New London, CT, where current RDC Commanding Officer Captain Michael Chien, will be relieved by Captain Phillip Granati. Captain Chien has held command since June 16th, 2023. He leaves to become the Senior Coast Advisor to the President of the Naval War College in Newport, RI.

During Captain Chien’s tenure, the command advanced the service's technological baseline through rigorous scientific inquiry, significant partnership collaboration and rigorous testing, executing 189 research projects that bridged the gap between emerging technology and frontline operational capabilities. The RDC's transformative scientific portfolio shaped Force Design 2028 investment strategies through critical initiatives, including pioneering the fleet-wide integration of Starlink for underway broadband, validating the Aqua Alerts maritime warning system, and developing capability to protect major public events from uncrewed aircraft threats. In addition to enhancing search and rescue survival modeling through physiological thermal testing and securing maritime borders with uncrewed systems, the RDC provided vital analytical decision-support by conducting a comprehensive fleet mix analysis, engineering a tactical communication network, and establishing a secure cloud test environment for rapid prototyping.