| Thad Allen | |
| Office3: | Commandant of the United States Coast Guard |
| Term Start3: | 25 May 2006 |
| Term End3: | 25 May 2010 |
| President3: | George W. Bush Barack Obama |
| Predecessor3: | Thomas H. Collins |
| Successor3: | Robert Papp |
| Birth Name: | Thad William Allen |
| Birth Date: | 1949 1, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Branch: | United States Coast Guard |
| Serviceyears: | 1971–2010 |
| Rank: | Admiral |
| Commands: | Commandant of the Coast Guard Deepwater Horizon Unified Command |
| Battles: | September 11 attacks Deepwater Horizon oil spill |
| Awards: | Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal (2) Defense Distinguished Service Medal Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal (3) Legion of Merit Meritorious Service Medal (3) |
| Spouse: | Pamela Hess |
Thad William Allen (born 16 January 1949) is a former admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 23rd commandant from 2006 to 2010. Allen is best known for his performance directing the federal response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast region from September 2005 to January 2006, and for his role as National Incident Commander of the Unified Command for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.[1] [2] [3] Robert J. Papp Jr. succeeded him as Commandant on 25 May 2010.
Allen remained on active duty for 36 days after being succeeded as commandant while serving as Deepwater Horizon National Incident Commander. He officially retired from the U.S. Coast Guard on 30 June 2010, but continued to serve as National Incident Commander for an additional three months. He has worked as an executive vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton since November 2011.[4]
Allen was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of retired U.S. Coast Guard chief damage controlman and World War II veteran Clyde and Mrs. Wilma Allen.[5] Allen is a 1967 graduate of Palo Verde High School in Tucson. His family moved frequently during his childhood with his father's assignments. He attended the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, where he was a standout football player, graduating in 1971.[6] He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from George Washington University and a Master's degree in Management (S.M.) from the MIT Sloan School of Management as a Sloan Fellow.[7]
In his four decades of service, Allen has held operational command both at sea and ashore, conducting missions to support the maritime safety, security and environmental stewardship interests of the nation. Allen was the last commanding officer of LORAN Station Lampang, Thailand, serving there from 1974 to 1975. Station Lampang was part of the LORAN chain first put into use in 1966 as part of "Operation Tight Reign" in support of military operations in the Vietnam War.[7] [8] [9] He served aboard USCGC Androscoggin (WHEC-68), and USCGC Gallatin (WHEC-721) and commanded USCGC Citrus (WLB-300). He performed dual roles as commanding officer of Group Long Island Sound and Captain of the Port, and he commanded Group Atlantic City. He also commanded the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami and the Atlantic Area in Portsmouth, Virginia.[10]
Allen's first assignment as a flag officer was as Director of Resources at Coast Guard Headquarters then Commander, Seventh Coast Guard District, where he directed all operations in the Southeastern United States and Caribbean. Following that assignment he served as Commander, Atlantic Area and U.S. Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic. In this capacity he oversaw all Coast Guard operations on the U.S. East Coast, Gulf Coast, and Great Lakes in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Allen served as the U.S. Coast Guard's Chief of Staff from May 2002 until May 2006. As Chief of Staff, Allen was third in the Coast Guard's command structure, and was commanding officer of Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.[7]
On 5 September 2005, while serving as Coast Guard Chief of Staff, Allen was appointed deputy to Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael D. Brown by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, and placed in charge of Hurricane Katrina search-and-rescue and recovery efforts. Former colleagues interviewed after the announcement praised Allen as well-suited to the task.[2]
On 9 September 2005, Allen was given full command of the Bush administration's Hurricane Katrina onsite relief efforts. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff elevated Allen following the removal of Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael D. Brown from that position. Allen announced on 25 January that he would be relieved of this responsibility on 27 January 2006.[11]
Allen assumed the duties of the 23rd Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard on 25 May 2006. He was appointed to a four-year term by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate.[12] Admiral Robert J. Papp Jr. succeeded him as commandant on 25 May 2010, in a change of command ceremony.[13]
On 30 April 2010, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that Allen would serve as the National Incident Commander for the federal government's response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.[14] After the end of his service as commandant on 25 May 2010, Allen continued serving as National Incident Commander until 1 October 2010, when that billet was disestablished.[15] He also remained on active duty in the Coast Guard until 30 June 2010, which was the first time in history the Coast Guard had two active duty four-star admirals.[16] The position of Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard has since been made a four-star rank.
On 25 July 2024, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability investigating the Coast Guard’s mishandling of serious misconduct, including racism, hazing, discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and the failure to disclose internal investigations into those issues to Congress requested that Admiral Allen participate in a voluntary transcribed interview. The Committee stated that "[o]ne of the key questions the Committee is examining is the extent to which senior USCG leadership willfully concealed internal reports from Congress that would have informed policy changes needed to combat, and further prevent, future incidents of misconduct. Additionally, as the Chief of Staff during and the Commandant following the date range investigated by OFA, the Committee is interested in learning more about what efforts were made to notify Congress or conceal misconduct. We believe that as the former Commandant and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Coast Guard, you have information that will assist us in fully understanding the extent to which USCG withheld these reports from Congress, how these incidents of misconduct were handled, and what actions USCG took regarding those responsible. We therefore request that you make yourself available voluntarily for a transcribed interview."[17]
In October 2010, Allen joined the RAND Corporation as a senior fellow.[18] On 28 November 2011, Booz Allen Hamilton named Allen a Senior Vice President, joining the firm's Justice and Homeland Security business and leading development of thought leadership and client engagement regarding the direction of law enforcement and homeland security.[19]
Allen resides in Vienna, Virginia, with his wife Pamela A. Hess, whom he married in October 1975. They have three children and five grandchildren. He was elected a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow in 2003.
Allen's civilian awards include the 2006 Strategic Vision Award by the Global Strategy Institute (GSI) of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). In 2009, he was awarded the Admiral Of The Ocean Sea Award (AOTOS) from the United Seaman's Service and the 2009 Business Achievement Award given by Beta Gamma Sigma, the academic honor society affiliated with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. He was nominated for this award by the United States Coast Guard Academy.[20] Allen, in May 2013, also received an honorary doctorate in public service from the George Washington University.[21]
Allen is a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.[22]
His official U.S. Coast Guard portrait, painted by artist Michele Rushworth was unveiled at Fort Lesley J. McNair upon his retirement. Allen is a member of the Coast Guard Academy Board of Trustees. He was also the director of the bureaucratic transition of the Coast Guard from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Homeland Security.