Coast Guard Air Station Sitka personnel held a change-of-command ceremony at Air Station Sitka, Friday.
Capt. Brian J. McLaughlin transferred command of Coast Guard Air Station Sitka to Cmdr. Vincent J. Jansen.
As the commanding officer, Jansen will be responsible for an area of operation encompassing approximately 180,000 square miles of water and land stretching across Southeast Alaska from the Dixon Entrance to Icy Bay, and the Alaskan-Canadian border to the central Gulf of Alaska. Air Station Sitka’s operating area is one of the most demanding flight environments that Coast Guard aircraft operate in.
Jansen previously served as operations and executive officer of Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, and logistics and commanding officer of enlisted personnel at Sector Columbia River in Warrenton, Oregon.
Jansen received his commission from the Coast Guard Academy and then served aboard Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley in Kodiak, Alaska. Following Naval Flight Training, Jansen flew the HH-60J and MH-60T helicopters at Coast Guard Sector San Diego, and Air Station Kodiak. After earning a Master of Science in Safety Science from Embry-Riddle he was assigned as the Coast Guard’s liaison officer to the United States Naval Safety Center.
McLaughlin, who originally took command of Air Station Sitka in July 2020, will be transferring to the Coast Guard 17th District in Juneau, Alaska to serve as chief of incident management.
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.
