James Angus Watson IV (born 1956) is a retired

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

. He currently serves as a senior vice president at the

American Bureau of Shipping The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) is an American maritime classification society established in 1862. Its stated mission is to promote the security of life, property, and the natural environment, primarily through the development and verific ...

Education and career

Watson became Deputy Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command in April 2010. Among his duties is

Federal On Scene Coordinator The Federal On Scene Coordinator (Federal OSC), is a designation in the United States for an individual that: *Is responsible for providing access to federal resources and technical assistance *Coordinates all federal containment, removal, and disp ...

of the

Deepwater Horizon oil spill The ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill was an environmental disaster off the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico, on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. It is considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum in ...

. He succeeded

Mary Landry Mary E. Landry is an American disaster-management official and retired rear admiral of the United States Coast Guard. In April 2012, Landry became the inaugural Director of Incident Management and Preparedness at the Coast Guard's headquarters. ...

on June 1, 2010 in that position. He had been her deputy. He first graduated with honors from Mount Saint Joe in 1974 followed by the

United States Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), located in New London, Connecticut, is the United States service academies, U.S. service academy specifically for the United States Coast Guard. Founded in 1876, the academy provides education t ...

in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering. He received Master of Science degrees in 1985 in Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. He received a Master of Science degree in Strategic Studies from the

Industrial College of the Armed Forces The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (Eisenhower School), formerly known as the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), is a part of the National Defense University (Washington, D.C.), National Defens ...

. He was Engineering Officer/Student Engineer aboard the USCGC Bibb (WPG-31) (1978–1980). In headquarters he was Staff Engineer – Marine Technical and Hazardous Materials Division (1980–1983), Staff Naval Architect - USCG Marine Safety Center (1986–1989), Chief of Port Operations Marine Safety Office Puget Sound (1989–1992), Executive Officer Marine Safety Office Savannah (1992–1995), Commanding Officer Marine Safety Office San Diego (1995–1998), Program Reviewer - Office of Budget and Programs (1998–2000), Commanding Officer Marine Safety Office Miami (2001–2004), Chief, Office of Budget and Programs, Coast Guard Headquarters (2004–2006), Chief of Staff of the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami (2006–2007). He was promoted to

flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command. Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways: * ...

in 2007 as Director of Prevention Policy for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship, Coast Guard Headquarters where he was responsible for Waterways Management, Boating Safety, Commercial Vessel Safety and Security, Ports and Cargo Safety and Security, Maritime Investigations, and Quality Traveling Inspectors, Atlantic Area’s first Director of Operations and Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command in April 2010. Watson retired in June 2012 to become Director of the

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE "Bessie") is an agency under the United States Department of the Interior. Established in 2011, BSEE is an agency responsible for improving safety and ensuring environmental protection ...

at the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation ...

. His personal military awards include the Distinguished Service Award, five Legions of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, and six Coast Guard Commendation Medals.

Personal

In the

2024 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's Ticket (election), ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of ...

, Watson endorsed

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

Command events

* 2003 Al-Qaeda attack on

SS Norway SS ''France'' was a Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT, or French Line) ocean liner, constructed by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard at Saint-Nazaire, France, and put into service in February 1962. From the time of her construct ...

during Top-Off 2 in Miami * BP Deepwater Horizon cleanup

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, James A. 1956 births Living people United States Coast Guard Academy alumni University of Michigan College of Engineering alumni Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy alumni United States Coast Guard admirals