Breaking the Trail...
Marking the Way...
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter MOBILE BAY (WTGB 103)
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
COMMANDING OFFICER
Lieutenant Commander Vasilios Tasikas assumed
command of USCGC MOBILE BAY (WTGB – 103) on July 1st, 2008.
A native of Rochester, New York and son of Greek immigrants, Lieutenant Commander Tasikas is a 1994 graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a dual major in Political Science and Urban & Public Policy. He earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Indiana University School of Law in 1997. Lieutenant Commander Tasikas has also earned a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College and a L.L.M in Military Law from the Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center & School.
Lieutenant Commander Tasikas’ military career began when he enlisted in the Coast Guard Reserve in 1992, where he earned the rank of Boatswain’s Mate Third Class. He was commissioned as an Ensign in the active duty Coast Guard after graduating from Officer Candidate School in 1997.
Lieutenant Commander Tasikas has served in a variety of operational afloat and judge advocate staff positions. His prior operational tours included operations officer on USCGC SWEETBRIER (WLB – 405), homeported in Cordova, Alaska; and executive officer of USCGC MOBILE BAY (WTGB – 103), homeported in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. As a judge advocate, Lieutenant Commander Tasikas served in the Office of Maritime and International Law and the Legal and Defense Services Office, both located in Washington D.C. He served as the Advanced Operational Law Fellow at the Center for Law and Military Operations in Charlottesville, Virginia. In addition, he served as a faculty member of the International and Operational Law Department at the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island, where he taught classes on international law, law of the sea, law of armed conflict, use of force in international relations, rules of engagement, and detention operations.
Lieutenant Commander Tasikas has served in two war-time deployments. In 2006 he deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, where he was assigned to the International Law Branch at Combined Forces Command – Afghanistan. In 2008 he served as the Officer-In-Charge of the Detainee Legal Operations Center in Camp Bucca, Iraq in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom. Supervising a staff of 38 military and civilian personnel, he was responsible for operating the Multi-National Force Review Committee, the purpose of which was to determine whether 20,000+ detainees in U.S. custody and control remain an imperative threat to the security of U.S. Forces or Iraq as directed by U.N. Security Council Resolutions & consistent with Geneva Convention principles.
Lieutenant Commander Tasikas’ publications include: The Rule of Law Handbook: A Practitioner’s Guide For Judge Advocates, 2007 (editor & contributing author); Developing the Rule of Law in Afghanistan: The Need for a New Strategic Paradigm, The Army Lawyer, 2007; Operational Law Handbook, 2007 (contributing author); The Regime of Maritime Port Access: A Contemporary Relook at International and United States Law, Loyola Maritime Law Journal, Spring 2007; Rush – Bagot: An Old Treaty Gets Dusted Off, Proceedings, 2006; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and the Doctrine of Hot Pursuit: A New Era of Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Operations, Tulane Maritime Law Journal, 2005; The Tampa Incident: IMO Perspectives and Responses on the Treatment of Persons Rescued at Sea, Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal, 2003 (co-authored).
Lieutenant Commander Tasikas’ awards include: Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Achievement Medal (3), Coast Guard Letter of Commendation, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Coast Guard Reserve Good Conduct Medal.
