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USCGC TAMPA (WMEC 902)
Portsmouth,
Virginia
COMMANDER
CDR Susan Polizzotto
Commander Polizzotto is from Vestal, New York. She was commissioned as a Coast Guard Officer in July, 1995 and assumed command of Coast Guard Cutter TAMPA in July, 2011. Commander Polizzotto reported to CGC TAMPA from the Department of State, where she served as the Coast Guard’s Senior Liaison Officer. Working in the Bureaus of Political Military Affairs and International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, she represented the Department as a member of an international delegation to eastern Africa tasked with assessing law enforcement capacity and creating programs to combat Somali piracy, helped coordinate the U. S. Government’s response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, contributed to the first interagency Maritime Security Sector Reform guide, and was instrumental to the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration’s efforts to develop policies concerning migrant interdiction and repatriation in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean region. She also led the Department’s diplomatic response to the attack by pirates on the Sailing Vessel Quest.
Commander Polizzotto’s operational tours include Executive Officer of CGC MOHAWK, Surface Action Officer and Command Duty Officer at Joint Interagency Task Force South, and Weapons Officer and Deck Watch Officer on CGC HAMILTON. Her staff assignments include Staff Judge Advocate of the Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Academy, Appellate Government Counsel at the Office of Military Justice, and Assistant Legal Officer at the First District Legal Office.
Commander Polizzotto’s degrees include a Masters in National Security and Strategic Studies, U.S. Naval War College and Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Japanese and International Relations, Brigham Young University. She is admitted to the bars of the State of New York, Third Appellate Division, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the United States Supreme Court. Prior to joining the Coast Guard, she practiced law for over three years in Binghamton, New York.
Commander Polizzotto’s military awards include the Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and three Coast Guard Achievement Medals. She is also the recipient of the Secretary of State’s Superior Honor Award.
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