Vice Admiral Peter W. Gautier assumed the duties of Acting Vice Commandant on January 21, 2025. As the Acting Vice Service Chief, he advances the Commandant’s strategic vision and directs internal governance of the U.S. Coast Guard, the 56,000 person-strong military service and law enforcement agency that assures the security, safety, and stewardship of America’s maritime border, ports and waterways.
Vice Admiral Gautier previously served as the Deputy Commandant of Operations (DCO) from June 2022 where he developed strategy, operational policy, and capabilities advancing Coast Guard success in delivering its missions.
With extensive experience in a wide range of operational leadership roles, Vice Admiral Gautier served as Deputy Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area, where he was responsible for all U.S. Coast Guard missions spanning from the Rocky Mountains west to the waters off the eastern coast of Africa. He also served as Commander, Coast Guard Eleventh District, directing all Coast Guard missions in California and the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Commander, Sector New Orleans, directing all Coast Guard operations in southeast Louisiana and the lower 300 miles of the Mississippi River, and the Chief of Operations for the Deployable Operations Group, overseeing operational capability for the Coast Guard’s deployable specialized forces.
Other Flag assignments include Director of Governmental and Public Affairs for the Coast Guard, where he was responsible for external engagement with Congress, the media and other intergovernmental entities, and the Senior Director for Response Policy on the National Security Council Staff, where he coordinated policy for all-hazards domestic incident management, national preparedness exercises, and continuity of government.
A career crisis responder, Vice Admiral Gautier served as the National Incident Command Chief of Staff for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Gulf Strike Team, Mobile, AL, where he served as the initial Deputy Disaster Coordinator for Hazardous Materials for the World Trade Center Attacks. He has responded to many national-level crises throughout his 37-year career.
Vice Admiral Gautier graduated from the U. S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering in 1987.
In 2024, he was received the Harvard-Meta National Preparedness Leadership Initiative Award for his devoted leadership of the people, mission, and vision of the United States Coast Guard, and his critical national leadership during the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, the Grand Princess Cruise Ship landing, and on the staff of the White House National Security Council.
He holds a Master of Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Michigan and a Masters of National Security Strategy from the National War College. He has earned numerous personal, team, and campaign awards throughout his illustrious career.