Rear Admiral Dwyer serves as the Chief Prosecutor of the Coast Guard, where he leads a team of legal professionals charged with the swift and fair application of military justice. Most recently he served as the Chief of Maritime and International Law, where he oversaw a team of legal advisors providing real time operational legal advice to support global operations. In this position, he also led the U.S. delegation to the International Maritime Organization’s Legal Committee.
Prior to this role, he served as the first Coast Guard officer assigned to the position of the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) (General Counsel) for U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Florida. In this role, he acted as the principal legal advisor for the Department of Defense’s Geographic Combatant Commander.
Formerly, Rear Admiral Dwyer served as a Deputy SJA, Operations Law Attorney and the Chief of Legal Engagements for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii. In these roles, he advised on operational issues involving the South China Sea and North Korea and led numerous legal engagements throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific to advance the Rule of Law. Earlier, he served in the Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany, providing operational legal advice on a variety of areas including piracy, maritime security, and targeting. During this time, Rear Admiral Dwyer further served as a legal advisor for Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya and conducted legal engagements and training throughout the African Continent.
Rear Admiral Dwyer has also served as the Seventeenth District SJA in Juneau, Alaska. His duties included advising on operations, maritime security, military justice, and international law for Coast Guard units in Alaska and the Arctic. He began his career as a Deck Watch Officer aboard USCGC BASSWOOD and USCGC WALNUT (as Plankowner) and is a designated Ship Salvage Diving Officer having completed U.S. Navy Dive School.
Rear Admiral Dwyer graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He holds two Master of Arts degrees from the Army War College and Naval Postgraduate School. He additionally earned his Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration in his home state of New Jersey. His military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal (2), Meritorious Service Medal (3), Defense Achievement Medal, Overseas Service Medal, and U.S. Navy Diving Officer Pin.