SITKA, Alaska – Cmdr. Brian McLaughlin relieved Capt. Michael Frawley as commanding officer of U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka in a change of command ceremony in Sitka, Friday.
Capt. Gregory T. Fuller, 17th Coast Guard District Chief of Staff, presided over the ceremony.
McLaughlin arrived in Alaska after serving as executive officer of Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Mclaughlin was previously assigned to the Office of Aviation Forces at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.; Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile, in Mobile, Alabama; Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, in Kodiak, Alaska; Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, in Clearwater, Florida; and aboard Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma (WMEC 908) in Kittery, Maine.
McLaughlin graduated from the Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor’s of Science in Government. He also earned a Master’s of Science in Aviation Safety Systems Management and Adult Education Technology from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“It is an honor to assume command of Air Station Sitka,” said McLaughlin. “It is a privilege to lead these dedicated service members and support them and their families as we serve the nation in Southeast Alaska.”
Air Station Sitka comprises over 100 personnel with an area of responsibility encompassing the entire Southeast region of Alaska.
Frawley will be assigned to Coast Guard District 17, located in Juneau, where he will manage Coast Guard operations throughout the state of Alaska and the Artic.