Capt. Brandon Lechthaler, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team, salutes Vice Adm. Karl L. Shultz, Atlantic Area commander, during MSRT’s change-of-command ceremony in Chesapeake, Virginia, May 19, 2017. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Leake)
CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Coast Guard Capt. Brandon W. Lechthaler assumed command of Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team in Chesapeake, Virginia, Friday.
Lechthaler reported to MSRT after serving as deputy commander for Coast Guard Sector Mobile in Mobile, Alabama.
Lechthaler, a native of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, enlisted in the Air Force in 1985 and went on to join the Coast Guard and earn his commission in 1998. He graduated from Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, with a bachelor’s degree in geo-environmental studies, and from the Joint Military Intelligence College at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington D.C., with a post-graduate intelligence program diploma.
Lechthaler’s personal awards include two Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Transportation 9-11 Medal and three Coast Guard Achievement Medals.
Lechthaler’s predecessor, Capt. Sean Regan, is taking over as chief of operations for Coast Guard Atlantic Area in Portsmouth, Virginia.
