CDR Lushan Hannah, USCG

Commander Lushan Hannah assumed command of the Pacific Strike Team, located in Novato, California, on June 27, 2019. The Pacific Strike Team’s area of responsibility encompasses an area in excess of 73 million square miles from the Midwest, the Pacific Basin to the Far East with tasking to respond to oil and hazardous materials discharges for Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency on-scene coordinators for the Western United States, Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific Territories. He reported to the Strike Team from Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach where he managed three multimission small boat stations, four coastal patrol boats, four fast response cutters, a law enforcement team and pollution response team; responsible for Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, Pollution Response and Port Security Operations in an area of responsibility covering more than 350 miles of environmentally sensitive California coastline, ocean waters out to 200 miles offshore, including National Parks, Marine Sanctuaries and the nation’s largest and most economically vital port complex.

CDR Hannah entered the Service through the MORE/CSPI program in 1998. In September 2000, he was commissioned through Officer Candidate School after receiving his bachelor’s degree in General Science from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. He began his career aboard the Coast Guard Cutter TAMPA out of Portsmouth, Virginia as a Student Engineer and Damage Control Assistant. In 2002, he was assigned to Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach as a Marine Inspector and Contingency Planning Officer. In 2007, he was assigned to the Health, Safety, Work-life (HSWL) Service Center as the Safety and Environmental Health Officer for District 11, Southern California; where he provided risk assessments and safety assistance to 33 units in three states. In 2011, he reported to Sector New Orleans as Chief of the Incident Management Division, where he led a team of 14 personnel that successfully managed 31 Federal oil, hazardous substance and disaster projects totaling $26.5 million.

From 2014 to 2016, he served as the Coast Guard’s Military Aide to Vice President Joseph R. Biden. In this role, he was responsible for coordinating military logistics support for Vice Presidential travel, including transportation, communications, and medical requirements. He also coordinated nuclear command and control contingency plans, and served as a liaison to the Vice President’s National Security Advisor and Chief of Staff during Vice Presidential travel. CDR Hannah holds a Master of Science in Environmental Management from the University of Maryland – University College, a Master of Public Health in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Michigan and Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He wears several decorations, which are all a direct result of the professionalism, dedication, and excellence of the men and women with whom he served. His 2005 receipt of the NAACP’s Roy Wilkins Renowned Service Award is one such example. A native of Virginia, CDR Hannah is married to the former Gina Lewis and has two daughters, Bradleigh and Blake. He owes much of his professional success to his parents who are all retired active duty Coast Guard. He is extremely proud and blessed for his fathers: LCDR Richard Pineiro and HS1 Herman Owens as well as his mother and hero CWO4 Phyllis Hannah.