ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Capt. Joel Carse relieved Capt. Christopher Culpepper as sector commander of Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic during a change of command ceremony Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Rear Adm. Robert Little, commander, Coast Guard Arctic District, presided over the event.
Carse is reporting from the Office of Emergency Management and Disaster Response at Coast Guard Headquarters. He led and shaped the Coast Guard’s strategic readiness and crisis response efforts across all threats and hazards.
Carse graduated from Officer Candidate School in 2003 after serving 10 years in the U.S. Navy as a petty officer first class damage controlman, where he achieved the Surface and Aviation Warfare Specialist qualification.
“I am honored and humbled to be taking command of Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic,” Carse said. “The men and women of this command stand at the forefront of some of the Coast Guard’s highest priority and most impactful missions, serving communities across Alaska while protecting our nation’s strategic maritime interests in the Arctic. I look forward to serving alongside this exceptional team and our partners throughout the region.”
Culpepper, who has served as Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic’s commanding officer since 2023, will report to Washington, D.C., for assignment as director of Law Enforcement, Maritime Security, and Defense Operations Policy.
“Thank you for some of the best years of our lives as a family here, together with so many thoughtful and wonderful people across this great state of Alaska: in uniform, among industry, amidst tribes and villages, and throughout the civilian sector,” Culpepper said. “It has been my honor and privilege to serve in this capacity, ensuring safety, security, and stewardship of our critical marine transportation system, and helping protect the environment. I am grateful for having been able to forge new paths and achieve great goals together on a team comprised of partners with a shared vision.”
Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic is the Coast Guard’s largest sector in terms of geographic area, exercising authority in a jurisdiction extending throughout the Arctic and Western Alaska, the North Slope, the Aleutian Islands, and Prince William Sound.
The change of command ceremony is a military tradition representing a formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit from one commanding or flag officer to another.
The passing of colors, standards, or ensigns from an outgoing commander to an incoming one ensures that the unit and its members are never without official leadership, a continuation of trust.
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