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Homeland Security 5 Year Anniversary 2003 - 2008, One Team, One Mission Securing the Homeland

Director Operations Coordination Roger T. Rufe, Jr. (USCG Ret)

Vice Admiral Roger T. Rufe, Jr., USCG (Ret.) was appointed by the Secretary as the Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Operations Directorate in July 2006. Admiral Rufe returned to public service having previously served for 34 years in the United States Coast Guard. Prior to joining DHS, he was President and CEO of The Ocean Conservancy, a national non-profit environmental advocacy organization.

Admiral Rufe served as captain of five Coast Guard cutters and, as a flag officer, held the Pacific and Atlantic Area commands as well as commands with responsibility for Coast Guard operations in Alaska and the Southeast US and the Caribbean. He was vice chairman of the National Response Team, chief of the Coast Guard Congressional Affairs Office, representative to the North Pacific and Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Councils, and delegate to Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization. While at The Ocean Conservancy, he held leadership positions on several non-profit Boards and commissions involved in ocean policy.

Admiral Rufe is a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, holds a master’s degree in public administration from New York University and is a graduate of the National War College and the Naval War College.

Admiral Rufe brings significant operational expertise and experience to this new and important leadership role in the Department. As Operations Director he is responsible for integrating operations across the Department’s component agencies as well as coordinating with state, local, tribal and other Federal departments who have a role in preventing, preparing for and responding to acts of terrorism, natural disasters and other emergencies. He is also responsible for interagency incident management and operation of the National Operations Center.

This page was last modified on October 12, 2007