Rear Admiral Brian M. Salerno
Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security, and Stewardship
US Coast Guard
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Rear Admiral Salerno assumed his current position as Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship in October of 2007. He formerly served as the Assistant Commandant for Policy and Planning, and as the Director of Inspections and Compliance at Coast Guard Headquarters.
Rear Admiral Salerno is responsible for developing and promulgating national marine safety, security and environmental protection doctrine, policy, and regulations, as well as ensuring policy alignment throughout the Coast Guard and among federal and international partners. In addition, he leads and oversees the important work of numerous federal advisory committees, industry/stakeholder partnerships, and international delegations on marine safety, security, and environmental protection.
Rear Admiral Salerno was commissioned as an Ensign after attending Coast Guard Officer Candidate School in December of 1976. His assignments have predominantly been within the Coast Guard’s marine safety program.
After initial marine safety field assignments in Baltimore, MD and Port Arthur, TX, Rear Admiral Salerno was assigned to the Merchant Vessel Inspection Division in Coast Guard Headquarters in 1987, where he participated in various tanker safety initiatives following the Valdez, AK oil spill. From 1991-1994, he served as Executive Officer of MSO Portland, ME. During this assignment, he participated in the location and recovery of recently discovered mercury inside a WWII shipwreck off the coast of Maine.
After a follow-on assignment at Coast Guard Headquarters between 1994 and 1996, he was assigned as Commanding Officer / Captain of the Port at MSO San Juan, where he served until 1999. He participated in numerous emergency response operations throughout Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands during this tour, including the recovery from Hurricane Georges, the most powerful hurricane to strike Puerto Rico in 70 years.
From 2000 - 2001, he served as the Marine Safety Advisor to the Panama Canal Authority, as a member of the U.S. Embassy in Panama City, Panama.
In May of 2001, Rear Admiral Salerno assumed command of MSO Boston. He served simultaneously as Captain of the Port, Officer in Charge Marine Inspection, Federal On-Scene Coordinator for oil and hazardous materials releases in the coastal zone, and following the implementation of the Maritime Transportation Security Act, as Federal Maritime Security Coordinator. This tour was noted for heightened security concerns and extreme public sensitivity over Liquefied Natural Gas tankers entering the port.
Rear Admiral Salerno is a 2000 graduate of the U.S. Army War College, with a Masters in Strategic Studies. He also holds a Master’s degree in Management from the Johns Hopkins University. He is licensed as a master of small passenger vessels.
His personal military decorations include the Legion of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, two Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and the Coast Guard Achievement Medal.