Rear Admiral William "Dean" Lee
Commander, Deployable Operations Group
United States Coast Guard
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Rear Admiral William “Dean” Lee assumed command of the Deployable Operations Group on June 10, 2009. In this capacity he serves as the single command authority to rapidly provide the Coast Guard, DHS, DoD, DoJ and other interagency operational commanders adaptive force packages drawn from the U.S. Coast Guard's deployable specialized force units.
Rear Admiral Lee reported to the DOG from Coast Guard District Seven in Miami, FL, where he served as the Chief of Staff from November 2007 to May 2009. The Seventh District is responsible for carrying out Coast Guard missions across a 1.8 million square mile maritime area that encompasses South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, the Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Since graduation from Officer Candidate School in 1981, Rear Admiral Lee has served in a variety of assignments along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts, including four previous field commands.
Rear Admiral Lee’s prior operational assignments include: Commander, Sector North Carolina (2005-2007); Commander, Coast Guard Group Fort Macon (2000-2003); Commander, Group Monterey, California (1995-1997); Commanding Officer, Station Atlantic City, New Jersey (1988-1991); and Assistant Operations Officer at Group St. Petersburg, Florida (1981-1984).
Rear Admiral Lee served as the Chief, Office of Boat Forces at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC from 2003 to 2005. His responsibilities included program management and oversight of the Coast Guard’s 1,800 boats, including the development of operational doctrine, training requirements, and safety parameters related thereto. His duties also included direct supervision over the National Motor Lifeboat School, the only training facility in the nation specifically dedicated to Heavy Weather boat operations and Surf Training.
Other staff assignments include: Chief of Search and Rescue, 5th Coast Guard District, Portsmouth, VA (1998-2000); Chief of the Atlantic Area Command Center (1997-1998); Branch Chief, Search and Rescue Division, Coast Guard Headquarters (1991-1995), and Instructor, Officer Candidate School in Yorktown, VA (1984-1988).
Rear Admiral Lee is a native of Richmond, Virginia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Alabama, and a Master of Arts from George Washington University.