Yesterday, President Obama announced he will nominate Vice Admiral Peter V. Neffenger to be the Assistant Secretary for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Currently, Melvin Carraway, former Deputy Administrator, is serving as acting Administrator.
President Obama called Neffenger “a recognized leader in the face of our nation’s important challenges” and said his talents and experience “will be valuable to this Administration’s efforts to strengthen transportation security.”
TSA is responsible for security operations at over 450 U.S. airports, includes the Federal Marshal Service, and has shared responsibility for highways, railroads, ports, mass transit systems, and pipelines.
If he is confirmed by the Senate, Neffenger would remain in the Department of Homeland Security as both the TSA and the Coast Guard are components of the department.
Jeh Johnson, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, called Neffenger one of the brightest and most capable flag officers in the U.S. military” he has ever met. Johnson recalled that James Loy, TSA’s second Administrator, had been Commandant of the Coast Guard.
Vice Admiral Neffenger, who has over 30 years of service in the Coast Guard, has been Coast Guard Vice Chairman since May 2014. Prior to that Neffenger served as Deputy Commandant of Operations, Director of Strategic Management and Doctrine, and Commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District. He was the Deputy National Incident Commander for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Sector Commander and Federal Maritime Security Coordinator for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
