PHOTO RELEASE: Coast Guard Sector Key West holds change of command

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 7th District Southeast Contact: 7th District Public Affairs Office: 305-415-6683 After Hours: 786-367-7649 7th District online newsroom

Coast Guard Sector Key West holds change of command ceremony

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KEY WEST, Fla.  — The crew of Coast Guard Sector Key West held a change of command ceremony at the sector Friday.

During the ceremony, Capt. Jeffrey Janszen transferred command of Sector Key West to Capt. Francisco Rego. Janszen assumed the duties as commander of Sector Key West on June 30, 2015. He served as the operational commander for Coast Guard missions within a 55,000 square nautical mile region bordering the territorial seas of Cuba and Bahamas, comprising the Port of Key West, the Southern Straits of Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico.

The change of command ceremony is a time-honored tradition, which formally restates to the officers and crew of the command, the continuity of authority vested in the Commanding Officer. The change of command of a military activity is a unique ritual representing a total transfer of responsibilities, authority, and accountability from one individual to another.

"It has truly been an honor and privilege to serve as sector commander in Key West," said Janszen in a speech during the ceremony. "This was by far the busiest, most challenging, and most rewarding assignment I've had in my Coast Guard career."

Due to migrant activity and an area of responsibility with the highest rate of boating accidents in the nation, Sector Key West has saved more lives than any other Coast Guard Sector from 2011 to 2017. Under the three years of Janszen's leadership as Sector Commander, Sector Key West and its ten operational units were credited with saving thousands of lives during search and rescue events in the Florida Keys and interdicting over 10,000 Cuban migrants in the Florida Straits.

In a speech accepting his assignment, Rego spoke of partnerships, hurricane preparedness, and the Coast Guard's role in supporting the community. "I look forward to getting together with our civic leaders and members of the community, to look at the lessons learned from past hurricanes and find ways to build resiliencies and reconstitute as fast as we can in the event of a storm, so that we can help those who depend on us for their safety and security."

Rego has extensive hurricane experience, having served as Deputy Sector Commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan during Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

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