Charley L. Diaz

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Charley L. Diaz (born December 12, 1959) is a retired Coast Guard Captain who served for 30 years in the United States Coast Guard from 1982 to 2012. Diaz is best known for leading the crew of the USCGC Sherman (WHEC-720) in the largest maritime drug bust in U.S. history. The seizure of the Panamanian freighter Gatun off the coast of Panama in March 2007 netted nearly 20 tons of cocaine worth an estimated $600 million.[Mass 1]

On July 21, 2005, Diaz became the first American of Hispanic descent to command a High endurance cutter (the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest cutter class).[Mass 1] From 2008 until his retirement, Diaz was named one of the "Top Hispanics in the U.S. Military" by Hispanic Engineer & IT magazine.[Mass 1] He officially retired from the U.S. Coast Guard on June 30, 2012. Diaz is an independent Homeland Security consultant in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

Background and education

Diaz was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, and is a 1978 graduate of Mary Carroll High School. Diaz is the son of Dr. Tony C. Diaz, Ed.D. and Mrs. Maria Albeza (Barrera) Diaz. His father is a retired U.S. Navy Chief, a Vietnam War veteran, and an elected School Board Member of the Corpus Christi Independent School District. Well established in the Corpus Christi area since the early 1900s, the Diaz family has been educating the children of South Texas for the past 50 years. In 1982, Diaz graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, where he was captain of the cadet drill team. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree (with honors) from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a diploma (with distinction) from the U.S. Naval War College. He also completed the DHS “Executive Leaders Program” in 2012 at the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.[Mass 1] Diaz was a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. from 2004 to 2005. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City [Mass 1] and also a life member of the Association of Naval Services Officers (ANSO), a national Hispanic affinity group.[Mass 1]

Operational assignments

Diaz is a career cutterman, having served 12 years of sea duty on six Coast Guard cutters, commanding four of them. His afloat assignments include:

  • Deck Watch Officer on the 210-foot USCGC Active (WMEC-618) in New Castle, New Hampshire, 1982–1984;
  • Commanding Officer of the 82-foot Patrol Boat USCGC Point Monroe (WPB-82353) in Freeport, Texas, 1984–1986;
  • Commanding Officer of the Surface Effect Ship USCGC Petrel (WSES-4) in Key West, Florida, 1990–1992;
  • Executive Officer of the 270-foot USCGC Spencer (WMEC-905) in Boston, Massachusetts, 1997–1999;
  • Commanding Officer of the 270-foot USCGC Bear (WMEC-901) in Portsmouth, Virginia, 2002–2004;[Mass 1] and
  • Commanding Officer of the 378-foot USCGC Sherman (WHEC-720) in Alameda, California, 2005–2007.[Mass 1][Mass 1]

Largest maritime drug bust in U.S. history

The M/V Gatun seizure

On March 18, 2007, Diaz led the crew of the USCGC Sherman in the seizure of the motor vessel Gatun with 765 bales of cocaine (nearly 20 tons) worth an estimated $600 million; it remains the largest maritime drug bust in U.S. history.[Mass 1][Mass 1] SHERMAN was working for the Joint Interagency Task Force South at the time. Operating on a tip from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the working closely with Panamanian officials, the takedown occurred just west of the Panama Canal entrance.[Mass 1] The cocaine was hidden in two shipping containers. The drugs were later offloaded in Alameda, California where they were transferred to the DEA and transported via two Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft to Florida for destruction.[Mass 1][Mass 1] This celebrated drug seizure made headlines around the world.[Mass 1]

Senior staff assignments

Diaz was as the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area Chief of Staff in Alameda, California from 2009 to 2012 where he served three Area Commanders: VADM David Pekoske, VADM Jody Breckenridge, and VADM Manson K. Brown. From March 2008 - May 2009, he also served as the first ever Chief of Staff (aka Executive Director) of the new U. S. Coast Guard Force Readiness Command (FORCECOM) for RADM Timothy S. Sullivan. Prior to reporting to Pacific Area, Diaz headed the Coast Guard’s International Affairs Directorate in Washington, D.C. reporting to the Deputy Commandant for Operations, and often working directly for the Commandant, Admiral Thad W. Allen. He also served as Aide de Camp for the 20th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Robert E. Kramek.

Capitol Hill and 9/11

Diaz spent three years working on Capitol Hill from 1999 to 2002. Diaz was the first Coast Guard Officer to serve in a Congressional leadership office when he served as the Drug Policy Advisor to the U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives, J. Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois).[Mass 1] In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Diaz helped identify the critical link between illegal heroin profits in Afghanistan and the al Qaeda terrorist network.[Mass 1] Diaz was also instrumental in pushing legislation to create the new Department of Homeland Security and establish the Coast Guard as an official member of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Under Chairman John Mica (R-Florida), Diaz helped orchestrate Congressional hearings that led to the passage of Plan Colombia (i.e., the $1B U.S. aid package that helped reverse coca production trends in Colombia).

Retirement

On June 30, 2012, Captain Diaz officially retired from the U.S. Coast Guard. At the time of his retirement, he was a senior Captain in the United States Coast Guard[Mass 2] and serving as the Pacific Area Chief of Staff responsible for overseeing the execution of one half of all Coast Guard operations.[Mass 1] He is President and CEO of Diaz LLC, Diaz & Associates Consulting.

Personal

Diaz resides in Gaithersburg, Maryland with his wife Elizabeth Anne (McEvoy) Diaz, whom he married in April 2001. They have four children.

Awards and recognition

Command at Sea insignia

Cutterman Insignia
Commandant Staff Badge

Diaz’s civilian awards and recognition include:

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Coast Guard document "Captain Charley L. Diaz" (retrieved on 26 January 2012).

    External links

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