Rear Admiral Steve Branham, United States Coast Guard (Ret.), is a Senior Advisor at Command Group. Admiral Branham is a leading expert in maritime homeland security strategic planning, operations, and disaster response management. He served the Coast Guard (USCG) for thirty-seven years, retiring in 2010 as the Commander of the Seventh U.S. Coast Guard District.
 
As Commander of the USCG’s most active district, Admiral Branham managed over 11,000 employees in pursuing the agency’s 11 major missions, including search and rescue, enforcement of maritime law, and marine safety and security for the Southeastern U.S. and the entire Caribbean basin. In addition, he simultaneously served as the Director of Homeland Security Task Force, Southeast, directly responsible to the Secretary of Homeland Security for the readiness and action of all DHS assets in the event of a mass migration in the region. In response to the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010, Admiral Branham directed operations for all DHS and USCG assets providing emergency response and relief support to Haiti.
 
Prior to assuming command of the Seventh District, Admiral Branham served the U.S. Coast Guard as the Assistant Commandant for Resources and Chief Financial Officer. In this capacity, Admiral Branham was responsible for the development, justification at DHS, OMB and Congressional levels, allocation, expenditure, and accounting for all elements of the USCG’s $10 billion annual budget. He also directed the review of all planning proposals for major projects, led major innovations in financial processes and systems, and had direct oversight of all USCG financial and accounting systems, including the Coast Guard Finance Center and its 500+ personnel. While serving as Chief Financial Officer, Admiral Branham was a frequent keynote speaker at major financial conferences, including the American Society of Military Comptrollers’ annual meeting and executive meetings of major accounting firms including Deloitte, KPMG, and Grant Thornton.
 
Previously, Admiral Branham served as Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area. As second in command, he was responsible directly to the three-star Admiral, Atlantic Area Commander for all aspects of directing, leading, and managing a force of 30,000 personnel, $35 billion in assets and $600 million in operating funds in the safe accomplishment of all eleven USCG major missions in the Western Hemisphere east of the Rocky Mountains.
 
Admiral Branham also supported the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy as the Executive Director of the United States Interdiction Coordinator Staff where he assisted in the development of national strategies for the interdiction of illegal narcotics bound for the U.S. and our international partner nations.
 
Admiral Branham holds a Master of Arts in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University, as well as a Masters of Business Administration from Case Western Reserve University. He is a graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marine Engineering.

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Senior Advisor, 
Command Group

Commander, 
Seventh District, United States Coast Guard

Assistant Commandant for Resources and Chief Financial Officer , 
United States Guard

Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations,
Atlantic Area, United States Guard 

Executive Director, U.S. Interdiction Coordinator, 
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy 

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Contact:
Washington, DC
T: (202) 207-2930
​F: (202) 347-8510