Change of Command Coming at USCG R&D Center
The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) will host a Change of Command on July 10, 2026, at the New London Community Recreation Center, New London, CT, where current RDC Commanding Officer Captain Michael Chien, will be relieved by Captain Phillip Granati. Captain Chien has held command since June 16th, 2023. He leaves to become the Senior Coast Advisor to the President of the Naval War College in Newport, RI.
During Captain Chien’s tenure, the command advanced the service's technological baseline through rigorous scientific inquiry, significant partnership collaboration and rigorous testing, executing 189 research projects that bridged the gap between emerging technology and frontline operational capabilities. The RDC's transformative scientific portfolio shaped Force Design 2028 investment strategies through critical initiatives, including pioneering the fleet-wide integration of Starlink for underway broadband, validating the Aqua Alerts maritime warning system, and developing capability to protect major public events from uncrewed aircraft threats. In addition to enhancing search and rescue survival modeling through physiological thermal testing and securing maritime borders with uncrewed systems, the RDC provided vital analytical decision-support by conducting a comprehensive fleet mix analysis, engineering a tactical communication network, and establishing a secure cloud test environment for rapid prototyping.
Current RDC Commanding Officer Captain Michael Chien. Image courtey USCG RDC
Ultimately, the RDC’s rigorous testing and deployment of advanced maritime domain dominance, communication and analytical tools fundamentally elevated the Coast Guard's mission readiness, safeguarding hundreds of thousands of lives and ensuring agility in a complex operational environment. The center has further taken partnerships to the next level actively collaborating with all elements of the Department of War Lab Commanders’ Sync, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, and the Federal Laboratory Consortium.
Captain Granati reports from duties as Chief of the Coast Guard’s Office of Resource Management, where he oversees the service's $100 billion budget authority supporting 60,000 personnel and future force capabilities, following his previous tenure as the Appropriations Management Division Chief. His distinguished career includes operational and staff leadership roles as the Commanding Officer of MSST Los Angeles/Long Beach, Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, Executive Officer of MSST New York, Budget Officer at the Surface Forces Logistics Center, and Assistant Chief at Sector San Diego. A graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with an MBA from the University of Maryland and a Master of Arts from the U.S. Naval War College, he is a Certified Government Financial Manager, a DHS CFO Award winner, and a recipient of the Legion of Merit, among numerous other military decorations.
The Change of Command ceremony marks a transfer of total responsibility and authority from one individual to another. It is a time-honored tradition, conducted before the assembled crew, as well as honored guests and dignitaries to formally demonstrate the continuity of authority within a command.
With 82 military and civilian personnel, the RDC is the Coast Guard's primary facility performing research, development, and test and evaluation in support of the service's major missions. The RDC is responsible for evaluating the feasibility and affordability of mission execution solutions and providing operational and risk-management analysis at all stages of the acquisition process. When appropriate, the RDC collaborates with relevant professionals in the public and private sectors to leverage others’ expertise. This is done through cooperative agreements and memorandums of understanding.
