Adm Charles Ray is a Senior Fellow with the Flatter Executive Cadre.
Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard.
Former Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard
Summary: Former Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Charles W. Ray assumed the duties as the former 31st Vice Commandant on May 24, 2018. As the Vice Service Chief and Chief Operating Officer, Admiral Ray executes the Commandant’s Strategic Intent, manages internal organizational governance and serves as the Component Acquisition Executive. Prior to this appointment, Admiral Ray served as the Deputy Commandant for Operations, responsible for establishing and providing operational strategy, policy, guidance and resources to meet national priorities for Coast Guard missions, programs and services. His previous flag officer assignments include Pacific Area Commander, Deputy Pacific Area Commander, the Fourteenth Coast Guard District Commander, service with U.S. Forces Iraq as Director of the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission for the Ministry of Interior, and the Military Advisor to the Secretary of the Department Homeland Security. After an assignment as a deck watch officer aboard Coast Guard Cutter ACUSHNET (WMEC-167), he was selected for Naval Flight Training and earned his wings in 1984. He served at six Coast Guard Air Stations from Alaska to the Caribbean accumulating over 5,000 hours of helicopter flight time.
