Reliability and Leadership with Coast Guard Captain Lushan Hannah

I‘m Captain Lushan Hannah. US Coast Guard.

I like to describe the Coast Guard as a “family business”. My mother, my stepfather, and my biological father were all active-duty Coast Guard, and we have approximately 100 years of service between the four of us. 

In college, I signed up for the Coast Guard’s college student pre-commissioning program, which is the closest thing the service has to an ROTC program. When I graduated, I figured that I would get out after my initial three-year commitment. I served on a cutter my first tour and then went ashore after that. But I just kept having fun, so here I am twenty-three years later.

The opportunity to pay for college and have an exciting career is what drew me to serve initially, but the impact I’ve had on the nation, my community, and the people I serve alongside is what has kept me in for so long. Serving in the Coast Guard isn’t just an occupation, it’s more of a lifestyle…our core values of Honor, Respect and Devotion to Duty have shaped me in positive way forever, and continue to drive the ideals for my personal life and how I raise my children.

America’s reliance on the seas for commerce, sustenance, and defense has changed little since colonial days. The U.S. Coast Guard exists to uphold and protect these interests. 

The Coast Guard makes every effort to PREVENT dangerous or illicit activities, but when they occur, we are ready to RESPOND rapidly and effectively. We interdict smugglers who attempt to bring illegal drugs into our country. We also respond to mariners in distress, helping to minimize injury and the loss of life or property. And we respond to natural and man-made disasters impacting the maritime domain.  

The Coast Guard is probably one of the best bargains for the American taxpayer. We are branch of military, a regulatory agency, a law enforcement agency, and a member of the intelligence community. We execute these roles with an 80,000+ member mission-ready total workforce, with about half of those serving on active duty. And we rely extensively on reservists, civilians, and auxiliary volunteers. All of this is accomplished with an annual budget of approximately $13 billion dollars.

My specialty is called Operations Ashore and it involves directing Search and Rescue, Maritime Law Enforcement, Pollution Cleanup, and emergency management. It requires me to coordinate everything from small boats to cutters to multi-mission personnel task forces and interagency partners. 

As a senior officer, the issue of leadership is never far from my mind. Leadership is about empowering others to achieve things that they never imagined for themselves. And it is about having a keen eye for talent management, with the ability to bring out the full potential of everyone you’re entrusted to lead.

My favorite leadership quote: “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”

It’s very personal to me. I would not be where I am today if it were not for mentors who invested their time in helping me become a senior officer.  

We are a SMALL service that carries out lots of BIG missions for the nation. Sometimes this can make it tough to succinctly answer the simple question: “what do people in the Coast Guard do?” 

Coasties, as we call ourselves, are the inspectors who shape novel commercial freight vessel construction. Coasties are the voice on the radio who give hope to a distressed mariner. Coasties are the storekeepers who provide a much-needed part to a cutter in international waters. Coasties are the first responders to rescue mariners from the sea. 

No matter what flavor of Coastie, we can be relied upon by the public to collaborate, innovate, and get the mission done.