Captain Jonathan Andrechik assumed the duties of Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York, in April 2024. As the Sector Commander and Captain of the Port, he directs all Coast Guard missions in the Port of New York and New Jersey, ensuring the safety and security of one of the Nation’s busiest and most economically important port complexes. Sector New York’s area of responsibility spans over 6,000 square miles from 200 miles offshore and inland to Albany, NY, and includes facilities and waterways moving hundreds of billions of dollars in cargo and tens of millions of passengers annually. Prior to this assignment, Captain Andrechik served as the Deputy Commander of Sector New York.
Specializing in response operations and crisis management, Captain Andrechik has served in a variety of operational and staff assignments across the country during his 24-year career. He previously served as the Response Department Head at Sector Houston-Galveston, TX, where he directed the Coast Guard’s search and rescue, maritime security, living marine resource protection, and marine environmental response operations across southeast Texas, southwest Louisiana, and the western Gulf of Mexico. In August 2017, he directed operations for the Coast Guard’s historic response to Hurricane Harvey, resulting in the rescue of more than 7,500 flood victims in Houston and eight surrounding counties. His other operational assignments include Command Center Chief at Sector Houston-Galveston, TX; Chief of Incident Management at Sector Baltimore, MD; and Deck Watch Officer aboard U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Walnut in Honolulu, HI.
His previous staff assignments include serving as Chief of the Resource Management Division (LANT8) at Coast Guard Atlantic Area in Portsmouth, VA; Program Reviewer in the Office of Budget and Programs (CG-821) at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC; Ocean Policy Analyst in the Executive Office of the President (Office of Science and Technology Policy) in Washington, DC; Instructor of Marine Science at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT; and Deployable Team Leader at the Coast Guard’s International Training Division in Yorktown, VA.
A native of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Captain Andrechik holds a Master of Science degree in Inter-American Defense and Security from the Inter-American Defense College, a Master of Science degree in Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine and Environmental Sciences, with high honors, from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Captain Andrechik has also completed Spanish language immersion training in Antigua, Guatemala. His personal awards include five Meritorious Service Medals, four Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and the Commandant’s Letter of Commendation Ribbon. He earned the Presidential Service Badge in 2013 and the Advanced Boat Forces Insignia in 2015.