Vice Admiral James C. Card became the Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard on 24 July 1998.
Previously Vice Admiral Card served as the Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area, Eleventh Coast Guard District, U.S. Maritime Defense Zone Pacific, and Regional Emergency Transportation Coordinator from May, 1997 to June, 1998. His other previous flag assignments were as Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety and Environmental Protection at Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, D.C., from 1994-1997, and as Commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District in New Orleans from 1992-1994. As the Pacific Area Commander, he directed Coast Guard operations from the West Coast to the Far East, and from the North Pole to the Antarctic, in support of the strategic goals of safety, protection of natural resources, mobility, maritime security and national
Vice Admiral Card’s earlier assignments included serving as Chief of Staff, Thirteenth Coast Guard District in Seattle, WA; Chief of Operations for the Eleventh Coast Guard District in Long Beach, CA; and Commanding Officer of Marine Safety/Group Los Angeles/Long Beach, CA. Other notable assignments included sea tours aboard the Coast Guard cutters Winona, Dexter and Barataria. He was also Commanding Officer of Marine Safety Office St. Louis and has had tours at Coast Guard Headquarters as Chief, Merchant Vessel Inspection and Documentation Division and Chief, Ship Design Branch in the Marine Technical and Hazardous Materials Division.
A 1964 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Vice Admiral Card earned two masters’ degrees, one in naval architecture and one in mechanical engineering, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1970. He is also a 1986 graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
His decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, three Legion of Merit awards, four Meritorious Service Medals and a U.S. Coast Guard Commendation Medal. He is the 1997 recipient of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers’ Vice Admiral Jerry Land Medal for outstanding accomplishments in the marine field. He also received the prestigious Rear Admiral Shepheard Award from the Chamber of Shipping of America in recognition of his achievement in merchant marine safety. Throughout his career, Vice Admiral Card has represented the United States as a member of delegations to the International Maritime Organization, IMO, in London, and headed the Delegations to the IMO Maritime Safety and Marine Environmental Protection Committees.
Vice Admiral Card retired on 1 July 2000.