Rear Admiral Garrett assumed the duties of Commander, Thirteenth Coast Guard District in June 2003. He was responsible for the performance of all Coast Guard missions in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana and offshore waters. The 13th District included 2300 active duty and reserve Coast Guard men and women and 1400 members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Rear Admiral Garrett’s previous flag assignment was as Director of Resources at Coast Guard Headquarters, where he was responsible for the service’s long range planning, program review and evaluation, and budgeting. Previous staff assignments included Chief of Operations for Pacific Area, multiple assignments in the Headquarters Programs Division and Ice Operations Division, and at the Vessel Traffic Service for Prince William Sound, Alaska.
His afloat experience included polar icebreaker assignments in the commissioning crew of POLAR STAR, the WIND-class icebreaker BURTON ISLAND, executive officer in POLAR STAR, and command of POLAR SEA. He commanded MOBILE BAY, was executive officer in ACTIVE, and served as the first commanding officer of HEALY.
Rear Admiral Garrett is a 1974 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, holds a Master of Science degree in Management from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and was a research fellow at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
Since retirement in 2005, Rear Admiral Garrett has served as a member of National Research Council committees evaluating Polar Icebreakers in a Changing World (2007) and National Security Implications of Climate Change for U.S. Naval Forces (2011). Both studies validated Coast Guard and national requirements for new icebreaking capability. He has participated in a variety of other studies, including Polar Operations and Policy options for the Coast Guard (2008), an assessment of Coast Guard high-latitude requirements (2010), and analysis of U.S. polar icebreaker needs (2011). As a consultant for a variety of maritime and polar-related projects, he has evaluated vessels for operations in ice-covered waters, developed an integrated operating plan and ice advisor program for commercial Arctic activities, served on the dispute resolution board for new Washington State ferry construction, worked with the Indonesian Navy on coastal surveillance operations, chaired the Safety Committee for the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, and serves as ice-pilot on cruise ships in Antarctica and the Northwest Passage. He has testified before committees of the U.S. Congress and the Alaska Legislature, and served as a member of the board of Seafair, Seattle’s community summer festival.
Rear Admiral Garrett is married to the former Sally Diane Moore, and has a daughter, Krista, and son, Carl. He lives in the Seattle, Washington area.