Admiral Kevin E. Lunday assumed the duties as the 34th Vice Commandant on June 13, 2024. As the Vice Service Chief, Admiral Lunday advances and executes the Commandant’s Intent and U.S. Coast Guard Strategy, directs internal organizational governance, and serves as the Component Acquisition Executive.
He previously served as Commander, Atlantic Area where he directed operations from the Navigable Inland Waterways east of the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes, Gulf Coast, and East Coast of the U.S. throughout the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean to the Arabian Gulf. He also served under Presidential appointment as Director, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Joint Task Force East, responsible for unifying operations to secure the U.S. Southeast Border and maritime approaches.
In that role, he led successful efforts to deter and prevent a maritime mass migration from Haiti and Cuba in response to the largest surge of attempted irregular migration to the U.S. in thirty years. Admiral Lunday has extensive experience in the Indo-Pacific where he served as Commander of the Fourteenth Coast Guard District, directing operations throughout Oceania, including Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Japan, and Singapore. He led efforts within the U.S. government and with allies to strengthen partnerships through maritime security with Pacific Island nations across Oceania in the face of growing strategic competition.
Admiral Lunday has operational and technical experience in cyberspace operations, serving as Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command where he directed the operation, maneuver, and defense of the Coast Guard Enterprise Mission Platform as part of Department of Defense (DoD) networks. He also directed remote and deployable defensive cyberspace operations to protect U.S. maritime critical infrastructure from cyberattack. He previously served as Director of Exercises and Training (J7), U.S. Cyber Command where he directed the joint training and certification of the DoD Cyber Mission Force, the joint warfighting forces for the U.S. in cyberspace.
Other Flag assignments include Deputy for Materiel Readiness where he oversaw enterprise program management for Coast Guard acquisitions and contracting, information technology, and engineering and logistics. He also served as the Assistant Commandant for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Information Technology and performed the duties of Chief Information Officer.
Admiral Lunday is a career national security attorney and judge advocate, licensed to practice in multiple states and before the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional and has spoken and published on cybersecurity, privacy, data, technology, and the law. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the National War College with a Master of Science in National Security Strategy and a graduate of the Naval War College (College of Command and Staff) with distinction. He holds a Juris Doctor with high honors from George Washington University Law School and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering with honors from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He is a 2005 recipient of the American Bar Association Outstanding Military Service Career Judge Advocate Award and 2004 recipient of the National Intelligence Certificate of Distinction for his leadership integrating the Coast Guard into the U.S. Intelligence Community. He has earned additional personal, team, and campaign awards during 37 years of Coast Guard service.