Military Advisor to the Secretary
Rear Admiral Platt assumed the duties of Military Advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security in June 2022. His primary responsibility is to provide counsel to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary regarding policies, plans, and other affairs between the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense.
Rear Admiral Platt previously served as the Executive Assistant to the Commandant of the Coast Guard providing senior executive decision support, advice, and recommendations to shape, communicate, and carry out strategic direction, policy, and internal/external communications.
He is a native of Boston, Massachusetts and entered the Coast Guard through the Minority Officer Recruitment Effort (MORE), now known as the College Student Pre- Commissioning Initiative (CSPI). He graduated from Hampton University with a Bachelor of Science, American Military University with a Master’s of Science, and the National War College with a Master of Science in National Security Strategy. Rear Admiral Platt was also a 2014 MIT Seminar XXI Fellow and an alumnus of Harvard’s National Preparedness Leadership Initiative.
Rear Admiral Platt previously served at six Coast Guard aviation units, commanding Air Station Detroit (2010-2012) and Air Station Miami (2017-2019). During his career, he accumulated over 3,600 hours of flight time in the MH-65 helicopter and the HC- 144 airplane.
Prior to attending flight training, Rear Admiral Platt served as a boarding officer and deployable officer in charge with Law Enforcement Detachment One, and after completing National Search and Rescue School, served as a Command Duty Officer at Coast Guard Greater Antilles Section (GANTSEC) Command Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Rear Admiral Platt’s staff tours include the First Coast Guard District’s Incident Management Branch in Boston, MA, Special Assistant to the 24th Commandant of the Coast Guard, Chief of the Homeland Defense Division and Coast Guard Liaison Officer to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, J3 Directorate for Operations, Executive Assistant to the Director of Governmental and Public Affairs, and Executive Assistant to the 31st Vice Commandant.
Rear Admiral Platt has earned various personal, unit, and service awards, and has been designated an Honorary Chief Petty Officer.