MIAMI — Capt. Joseph B. Kimball relinquished command of Coast Guard Air Station Miami to Capt. Todd W. Lutes during a change of command ceremony Wednesday morning.
Kimball, the 33rd commanding officer of Air Station Miami, transferred command to Lutes, Coast Guard 7th District incident management branch chief, during a time-honored military tradition that formally recognizes full transfer of responsibility, authority and accountability from one individual to another.
Lutes graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Government. He received a master’s degree in public administration from the George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration. He also completed a Master’s of Strategic Studies at the Air War College in Montgomery, Alabama.
Kimball graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1990 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, his first assignment was as a Deck Watch Officer aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Dilegence. Kimball will continue his service at Coast Guard headquarters as the chief of the office of requirements and analysis.
Coast Guard Air Station Miami is strategically located to provide swift, efficient service to the Southeastern United States and Caribbean Basin. Air Station Miami’s 11 aircraft conduct a variety of Coast Guard missions from Charleston, South Carolina, to Key West, Florida, and throughout the Caribbean Basin.