By Karen Robes Meeks
In a recent ceremony in Juneau, Alaska, Rear Adm. Michael McAllister transferred command of the US Coast Guard’s 17th District to Rear Adm. Matthew Bell. He will oversee operations in the district’s 3.8 million square miles and over 47,300 miles of shoreline throughout Alaska, the North Pacific and the Arctic.
Bell previously served as commander of the US Coast Guard Personnel Service Center in Washington, DC, and is a designated permanent cutterman with more than a dozen years of service with command tours of Coast Guard cutters Alex Haley and Douglas Munro.
“Having been stationed in Alaska before, I’m excited to be back to serve the people of the Last Frontier,” said Bell. “I’m looking forward to leading the dedicated men and women of the 17th District and building upon the firm foundation of service laid before me by my predecessors.”
