Commander Grant is Chief of Prevention for US Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, based on Terminal Island in San Pedro. Prior to his appointment in June 2014, he was a Coast Guard cutter commander and held a number of other field assignments on the East Coast and Caribbean.

He was born in Hampton, Virginia, and graduated from boot camp in Cape May, New Jersey, in 1989. After Officer Candidate School in Yorktown, Virginia, in 1998, he earned a BS degree from Excelsior College and an MA in Homeland Security with Honors in 2014 from American Military University. He is married and has 4 children.

The Coast Guard is under the US Department of Homeland Security. The Los Angeles-Long Beach Sector coordinates maritime operations along the California coast from Morro Bay to San Clemente and out to 200 miles offshore, including the largest US port complex, Los Angeles-Long Beach, which carries 40% of US foreign trade and is the world’s 9th largest port. Prevention-related operations include inspection and examination of domestic and foreign-flagged vessels for compliance with domestic and international safety, security, and environmental standards. The CG also performs inspection of designated waterfront facilities and waterways management. It has a Marine Safety Detachment, a Vessel Traffic Service, and an Aids-to-Navigation Team.

Cdr Grant presented a video of examples of Coast Guard port activities and operations involving global trade, security, and rescue. Arriving vessels must provide Notice of Arrival (NOA) to the National Vessel Movement Center (NVMC) 96 hours before arrival, and provide the dates of their 5 previous ports along with other security-related information such as detailed cargo descriptions. 79,000 port calls with 15 million containers were made to the US in 2014, all screened for safety and security. The US Coast Guard also has personnel overseas who visit 150 countries to assess risk levels. Cyber-security is an increasing concern; hackers use cyber-techniques to facilitate their drug smuggling.