Aaron Delano-Johnson

Deputy Dean International Programs
Capt., U.S. Coast Guard
Aaron Delano-Johnson

Biography

A Cutterman and international affairs officer, he has built a career at the intersection of maritime operations and diplomacy, serving aboard five Coast Guard cutters across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, commanding USCGC DECISIVE and USCGC CHANDELEUR, and five embassy assignments. With extensive experience in the Western Hemisphere, he most recently served as the U.S. Coast Guard Liaison Officer to Commander, United States Southern Command. He has served at U.S. Embassy Bogotá, Colombia; U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince, Haiti; U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and U.S. Embassy Tbilisi, Georgia, coordinating joint operations while strengthening maritime security and governance.

Contact Information

Areas of Expertise

  • Counterdrug Operations
  • Diplomacy
  • HA/DR
  • Homeland Security
  • International Relations
  • Latin America
  • Security Cooperation

Professional Highlights

2023

U.S. Coast Guard Liaison Officer (CGLO) to Commander, United States Southern Command

2022

Commanding Officer, USCGC DECISIVE (WMEC 629)

2021

U.S. Coast Guard Liaison Officer (CGLO), U.S. Embassy Bogotá Colombia

2019

Strategic Analyst, Deputy Commandant for Operations Office of Emerging Policy and Strategic Foresight (DCO-X) and MIT Seminar XXI Program Fellow

2018

International Security Studies Program (ISSP) Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University

2017

U.S. Coast Guard Liaison Officer (CGLO) and Department of Homeland Security Assistant Attaché, U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince Haiti

2015

Executive Officer, USCGC STEADFAST (WMEC 623)

2012

U.S. Coast Guard Liaison Officer (CGLO), U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo Dominican Republic

2009

Commanding Officer, USCGC CHANDELEUR (WPB 1319)

Education

M.A., Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, International Relations

M.S., Duquesne University, Leadership and Information Technology Management

B.S., U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Management

Research Contributions and Publications

"Serious About Building Maritime Capacity in the High Latitudes? Look South"
Co-Authored with Myles McCarthy
Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), 2024

"Cocaine Codfish: How the War on Drugs Can Inform the Fight against Illegal Fishing"
War on the Rocks, 2023

"A Plan to Push Back Against China’s Fishing Practices"
Co-Authored with Chris Bernotavicius
War on the Rocks, 2022

External Memberships and Associations

Foreign Area Officers Association (FAOA)
Executive Board

FAO Journal of International Affairs
Co-Director

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