Rear Admiral David Throop served as the Commander of the Thirteenth Coast Guard District headquartered in Seattle. He was
responsible for all Coast Guard operations throughout the Pacific Northwest which included protecting life and property, enforcing
federal laws and treaties, preserving the living marine resources, and promoting national security. The Thirteenth District spans over the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana and includes more than 4,400 miles of coastline, 600 miles of inland waterways, and a 125 nautical mile international border with Canada.
In order to accomplish the Coast Guard’s missions in the Pacific Northwest, the Thirteenth District is home to approximately
1,746 active duty, 133 civilian, and 456 reserve personnel, three Sectors, three Air Stations, a Marine Safety Unit, a Maritime Force Protection Unit, 15 multi-mission small boat stations, four Aids to Navigation Teams, 12 patrol boats, and three Aids to Navigation
Cutters. In addition to maintaining operational control over all Coast Guard activities in the district, Rear Admiral Throop was responsible for cultivating efficient and effective relationships with numerous other federal, state, and local agencies, elected officials, the tribal nations located in the Pacific Northwest, and with the Coast Guard’s international counterparts.
Earning his naval aviator wings in 1988 at Naval Flight Training in Pensacola, Florida, his operational aviation assignments include tours as the Commanding Officer of Air Station Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Commanding Officer of Air Station Traverse City,
Michigan; Operations and Executive Officer at Coast Guard Air Station Savannah, Georgia; H65 helicopter standardization and instructor pilot at the Coast Guard’s Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Alabama; and as a duty pilot at Coast Guard Group/Air Station San Diego, California.
His other assignments include Commander of Coast Guard Force Readiness Command (FORCECOM), Executive Assistant to the Commandant, Executive Assistant to the Vice Commandant, Chief of officer personnel at the Coast Guard Personnel Service Center, a policy analyst for the Office of Plans, Policy and Evaluation at Coast Guard Headquarters; platform manager for the C130J aircraft during initial acquisition and as a Deck Watch Officer aboard the Coast Guard Cutter VIGILANT (WMEC-617) in New
Bedford, Massachusetts.
A native of Burton, Michigan, RDML Throop graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He has a Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.
His personal awards include three Legions of Merit, five Meritorious Service Medals with “O” device, the Coast Guard Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, and various unit and service commendations. He has accumulated over 3,900 flight hours and has an FAA commercial pilot’s license in both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft.
Rear Admiral Throop retired on 1 July 2020.