Rear Admiral Peter J. Brown
United States Government
Special Representative for Puerto Rico’s Disaster Recovery
Rear Admiral Peter J. Brown, U.S. Coast Guard, serves as President Trump’s Special Representative for Puerto Rico’s Disaster Recovery at the White House. Admiral Brown coordinates United States Government efforts to rebuild the infrastructure and resiliency of Puerto Rico. As Special Representative, he is responsible for coordinating over a dozen federal departments and agencies, thousands of federal employees, and billions of taxpayer dollars.
With significant national and international experience in emergency response, homeland security, and countering transnational organized crime, Rear Admiral Brown previously served the administration as the President’s Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor. It was in this role that he led both domestic and international coordination of preparations and response to Hurricane Dorian, in 2019.
Prior to joining the White House, Rear Admiral Brown served as Commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District headquartered in Miami, Florida, with responsibility for all Coast Guard operations and personnel in the Southeast United States and the Caribbean Basin, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. From 2013-2017, he served as Assistant Commandant for Response Policy at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, overseeing the development of strategic response doctrine and policy guidance for all Coast Guard forces in the areas of law enforcement, search and rescue, counterterrorism and defense operations, oil spill response, incident management and preparedness, and contingency exercise programs.
Originally, from Somers, NY, Rear Admiral Brown is a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry. His first duty station upon commissioning was aboard USCG Cutter SAGEBRUSH, homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his Coast Guard career has primarily focused on sea duty and tactical law enforcement, with four afloat and three Tactical Law Enforcement (TACLET) and Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) tours of duty. He commanded Coast Guard TACLET South in Miami, Florida, from 2000 to 2002 and USCG Cutter BOUTWELL Alameda, CA from 2006 to 2008. Rear Admiral Brown earned a Master’s degree in chemistry at the University of Miami in 1991 and taught chemistry at the Coast Guard Academy from 1991-95. While teaching, he earned his law degree from the University of Connecticut, and worked with the Coast Guard’s Research and Development Center in the testing of emerging drug detection technologies, paving the way for the deployment of advanced analytical chemical instruments at sea for law enforcement.
Admiral Brown and his wife, Jenny, have two children, C.J. and Angela. Rear Admiral Brown’s personal awards include five Legions of Merit, five Meritorious Service Medals, two Commendation Medals, three Achievement Medals, and numerous unit and team awards.