Coast Guard Rear Admiral Jeff Randall assumed command of Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATFS) in a Change of Command ceremony held today at the Tennessee Williams Theater in Key West, FL.
Supporting U.S. national security priorities, JIATFS is a U.S. Department of Defense command that leverages the capabilities of U.S. Intelligence and Law Enforcement agencies, Allies and Partner Nations to detect, monitor, and support interdiction of illicit narcotics movements in the air and maritime throughout the Western hemisphere.
Rear Admiral Randall is the 19th director of the 36-year-old task force and assumed command from Coast Guard Rear Admiral Jo-Ann Burdian, who has been nominated as Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area.
A native of Abilene TX, Rear Admiral Randall is a 1993 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He also holds a Master of Marine Affairs from the University of Washington and served as the Coast Guard's Fellow to the Brookings Institution and Council on Foreign Relations.
He was awarded numerous personal, unit, campaign, and service awards.
The Change of Command ceremony was presided over by Admiral Alvin Holsey, Commander of U.S. Southern Command.
