United States Coast Guard In his four decades of service, Allen has held operational command both at sea and ashore, conducting missions to support the maritime safety, security and environmental stewardship interests of the nation. Allen was the last commanding officer of
LORAN Station Lampang, Thailand, serving there from 1974 to 1975. Station Lampang was part of the LORAN chain first put into use in 1966 as part of "
Operation Tight Reign" in support of military operations in the Vietnam War. He served aboard
USCGC Androscoggin (WHEC-68), and
USCGC Gallatin (WHEC-721) and commanded
USCGC Citrus (WLB-300). He performed dual roles as commanding officer of Group Long Island Sound and
Captain of the Port, and he commanded Group Atlantic City. He also commanded the
Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami and the Atlantic Area in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Flag officer .Allen's first assignment as a
flag officer was as Director of Resources at Coast Guard Headquarters then Commander, Seventh Coast Guard District, where he directed all operations in the Southeastern United States and Caribbean. Following that assignment he served as Commander, Atlantic Area and U.S. Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic. In this capacity he oversaw all Coast Guard operations on the U.S. East Coast, Gulf Coast, and Great Lakes in the aftermath of the
September 11 attacks. Allen served as the U.S. Coast Guard's Chief of Staff from May 2002 until May 2006. As Chief of Staff, Allen was third in the Coast Guard's command structure, and was commanding officer of Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard Allen assumed the duties of the 23rd
Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard on 25 May 2006. Admiral
Robert J. Papp Jr. succeeded him as commandant on 25 May 2010, in a change of command ceremony.
Deepwater Horizon oil spill On 30 April 2010, Homeland Security Secretary
Janet Napolitano announced that Allen would serve as the
National Incident Commander for the federal government's response to the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the
Gulf of Mexico. After the end of his service as commandant on 25 May 2010, Allen continued serving as National Incident Commander until 1 October 2010, when that billet was disestablished. He also remained on active duty in the Coast Guard until 30 June 2010, which was the first time in history the Coast Guard had two active duty four-star admirals. The position of
Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard has since been made a four-star rank.
Operation Fouled Anchor (OFA) Investigation On 25 July 2024, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability investigating the Coast Guard’s mishandling of serious misconduct, including racism, hazing, discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and the failure to disclose internal investigations into those issues to Congress requested that Admiral Allen participate in a voluntary transcribed interview. The Committee stated that "[o]ne of the key questions the Committee is examining is the extent to which senior USCG leadership willfully concealed internal reports from Congress that would have informed policy changes needed to combat, and further prevent, future incidents of misconduct. Additionally, as the Chief of Staff during and the Commandant following the date range investigated by OFA, the Committee is interested in learning more about what efforts were made to notify Congress or conceal misconduct. We believe that as the former Commandant and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Coast Guard, you have information that will assist us in fully understanding the extent to which USCG withheld these reports from Congress, how these incidents of misconduct were handled, and what actions USCG took regarding those responsible. We therefore request that you make yourself available voluntarily for a transcribed interview."
RAND Corporation and Booz Allen Hamilton In October 2010, Allen joined the
RAND Corporation as a senior fellow. On 28 November 2011,
Booz Allen Hamilton named Allen a Senior Vice President, joining the firm's Justice and Homeland Security business and leading development of thought leadership and client engagement regarding the direction of law enforcement and homeland security. ==Personal life==