Charley L. Diaz
United States Coast Guard officer
Captain Charley L. Diaz (born in 1959 in Corpus Christi, Texas) is a 30-year United States Coast Guard veteran who served on Active Duty from 1982 to 2012. Diaz is best known for leading the crew of the USCGC Sherman (WHEC-720) in the seizure of the Panamanian freighter GATUN off the coast of Panama in March 2007, which netted nearly 20 tons of cocaine worth an estimated $600 million. It was the largest maritime drug bust in US history.
On July 21, 2005, Diaz became the first American of Hispanic descent to command a High endurance cutter (the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest cutter class). In 2008, Diaz was named one of the "Top Hispanics in the U.S. Military" by Hispanic Engineer & IT magazine. He officially retired from the U.S. Coast Guard on June 30, 2012. Diaz is an independent Homeland Security consultant in the greater Washington, D.C. area and President of Diaz and Associates, Maritime Consultants (a Maryland company).
Background and education
Diaz was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, and is a 1978 graduate of Mary Carroll High School.In 1982, Diaz graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, where he was captain of the cadet drill team. He holds a master's degree in Public Administration (with honors) from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and a diploma (with distinction) from the U.S. Naval War College. He also completed the Department of Homeland Security “Executive Leaders Program” in 2012 at the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
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