When OceanGate’s Titan submersible went missing this summer during a dive to the Titanic wreck, an international effort to locate the vessel was led by the U.S. Coast Guard. Intense public interest in the sub and a racing clock during the rescue-or-recovery phase generated lots of swirling disinformation — which was countered by briefings conducted in Boston by Rear Admiral John Mauger, commander of the First Coast Guard District since May 2022. Mauger oversees all Coast Guard missions across eight states in the Northeast including over 2,000 miles of coastline from the U.S.-Canadian border to northern New Jersey and 1,300 miles offshore. Mauger previously served as the Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, responsible for the development of national policy, standards, and programs promoting Marine Safety, Security and Environmental Stewardship. During prior flag assignments, he served as the Assistant Commandant for Capability, responsible for identifying and providing capabilities, competencies, and capacity along with developing standards for the staffing, training, equipping, sustaining, maintaining, and employing Coast Guard forces to meet mission requirements. He also served as the Director of Training and Exercises (J7) at U.S. Cyber Command where he developed joint training and assessment standards and orchestrated over two dozen large-scale exercises for the Cyber Mission Forces, partner nations, inter agencies, all Services, National Guard, Reserves, and private industry. Previous assignments include serving as the Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center, where he served as the Coast Guard’s lead technical authority for the implementation of commercial safety, security and environmental protection regulations. He also served as the Chief, Office of Design at Engineering Standards at Coast Guard Headquarters, where he led the development of safety and environmental protection standards for international shipping and offshore oil and gas activity. Mauger also served as Military Assistant to the Director, Office of Net Assessment at the Pentagon, where he advised senior defense leaders on competitive strategies, was the Coast Guard’s lead budget analyst for the service’s $1.4 billion acquisition appropriation, and was the chief of staff for the Department of Homeland Security’s 2008 Presidential Transition team. His operational assignments include overseeing commercial port operations in Charleston, S.C., where he enforced maritime safety and security regulations in one of the nation’s strategic commercial and military ports; conducting commercial vessel inspections and casualty investigations at Activities Europe; and Assistant Engineering Officer of a high endurance cutter in Honolulu. His staff tours include service as Chief of Commercial Vessel Security during the national response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and as an engineer at the Marine Safety Center and the Electronics Engineering Center. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Coast Legion of Merit (two awards), Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal (five awards), the Coast Guard Commendation Medal (three awards), the DHS Secretary’s Exceptional Service Gold Medal, and the EPA Administrator’s Silver Medal.