Rabago Takes the Helm of USCG Deepwater Program

Rear Adm. Ronald J. Rábago relieved Rear Adm. Gary T. Blore today as the program executive officer of the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest recapitalization and modernization initiative, the $24 billion, 25-year Deepwater program. Blore is slated to become the next assistant commandant for acquisition and chief acquisition officer of the Coast Guard. The shift in leadership at the acquisition directorate and Deepwater is the result of organizational changes ordered last year by Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard. “We are making significant and necessary changes to the entire Deepwater program,” said Rábago. “As I look ahead to the coming months, there are three areas that we must focus on together: contract and organizational change, asset delivery and internal partnerships.” The Deepwater program will soon combine with all other elements of the Coast Guard acquisition enterprise, to form a new acquisition directorate. The acquisition directorate will led by Blore beginning July 13. This consolidation positions Rábago not only as program executive officer of Deepwater, but also as director of all Coast Guard acquisition programs after July 13. His office will oversee all major acquisitions of cutters, aircraft, C4ISR and boats. Rábago, a licensed professional engineer, was previously director of personnel management at Coast Guard headquarters and served at numerous afloat and ashore units – including command of the cutter Tampa in Portsmouth, Va., and command of the Coast Guard shipyard in Baltimore. Rábago was named Coast Guard engineer of the year in 1995.