Janesville Elementary and Herlong High school alumnus assumes command of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bear

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bear held a formal change of command ceremony at Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, marking a transition of leadership for the medium endurance cutter.

During the ceremony, CDR David A. Smith officially assumed command of the vessel, taking over responsibilities from the outgoing commanding officer, CDR Jorrell Webb.

Rear Adm. John C. Vann, Deputy Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, presided over the time-honored military tradition, which formally transfers total authority and responsibility of the cutter and its crew.

The Coast Guard Cutter Bear is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia, with a crew of 100 members. The cutter’s primary mission areas include homeland security, law enforcement, counter-drug operations, search and rescue, migrant interdiction and fisheries enforcement throughout the Western Hemisphere.

“It is an honor to take the helm of such a distinguished cutter with a historic legacy and an outstanding crew,” said Smith. “I look forward to continuing the Bear’s exceptional service to the fleet, safeguarding our nation’s borders, and leading this remarkable crew as we face future missions together.”

Biography of the incoming commanding officer
Commander David A. Smith grew up in Milford, California and remains exceptionally proud of his Lassen County roots.

He attended Janesville Elementary School and later graduated from Herlong High School in 2001, where he was a proud and highly active member of Future Farmers of America, establishing an early foundation in leadership and public service.

Following high school, Smith entered public service through the U.S. Coast Guard, earning his commission from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2006.

Smith is a permanent Cutterman whose career spans five afloat tours. Prior to reporting aboard the Cutter Bear, he served at Coast Guard Headquarters as the Deputy Program Manager for the In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program, where he was responsible for extending the service life and enhancing the capabilities of the Coast Guard’s surface fleet. His most recent operational tour was as the Executive Officer aboard USCGC Decisive, a medium endurance cutter homeported in Pensacola, Florida.

His extensive operational experience includes commanding a forward-deployed Patrol Boat in the Arabian Gulf supporting the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet Central Command. While deployed in the region, he successfully navigated multiple high-stakes, incendiary encounters with Iranian warships, including an incident where a Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy vessel aggressively crossed his bow within 50 yards.

During this tour, Smith also served as a key contributor to the national intelligence dialogue by validating illicit smuggling theories to Combined Maritime Forces 150, a 34-nation security coalition. Additionally, his diplomatic liaison efforts with senior United Arab Emirates military and civilian leaders led to the historic first joint search and rescue exercise between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and UAE Coast Guard.

In his shore and staff assignments, Smith served as Command Duty Officer and Search and Rescue Coordinator in Cleveland, Ohio, from 2010 to 2013, overseeing responses on the Great Lakes and earning the highest proficiency score in 2013 from the Coast Guard Yorktown standardization team.

From 2016 to 2019, he served as the Evergreen Project Manager in Washington, D.C., leading strategic efforts to map out future scenarios and identify long-term capability gaps for the service. During this time, he was selected to serve the President of the United States and the First Family as a White House Social Aide, directing more than 15 multi-service military aides during high-profile events.

He subsequently served as the critical operational liaison between three-star Admirals at Coast Guard Pacific Area and the U.S. Navy’s Third Fleet to maximize joint interoperability in the Pacific Theater.

Smith holds a bachelor of science degree in government from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, a Master of Public Administration from Roger Williams University, and a Master of Science in National Security and Resourcing from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

His personal military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), the Coast Guard Commendation Medal (three awards), the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and the Commandant’s Letter of Commendation Ribbon Bar (two awards), alongside various other unit and team awards.

He is married to Eliza Levy, and they are the proud parents of their daughter, Annabella Levy-Smith.