Coast Guard Temporarily Relieves Commanding Officer of Sector North Carolina

The Coast Guard has temporarily relieved the commander of Coast Guard Sector North Carolina, a captain who has been on the job for more than three years.

The service announced Wednesday that Capt. Matthew Baer has been relieved due to "loss of confidence in his ability to effectively command the sector," according to Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath, commander of the Coast Guard's Fifth District, which oversees the Wilmington-based sector.

Cmdr. Courtney Sergent, chief of response for Coast Guard Sector North Carolina, is acting as commanding officer while the administrative investigation is underway and a final decision is made.

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Baer has been temporarily reassigned to the Fifth Coast Guard District headquarters in Portsmouth, Virginia, according to the service.

Baer assumed command of the sector, which is responsible for all operations in the state of North Carolina, including search and rescue, maritime and port safety, environmental protection, maritime law and boating safety, in May 2020.

He is a 1998 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy who also holds a master's degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. He has held numerous positions in the Coast Guard, including serving as deck watch officer and operations officer on two ships and executive officer of the Coast Guard Special Missions Training Center at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Previous commands include Maritime Safety and Security Team Kings Bay, Georgia, and Coast Guard Station Seattle. He has received the Meritorious Service Medal four times and has three Coast Guard Commendation Medals.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime

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