Rear Adm. Benjamin Golightly is the 22nd Director, Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF West). He recently served as the commanding officer at the Maritime Intelligence Fusion Center – Atlantic (MIFC LANT) in Virginia Beach, Virginia, following his assignment as the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast District Chief of Response. He has balanced his career between operations afloat and intelligence billets. During his most recent afloat tour, he served as Commanding Officer, USCGC Alex Haley (WMEC 39) in Kodiak, Alaska. He has had previous afloat tours on a variety of platforms including USCGC Tampa (WMEC 902), homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia, as a deck watch officer. He served as executive officer aboard USCGC Chandeleur (WPB 1319) in Miami Beach, Florida; operations officer in USCGC Gallatin (WHEC 721), homeported in Charleston, South Carolina; and executive officer aboard USCGC Diligence (WMEC 616) in Wilmington, North Carolina.

While not serving aboard cutters, Rear Adm. Golightly has held multiple positions within Coast Guard Intelligence. In August 2003, Rear Adm. Golightly graduated from the Joint Military Intelligence College (now National Intelligence University) at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington D.C. where he earned a Master of Science degree in strategic intelligence. For his follow-on tour, he was assigned to MIFC LANT as an intelligence watch officer and then a counter terrorism analyst. He was also assigned as Chief of Intelligence for the Coast Guard’s Oceania District in Honolulu, Hawaii and commanding officer of Coast Guard Cryptologic Unit Texas in San Antonio, Texas. In 2018, Rear Adm. Golightly completed a year-long, senior fellowship at National Intelligence University’s Center for Strategic Intelligence Research and then served a follow-on assignment as the executive assistant to the Assistant Commandant for Intelligence.

He has earned the Permanent Cutterman and Intelligence Professional Insignias and has been awarded the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three Meritorious Service Medals, three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, and many other unit, team, and service awards. He is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College Distance Learning Program earning his certificate for Joint Professional Military Education Phase 1.

A native of Mayville, New York, Rear Adm. Golightly graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1998 with a degree in government. He and his wife, Lisa, have two adult daughters, Shannon and Meghan.

Last Updated: 2 September 2026