Posted on June 28, 2023
The Coast Guard installed a new 8th District commander Friday in New Orleans.
Rear Adm. David Barata will lead 7,600 personnel in a region covering 26 states and navigable waterways between the Midwest and the Gulf of Mexico.
“I’m going to focus on taking care of our leaders, taking care of our members and their families, and having a little bit of fun along the way,” Barata said at the change-of-command ceremony, at the Port of New Orleans.
Barata comes to the district Washington D.C., where he was commander of the Coast Guard Personnel Service Center.
His predecessor in New Orleans, Rear Adm. Richard Timme, is retiring after 32 years with the Coast Guard, the past two as 8th District commander.
“This team has it, and they know what to do. They are battle-hardened professionals and stand ready for all that the eighth district throws at them,” Timme said.
