November 1, 2002 USCG upgrades intelligence job Admiral Thomas H. Collins, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, has appointed Frances Fargo-Townsend as the service's first Assistant Commandant for Intelligence. Townsend came to the Coast Guard in August, 2001 as the first Director of Intelligence, a new senior executive post for the military organization. Elevating the director position to assistant commandant recognizes the growing prominence of the intelligence mission in the Coast Guard's national security role. The announcement brings the total number of assistant commandants to six, only two of whom are civilians. The prestigious post is the highest-level appointment that the Commandant can bestow upon a civilian employee. Townsend spent thirteen years at the U. S. Department of Justice in a variety of senior positions, most recently as Counsel to the Attorney General for Intelligence Policy. She began her prosecutorial career in 1985, serving as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, NY. Her professional expertise ranges from intelligence policy to international law enforcement matters. Her education includes a bachelor's degree cum laude from American University and a juris doctorate from the University of San Diego School of Law. She also attended the Institute on International and Comparative Law in London. Recommend This Page Enter an email address HOME