[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 81 (Tuesday, May 11, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING CAPTAIN BREANNA L. KNUTSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN M. PALAZZO

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 11, 2021

  Mr. PALAZZO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the outstanding 
service of Captain Breanna Knutson.
  CAPT Breanna Knutson currently serves as the House of Representatives 
Liaison Officer for the Coast Guard. She ensures the Coast Guard's 
prompt response to the House's 435 members and staffs by coordinating 
and conducting policy briefs, preparing senior Coast Guard leaders for 
Congressional hearings and engagements, and planning and leading 
Congressional delegations to Coast Guard units throughout the country.
  She previously served as The Chief Pilot and Operations Officer of 
Coast Guard Air Station Detroit where she directed the operations of 5 
MH-65 Dolphin helicopters, 26 pilots and 35 air crew members in the 
conduct of Search and Rescue missions on the Great Lakes from the St. 
Lawrence Seaway to eastern Lake Michigan.
  CAPT Knutson's first operational assignment was as a deck watch 
officer aboard USCGC MOHAWK in Key West, Florida. Following this 
assignment, CAPT Knutson was selected for Naval Flight Training in 
Pensacola, Florida and began flight school the summer of 2001. She 
earned her wings in the fall of 2002.
  In 2007 she earned a dual qualification in the Rotary Wing Air 
Intercept mission and deployed to the National Capitol Region ten times 
supporting National Security missions. In 2010 CAPT Knutson was 
assigned to the Coast Guard's Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron 
in Jacksonville, Florida where she conducted Airborne Use of Force--
Counter Drug missions, deploying aboard four Coast Guard cutters in the 
Eastern Pacific Ocean and Western Caribbean Sea.
  In 2014 CAPT Knutson was selected as the Executive Assistant to the 
Director of Department of Homeland Security, Joint Task Force--East, 
the first ever Joint Task Force of its kind. In this capacity she 
supported the Director and Executive Leadership in executing the 
foundational processes of standing up a new unit tasked with improving 
the Department of Homeland Security's ability to operate as a unified 
team.
  CAPT Knutson graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 
1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management. She holds a 
Master of Arts degree in Human Resources Management from American 
Military University.
  CAPT Breanna Knutson is a true American who chose to answer the call 
to serve our country. It is an honor to recognize her incredible 
service history that is a true depiction of her dedication to the 
United States Coast Guard. I wish her the best as she continues her 
service as Commanding Officer of Sector North Bend, Oregon.

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