HONOLULU, HAWAII – Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF West) held its 15th change of command ceremony at Camp Smith, Hawaii, Apr. 26 welcoming U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. James Rendon as the new commander while bidding farewell to Rear Adm. Christopher Tomney.
Rendon, a Coast Guard Academy graduate, is from San Antonio, Texas, with more than 28 years of service having recently served as the Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy.
Tomney, also a Coast Guard Academy graduate from Massachusetts, served as the Director of JIATF West from March 2010 to April 2012. Tomney will join the Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., to become the Head Intelligence Officer for the Commandant of the Coast Guard.
During Tomney’s tenure as the JIATF West director, the unit has helped law enforcement officials across the Asia-Pacific region successfully interdict over 1000 lbs. each of cocaine and heroin.
Tomney is also best known for spearheading an intelligence analysis initiative which led law enforcement official to successfully seize over 2,000 metric tons of chemical precursors destined for illicit methamphetamine production, which could have produced 500 tons of meth worth $20 billion.
JIATF West works with law enforcement to combat transnational organized crime in the Pacific.
Submitted by the U.S. Pacific Command Public Affairs