Admiral Battling Gulf Oil Spill Has History of Managing Crises

May 11, 2010 -- When President Obama looked for a person to head up the federal response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, he turned to a man who already had a major crisis on his résumé.

The Coast Guard commandant, Adm. Thad Allen, hasn't generated a lot of headlines over the years, but his supporters say his quiet leadership quickly restored confidence in the government's response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"He performed magnificently in a crisis," said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Nobody could have done it better."

Mullen and other colleagues of Allen said he was an obvious choice to oversee the federal response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Before Katrina, Allen was not a household name.

He was thrust into the media glare when he was named to replace Michael Brown, the Federal Emergency Management Agency director who was widely criticized for the government's sluggish response in the hurricane's aftermath.

Working amid chaotic conditions, his colleagues say, Allen's understated style was key to his success. "He holds his temper well," said Gil Jamieson, a former Homeland Security official who was Allen's deputy during Katrina.

His public personality stood in stark contrast to that of Lt. Gen. Russell Honoré, the colorful, cigar-chomping Army officer who worked alongside Allen, heading up the military response.

Allen "was tough and firm," Jamieson said.

The son of a senior career enlisted Coast Guardsman, Allen, 61, has spent almost four decades in the service and was appointed commandant in 2006.

He will still step down as commandant this month, as planned, and then will retire from the service this summer, said Cmdr. Martha LaGuardia-Kotite, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.

Mullen said Allen has the leadership skills and technical knowledge to effectively manage the spill.

"The sea services have been around oil spills our whole lives," Mullen said.

Mullen said he first encountered Allen during a meeting when the two served as budget officials in their respective services almost 10 years ago.

"He left the office, and I said, 'That's got to be the next commandant of the Coast Guard,' " Mullen said.