Captain Tom D’Arcy joined the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) in August 2025 following a tour as the U. S. Coast Guard District Oceania’s Chief of Response, where he was responsible for domestic, interagency, and international maritime operations. He oversaw missions spanning search and rescue, law enforcement, environmental response, border control and territorial integrity, and intelligence conducted throughout Oceania, including Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.
Captain D’Arcy served 13 years at sea, including as Commanding Officer of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL-756), which patrolled across the Eastern and Western Pacific, and to the Arctic to enforce counter-drug, fisheries, and maritime laws, as well as to strengthen interagency and international partnerships. His first Command was of USCGC Aspen (WLB-208), a multi-mission sea-going buoy tender in San Francisco, CA, where his crew earned the DHS Secretary’s Excellence Award for law enforcement operations. He also served as a plank-owner and the first Executive Officer of USCGC Munro (WMSL-755), leading the team that brought that National Security Cutter into operation. As Executive Officer of USCGC Sequoia (WLB-215), homeported in Guam, he facilitated operations in the Western Pacific, to include exercising bi-lateral agreements with partner island nations. He also served as an Operations Officer, Law Enforcement Officer, and Navigator on multi-mission cutters.
Among Captain D’Arcy’s tours ashore, he served as Arctic Policy Advisor, China Strategy Branch Chief, and Liaison Officer at the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM), in Stuttgart, Germany. He was also the Cutter Programs Manager for Coast Guard Pacific Area Command. As Senior Watch Officer and Deputy of the Coast Guard National Command Center, he provided daily decision-making support to Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security Senior Leaders, including during major maritime emergencies.
In 2019, he was a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval War College, earning a master’s degree in National Security Studies. He also earned a master’s degree in English from the University of Washington in 2004, before he instructed in the Humanities Department at the Coast Guard Academy.
Originally from New Jersey, Captain D’Arcy graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1998 with a degree in Government and International Relations. Thanks to the support of talented shipmates and co-workers, his awards include Department of Defense and Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medals, Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and other team, unit, and personal citations.
