Air Station Miami - Commanding Officer

Capt. Shawn "MAX" Koch

Commanding Officer, Air Station Miami

CAPT Shawn “MAX” Koch serves as the Chief of Incident Management for CGD7. He oversees Search and Rescue (SAR), Aviation, pollution/HAZMAT response, Command Center ops, Emergency Management, and implementation of the National Incident Management System. In this capacity he oversaw 1/3 of all CG SAR cases, saving or assisting 5,000 lives and $250 million in property annually.

CAPT Koch previously served as Chief of Maritime and Arctic/Senior Intel Analyst at NORAD/U.S. Northern Command, Ops Officer at CGAS Atlantic City/Director of Ops at National Capital Region Air Defense Facility (BLACKJACK), and Chief of Intel Ops at CG Operations Command. He was the MH-68A Branch Chief at Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON-10), and a duty standing HH-65A pilot at Group/Air Station North Bend. As a cutterman, he was Lead Boarding Officer on CGCs DECISIVE and RESOLUTE. He has also served as an Oregon Sheriff’s Deputy, an Aviation Gunner course instructor, and is currently an EMT.

A native of central Wisconsin, Captain Koch graduated from USCGA in 1995 with a BS in Management. He has earned an Undergrad Certificate in Law Enforcement (LE), an MBA, and a MS in Strategic Intel (MSSI) with concentration in Counter-Terrorism from National Defense Intelligence College. He is also a graduate of the Naval War College (JPME-I), and Joint and Combined Warfighting School (JPME-II). CAPT Koch was the 2017 Senior Research Fellow for Center for Strategic Intel Research (CSIR) at National Intel University (NIU).

CAPT Koch is the recipient of the 2004 Helicopter Assoc Int’l (HAI) LE award, 2005 Airborne LE Assoc (ALEA) Aircrew of the Year award, and the 2007 Anne Caracristi award as NDIC’s top sea-service graduate.

CAPT Koch is married to the former Trisha McKinnon of Alberta, Canada, with whom he has three children. He is the recipient of military awards typical of a public servant with several decades of service.