Captain Neal P. Kite currently serves as the Reserve Chief of Staff and Senior Reserve Office for the 17th Coast Guard District. Headquartered in Juneau, Alaska, the women and men of the 17th District Conduct all 11 of the Coast Guard’s statutory missions in an area encompassing nearly four million square miles of the Pacific and Arctic Oceans including the Bering Sea.
Captain Kite entered the Coast Guard Reserve as an enlisted member in 1987. His first duty station was Reserve Unit Syracuse, New York drilling at USCG Station Oswego, New York. In 1990 he moved to the Midwest and began drilling with Reserve Unit Leavenworth, Kansas. In 1995, due to CG consolidation initiatives, he began drilling at the Coast Guard’s Pay and Personnel Center in Topeka, KS. There Captain Kite achieved the rating of Storekeeper First Class prior to attending Reserve Officer Candidate Indoctrination (ROCI) in 1999.
In his last assignment, Captain Kite served as the Senior Reserve Officer at Sector Ohio Valley in Louisville, KY, overseeing the mobilization and readiness of over 100 Reserve Personnel that includes all or part of 10 states ranging from the eastern portion of Missouri to the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, and from northern Alabama to Ohio.
Earlier assignments include serving as the Executive Officer at Joint Transportation Reserve Unit (JTRU) U.S. Transportation Command. As the Executive Office Captain Kite was responsible for the administrative readiness for the Coast Guard Element of the JTRU. Captain Kite was also the U.S. Transportation Command Deployment Distribution Operations Center Deputy Chief, where he monitored global sea/land/air movements deploying U.S. Forces and war-fighting equipment to Theater of Operations for combat missions, contingency responses, and Joint Department of Defense exercises.
Captain Kite’s operational assignments include serving as an Action Officer in Planning and Readiness office at the Seventh Coast Guard District, Exercise Planner at the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Suffolk VA, and Chief Reserve Boat Forces Sector Upper Mississippi River.
Captain Kite is a graduate of Trident University Cypress, CA where he earned a Master’s degree in Information Technology Management. Captain Kite also has an extensive Fire Science background to include several Firefighting certifications.
Captain Kite awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Staff Commendation Medal, and various other personal and unit awards.