Education
He graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, and earned graduate degrees from the University of Connecticut and The George Washington University.
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Paul Alexander
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He is a native of Saint St. Petersburg, Florida. Prior to becoming Commandant, he served as a patrol boat commander during the Vietnam War. He later served concurrently as Commander of the Atlantic Area Maritime Defense Zone and as Commander of the New York City-based 3rd Coast Guard District, accepting those appointments in 1984.
Yost was responsible for eliminating the longstanding tradition of beards at sea.
He is also known for driving the Coast Guard toward a robust coastal defense mission, and a parallel initiative to dramatically increase the armament aboard Coast Guard cutters. Prior to his tenure Coast Guard cutters were outfitted with weapons systems designed to fight the War on Drugs, and other law enforcement related missions.
He added naval warfare systems to larger cutters, which included the Harpoon missile system, close-in weapon systems (CIWS), and other similar upgrades. Following his retirement, the systems were removed and the coastal defense mission was de-emphasised in favor of the more traditional missions of search and rescue, law enforcement, marine safety and aids to navigation.
Yost"s focus on the coastal defense mission was often derided by Coast Guard members and Congress alike who referred to his era as the "Yost-Guard." Ironically in the post–September 11, 2001 world, coastal defense, now called Homeland security, is arguably the most recognizable mission of the service.
Since retiring from the Coast Guard, he has served as President of the Washington, District of Columbia-based James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation.
