Captain (R) Phillip Heyl

Phillip J. Heyl, Captain, U.S. Coast Guard (ret.) is Principal of The Heyl Group, LLC an air and maritime security consulting firm focused on Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Clients include private companies, governments, and international organizations. Currently, he is guiding the standup of the Interregional Coordination Center (ICC) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, a first-of-its-kind effort to coordinate and standardize regional law enforcement responses in the African maritime sector.

 As Chief of the Air and Maritime Branch in the Strategy, Plans and Programs Directorate (J5) at U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in Stuttgart, Germany, he was responsible for strategic development, oversight, and execution of air and maritime security programs on the continent of Africa. Mr. Heyl guided component engagement in sustainable air and maritime capacity-building programs.  These include the U.S. Navy’s Africa Partnership Station and the U.S. Air Force’s Africa Partnership Flight programs. He developed the Africa Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership, an asymmetric maritime law enforcement program that builds sustainable capacity for the coast guards and navies in Africa through combined operations on U.S. Navy ships and USCG cutters.   

Mr. Heyl retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2009 following a 32-year career that included several major USCG commands. He has served as a director on the White House National Security Council, and as the Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT.  As the Commander of Sector Key West, he led efforts to counter narcotics and human smuggling operations in the Caribbean, Latin America and in the Florida Straits off Cuba. Over the course of his career, he has also guided the stand up of seven Coast Guards in the Western Hemisphere and Africa- including those in Belize, Costa Rica, Colombia, Haiti, and Sierra Leone.

Mr. Heyl has published numerous articles on maritime security and regularly appears in the media and the policy arena as an expert on air and maritime security issues in Africa and Latin America. He graduated with a BS in Government with honors from The U.S. Coast Guard Academy, an MPA in International Policy from The George Washington University, and an MA with distinction in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval Staff College, Newport, RI.