U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Ryan Manning, who will soon retire from the military, was appointed to lead the Port of Long Beach’s Security Division this week.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners made the appointment Monday.

Manning, currently captain of the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach and commander of Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, will join the port following his retirement at the end of March.

In his current role, Manning, commissioned by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1994, leads a team of 550 active duty, reserve and civilian personnel and a 750-member volunteer auxiliary workforce.

The team facilitates regional partnerships and

conducts federal maritime safety, security, law enforcement and environmental protection operations along the coast from Orange County to San Luis Obispo County.

Previously, Manning was commanding officer of Coast Guard Activities Europe, working out of Brunssum, in the Netherlands, where he directed U.S. Coast Guard vessel inspection and port security assessments throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Manning has master’s degrees in mechanical engineering, and joint campaign planning and strategy, and is also a registered professional mechanical engineer.