Leadership Built on Legacy
Our team has built over 400 vessels. We’ve worked with the Army, USMC, USAF, Navy, SOCOM and foreign militaries.
Jeff LeLeux
President
Jeff Leleux serves as President, bringing more than 30 years of experience in maritime engineering, production, business development, and executive leadership. Throughout his career, he has led more than $1 billion in successful defense and maritime contracts for the U.S. military and international partners, including major patrol craft, landing craft, co-production, and unmanned vessel programs. Jeff has delivered vessels and managed complex initiatives in more than 50 countries, with extensive experience across the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean. Known for guiding programs from concept through completion, he combines technical expertise with proven success in scaling operations, meeting mission-critical schedules, and driving strategic growth. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Louisiana State University.
Sean Biddle
Chief ExecUtive Officer (CEO)
Sean Biddle serves as Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Coast Tactical, leading the company’s development of affordable, adaptable, and scalable unmanned maritime systems. With more than eight years of experience in aerospace and systems engineering, he has worked at the forefront of autonomy, communications, interoperability, and platform integration for defense applications. Before founding Gulf Coast Tactical, Sean served as Lead Systems Engineer supporting the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering, where he helped advance government reference architectures and prototype systems across air and maritime platforms. Today, he guides the development of the RS1.1 autonomy stack and advanced platform architectures designed for collaborative, multi-vessel operations. Sean is known for translating emerging technologies into mission-ready solutions while building strong teams, strategic partnerships, and lasting customer trust.
Miles THomas
Chief Operations Officer (COO)
Miles Thomas is a third-generation shipbuilder, licensed Professional Engineer, and naval architect with deep roots in the Gulf Coast maritime industry. Over the course of his career, he has owned and operated a shipyard, designed and constructed vessels up to 175 feet, and led engineering efforts across structural design, hydrodynamics, vessel systems, regulatory compliance, and production. His defense experience includes managing U.S. Navy prototype and program-of-record initiatives, leading the design of the largest U.S. Government-owned unmanned surface vessel to date, and serving as Ship Design Manager and Integrated Program Team lead for the Navy’s Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel program. Miles also helped establish new regulatory standards for autonomous vessels in collaboration with ABS and the U.S. Coast Guard. Today, he combines generations of shipbuilding experience with forward-looking expertise in autonomous vessel design and advanced naval architecture.
Scott Poe
Chief Technology Officer
Scott Poe serves as Chief Technology Officer at Gulf Coast Tactical, bringing more than a decade of experience in advanced software engineering, command-and-control systems, and unmanned systems integration. He leads the development of GCT’s autonomy stack and platform-agnostic middleware, helping enable scalable and adaptable maritime operations across multiple platforms and mission environments. Before joining Gulf Coast Tactical, Scott led software teams at Integration Innovation Inc. and Dynetics, where he helped architect and integrate command-and-control systems for major unmanned aerial systems programs. His expertise includes STANAG 4586, MAVLink, modular software architectures, secure government systems, and multi-vendor platform integration. Scott holds both a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Alabama and plays a key role in advancing GCT’s reliable, mission-focused unmanned solutions.
Rachel Hoffman
Director of Business Administration
Rachel Hoffman serves as Director of Business Administration at Gulf Coast Tactical, overseeing the planning, procurement, and management of resources that support the company’s engineering, production, and operational programs. An Army veteran with more than eight years of experience across military, aerospace, defense, and healthcare environments, she brings expertise in logistics, asset management, supply chain operations, budgeting, contracts, and vendor coordination. Rachel has managed equipment readiness and logistics programs valued at more than $10 million and supported federal defense initiatives for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering and Northrop Grumman. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Huntingdon College and an MBA in Operations and Supply Chain Management from Ohio University. Known for improving processes and supporting complex technical programs, Rachel helps ensure Gulf Coast Tactical operates with efficiency, accountability, and precision.
Steve Harden
Director of Autonomous Systems
Steven Harden serves as Director of Autonomous Systems at Gulf Coast Tactical, bringing more than 20 years of experience in advanced weapons systems, unmanned platforms, maritime autonomy, and defense testing. Most recently, he served as Maritime Domain Platform Lead for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering, where he managed fleets of unmanned surface and aerial vehicles, led the integration of autonomous control systems and mission payloads, and coordinated large-scale domestic and international test events. Throughout his Navy civilian career, Steven has supported NAVSEA, NAVAIR, USSOCOM, the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, and other Department of Defense organizations. His expertise in systems integration, configuration management, range safety, weapons testing, and developmental evaluation helps advance Gulf Coast Tactical’s delivery of scalable, reliable, and mission-ready autonomous systems.
