Vice Adm. Karl Schultz has been nominated to be next commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, announced Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen Thursday afternoon.
Schultz, a native of East Hartford, Conn., and a 1983 Coast Guard Academy graduate currently serves as the commander of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, where he oversaw the Coast Guard’s response to Hurricanes Irma, Maria and Harvey in 2017. The Atlantic Area runs all Coast Guard missions from the Rocky Mountains to the Persian Gulf, spanning across five Coast Guard Districts and 40 states.
Pending confirmation, Schultz is expected to relieve current Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Paul Zukunft on June 1st.
“Vice Adm. Schultz will provide the sound leadership and steady hand needed to guide our global military service further into this dynamic and extraordinary era of our nation,” Zukunft said in a release.
