Vice Adm. Karl L. Schultz nominated to be next USCG Commandant

Vice Adm. Karl L. Schultz

MARCH 8, 2017 — President Donald J. Trump has nominated Vice Adm. Karl L. Schultz to be the 26th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and to be promoted to Admiral.

Vice Adm. Schultz, the commander of the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area, currently serves as the operational commander for all Coast Guard missions from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf, spanning across five Coast Guard Districts and 40 states. Pending confirmation, he is expected to relieve Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Paul F. Zukunft in a change of command ceremony June 1, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Adm. Zukunft will retire following the change of command this summer.

“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,” said Adm. Zukunft.

Vice Admiral Schultz is a native of East Hartford, Connecticut and a 1983 Coast Guard Academy graduate, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. In 1992, he was awarded a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Connecticut, and in 2006 completed a one year National Security Fellowship at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

His personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, four Legions of Merit, four Meritorious Service Medals, three Coast Guard Commendation medals, two Coast Guard Achievement Medals, and various other personal and unit awards

Vice Adm. Schultz has selected and the President has nominated Vice Adm. Charles W. Ray, the current Deputy Commandant for Operations, as the Coast Guard’s 31st Vice Commandant. Pending confirmation, Vice Adm. Ray will relieve Adm. Charles D. Michel in a change of watch ceremony May 24, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Adm. Michel, the Coast Guard’s first four-star Vice Commandant, will retire following the change of watch.