Admiral Karl L. Schultz
Commandant of the Coast Guard
Karl Leo Schultz is a native of East Hartford, Connecticut. He graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a B.S. in civil engineering, and earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Connecticut. He also completed a National Security Fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government.
He has commanded three cutters and has also been commander of the Miami Sector of the Coast Guard. He commanded the Coast Guard Defense Force East, and Coast Guard Atlantic Area. He oversaw Coast Guard rescue and recovery efforts for hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate. He has been active in the Global War on Terrorism, including with the September 11 attacks.
In March 2018, he was nominated by President Donald Trump to the position of Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. His nomination and promotion to admiral was confirmed by a voice vote in the U.S. Senate, and he assumed his duties in June 2018.
He is married to Dawn and they have five children.
In the News…
Collaborating with managers of two national marine sanctuaries, the Coast Guard is asking heavy vessels, including tankers, container and cruise ships, to approach and exit San Francisco Bay at no more than 10 knots, about half their normal speed, and to watch out for the blue whales who are feasting on tiny krill around the Farallon Islands.
At least 47 blue whales, the largest species on Earth, were spotted in one hour on June 13, and a few days earlier, there were 23 of them.
The marine mammals, up to 85 feet long, consume up to six tons a day of krill, a two-inch shrimp-like crustacean that underpins the marine food chain. They can send a spout up to 30 feet in the air. The great leviathans are found around the world,and are considered an endangered species, nearly driven to extinction until hunting was banned in 1967.
Their enormous size dictates that they maximize feeding efforts when food is available. That will sometimes take them into dangerous waters. While they are focused on feeding, they are likely not to recognize or evade an approaching ship. Getting the large and heavy ships to slow down is intended to give the whales a chance to get out of the way and make a strike more survivable.
