New CG commandant announced

WASHINGTON - Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced the president’s nomination of Vice Adm. Karl L. Schultz to become the 26th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard on March 8. Vice Adm. Schultz, commander of the CG's Atlantic Area since mid-2016, currently serves as the operational commander for all CG missions from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf, and five CG districts across 40 states. Pending U.S. Senate confirmation, Schultz is expected to relieve Adm. Paul F. Zukunft in a change of command ceremony June 1 in Washington, D.C. Adm. Zukunft is retiring. Vice Adm. Vice Adm. Charles W. Ray was nominated as the CG's 31st Vice Commandant. Pending confirmation, Vice Adm. Ray will relieve Adm. Charles D. Michel in a change of watch ceremony May 24 in Washington. Adm. Michel, the CG's first four-star Vice Commandant, is retiring. (Source: Coast Guard 03/08/18)