WASHINGTON – The Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard will outline the vision for the service and highlight the accomplishments of its people during the 2020 State of the Coast Guard Address Thursday in Charleston, S.C. at 1 p.m. EST.
During the annual address, Adm. Karl Schultz will reflect on the organization’s successes over the past year, including the Coast Guard response to Hurricane Dorian, detail the Fiscal Year 2021 President’s Budget Request, and outline the shared vision for the future of the Service.
The address will discuss topics such as positioning the Coast Guard’s workforce for the future, investments in shore infrastructure, vital acquisitions projects, and how Coast Guard people are leading and executing in today’s complex global environment.
“From the Polar Regions to the Indo-Pacific to right here at home, America’s Coast Guard continues to stand the watch,” said Admiral Karl Schultz, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard.
“Evolving global complexities and increasing demand for Coast Guard services worldwide necessitate the best people, tools, and performance. For over two centuries, we have protected, saved, and shielded the American people. That’s our promise to the public; a promise made and a promise delivered.”
The Commandant will also announce future investment in Charleston to support the arrival of the service’s newest military surface assets. Over the next five years, the Coast Guard will homeport multiple new cutters and consolidate its operations along one waterfront, growing Charleston into one of the nation’s largest concentrations of Coast Guard assets and people.
The Service Chief will highlight Coast Guard operations throughout U.S. ports and waterways, all part of the Marine Transportation System, which facilitate $5.4 trillion in annual economic activity and 30.8 million jobs.
In the Address, he is expected to highlight stories of Coast Guard men and women who excelled in crisis and conducted globally strategic missions. These stories will be accompanied with initiatives that prioritize talent management in the Coast Guard, including a number of key personnel and productivity policy announcements.