Commandant Thanks US Coast Guard And US Merchant Marine For Their Service in 2020

by John Konrad (gCaptain) Yesterday Commandant Karl Schultz, in the annual State of the Coast Guard Address, outlined the US Coast Guard’s perseverance through a difficult year and highlighted recent developments to advance USCG mission-ready capabilities. He also thanked all US Merchant Mariners for their service during the pandemic.

“Make no doubt about it, we are a maritime nation and our waterways provide this nation with a tremendous global advantage.” Admiral Schultz said. “I have to give a shout out to our US Merchant Mariners who are the backbone of the marine transportation system. Last year the USCG made sure our mariners were categorized as essential workers. Annually they are responsible for $5.4 Trillion in economic activity that America depends on. Throughout this pandemic US Merchant Mariners kept products moving to ensure stores were stocked with medicine and critical supplies. Our nation’s 12,000 miles of commercially navigable inland waterways transport 570 million tons of cargo each year. It would take an extra 21 million large trucks on America’s congested highways to transport the same amount of cargo as tugs and barges do each and every year.”

Admiral Schultz highlighted the need to do a better job promoting diversity in our US Coast Guard and maritime workforce.

“When we provide our workforce both with an inclusive environment in which all members can thrive, and the tools to get the job done, therein resides mission success and high employee satisfaction; therein we remain an employer of choice.” Shultz said.

The website MyCG has highlighted the other important messages contained in the address including expanding actively and diplomatic relationships in the arctic – including working with Canadian Coast Guard units to patrol the Northwest Passage this summer – planned upgrades to air assets, new facilities, and a focus on keeping America’s ports cyber secure.

Finally, he thanked the brave and dedicated US Coast Guard officers and enlisted sailors who – from the first reported outbreak aboard a cruise ship to today – worked tirelessly and often in peril to assist the nation in countless ways and maintain the highest level of readiness during the pandemic. A well-deserved Bravo Zulu that nearly every mariner would echo.

The full State of the Coast Guard 2021 Address can be viewed below:

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