Page 19: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q2 2014)

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O n June 4 2012, Deputy Maritime Administra- tor Paul “Chip” Jaenichen was named Acting

Maritime Administrator. With the U.S. Maritime

Administration since July 2012 when he was ap- pointed Deputy Maritime Administrator by President Obama,

Jaenichen would no doubt like to be confi rmed as the Admin- istrator; sooner, rather than later. Nevertheless, he’s not letting any grass grow under his feet in the meantime. Beyond this, the affable Jaenichen has rejuvenated an arguably ineffective

Marad organization that had in recent years drifted aimlessly without strong leadership. With enthusiasm and a genuine passion for the domestic maritime industry, he has once again put Marad squarely in the conversation even as the collective

U.S. waterfront ponders how to sustain its best up cycle in more than three decades.

A career naval offi cer, Captain Jaenichen retired after serv- ing 30 years as nuclear Submarine Offi cer. His fi nal assign- ment as Deputy Chief of Legislative Affairs for the Depart- ment of the Navy no doubt comes in handy as he fi ghts for dollars and looks to change statutes and rules that he says put the domestic waterfront at a competitive disadvantage, here at home against strong rail and truck lobbies, and abroad, where foreign fl ag operators sometimes enjoy easier taxation schemes and rules.

With a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering from the

United States Naval Academy and a Masters in Engineering

Management from Old Dominion University, he also boasts numerous military awards, including the Defense Superior

Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal,

Navy-Marine Corps Commendations and the Navy-Marine

Corps Achievement Medal. His leadership skills, therefore, are not in question. On the other hand, commercial maritime stakeholders sometimes ask how a naval offi cer can make the transition to the other side of the maritime equation and, more importantly, how much he could know about merchant ship- ping. As it turns out: plenty.

Leadership 101

With his naval retirement in the works, Jaenichen got a call from the White House who said that the Department of Trans- portation was looking for a retired military person that had expertise and leadership in management. He agreed to look at the job and one thing led to another. He told MarPro in April, “One of the things that the military does pretty well is that we know how to put together strategies. Once you’ve put together that strategy, we also know how to implement them. I built budgets around strategies to be able to make that happen and so, the expertise that I bring is to be able to develop a coherent strategy, and execute on it. And, it’s fortuitous at this time that we need to put together a maritime strategy for this country.”

As he does, Jaenichen brings 30 years of leadership – from command of a ship with 150 personnel all the way to a billet responsible for 1,000 people and a $2 billion budget.

The Acting Administrator’s experience in legislative affairs is already coming in handy, as well. That said; he admits that the game inside the Beltway has changed measurably in re- cent years. He explains, “I do know how to navigate the Hill, but it is my observation that the Hill that I saw and worked with – I knew what that process was – but I’m not so sure that

I’m all that familiar with what the process is today.”

SITREP from the Administrator’s Chair

Laying rest to any uneasiness about his lack of previous commercial maritime experience, Jaenichen hit the ground running at Marad. His assessment of current conditions here at home is particularly telling. “Well, to quote Charles Dick- ens, ‘this is a tale of several cities.’ If I take a look at the various segments of the industry, there are segments that are very healthy, and there are those that are struggling. If we are talking about the inland rivers and waterways, they are doing okay. They’ve got lots of capital investment. Their challenge, really, has been locks and infrastructure, locks and dams and

Profi le

U.S. MARITIME ADMINISTRATION

Paul N. Jaenichen, Sr.

P

By Joseph KeefeActing Maritime Administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration www.maritimeprofessional.com | Maritime Professional | 19 18-33 Q2 MP2014.indd 19 5/16/2014 2:50:15 PM