Page 24: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q3 2014)

When Admiral Paul Zukunft assumed the duties of the 25th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard on May 30, 2014, he also assumed a role which puts him closer to the general public and the industries that he regulates than any of his peers in the other armed services could ever imagine. But, that?s the nature of the Coast Guard?s multi-missioned mandate. As such, its CEO should in theory be a little better-rounded. That?s ADM Zukunft, in a nutshell. Prior to his conÞ rmation as Commandant, Zukunft served as Commander, Coast Guard PaciÞ c Area, where he was op- erational commander for all U.S. Coast Guard missions in an area encompassing more than 74 million square miles and provided mission support to the Department of Defense and Combatant Commanders. In 2010, he served as the Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the Deepwater Horizon Spill of National SigniÞ cance where he directed more than 47,000 responders, 6,500 vessels and 120 aircraft during the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Before that, he served extensively in the cutter ß eet where he commanded the cutters CAPE UP- RIGHT, HARRIET LANE, and RUSH. He graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1977; from Webster Uni- versity in 1988 with a Master of Arts degree in Management; and from the U.S. Naval War College in 1997 with a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. He is a graduate of HarvardÕs Kennedy School of Government National Preparedness Leadership Initiative course. In July, MarPro caught up with ADM Zukunft at the gleam- ing, brand new U.S. Coast Guard headquarters, where Ð al- though heÕs had little chance to catch his breath since assum- ing command Ð he spent an hour laying out whatÕs to come next, why, and how that should all come about for the nationÕs Þ fth uniformed military service. On his way to the top, Zuku- nft says that a management style of inclusiveness, transpar- ency, and empowerment has served him well. ÒE-1 to O-10, everyone has an observation and a contribution to make to the service,Ó said the Commandant, adding, ÒAs a senior leader, oftentimes youÕre the messenger of those great ideas, and then, Þ guring out how to get those great ideas funded into the budget process.Ó Covering a lot ground in those 60 minutes, the Comman- dantÕs focus always seemed to come back to just one thing: people. That said; Zukunft focuses less on headcount than he does on the competence and morale of however many coast- guardsmen (and women) that the federal budget allows. It is here where industry should sit up and take notice. Job 1: 21st Century Assets Reinvesting in 21st century assets is ZukunftÕs Þ rst priority. U.S. COAST GUARD Admiral Paul F. Zukunft By Joseph Keefe Commandant of the United States Coast GuardProÞ le24 | Maritime Professional | 3Q 201418-33 Q3 MP2014.indd 2418-33 Q3 MP2014.indd 248/13/2014 3:34:01 PM8/13/2014 3:34:01 PM