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of moving people every two to three years, and the problem becomes even more exacerbated. Laments Zukunft, ?Ironi- cally, we move them right in the peak of our search and rescue and hurricane season; during the summer months.? Question- ing the need to move people as frequently as the service does today, he offers, ?We should provide them better geographic stability. It makes them more pro cient at what they do. It allows industry to better understand and build on that relation- ship. And it?s less stress on the families, as well.? Zukunft again emphasized the need to invest in people with an immediate goal of ridding the Coast Guard of sexual as- sault. Within the service, however, and at the deck plate level, members are tired of hearing senior of cers talk about rid- ding sexual assault from the Coast Guard. Zukunft responds by saying, ?I get paged out every time there is an allegation of sexual assault anywhere in the service. And the day I can go more than a month ? because right now I can?t go more than three days without an allegation of a sexual assault in the Coast Guard ? I will get off this pedestal.? Zukunft can (and will) talk all day about his service mem-bers and their families. ?People are our most valuable asset in our service. It?s not just the people, it?s the families that don?t take an oath, but they support our folks just as much as any- body else. I want to look at the investment we make to make people pro cient at what they do, leaders within the service, and within the community, and admired among industry, as well. That?s an investment that I will make.? Zukunft equates taking even one person out of service to the painful task of laying up a ship. That?s because, he says, ?I can?t surge pro ciency; I can?t surge expertise in time of a crisis or a time of a regulatory change. So I?m keeping a very close eye on the health of our service right now, at a time when outside employment opportunities are actually improving. Right now, we?re probably about a thousand short in meeting this year?s recruitment goals for our recruits coming through Cape May.? Zukunft?s Coast Guard For his part, ADM Zukunft yearns for a day when strategy drives his budget, as opposed to the budget driving strategy, as so often happens during the budget process. That won?t be easy. ?We can start by asking what the Coast Guard needs to look like in four to  ve years. In the past, we?ve taken an ap- proach of trying to look out twenty years, but quite honestly in twenty years, you can?t predict a ?Katrina.? You can?t predict a 9/11. And those are what I call black swan events. Those will U.S. COAST GUARD ProÞ le28 | Maritime Professional | 3Q 201418-33 Q3 MP2014.indd 2818-33 Q3 MP2014.indd 288/13/2014 3:36:00 PM8/13/2014 3:36:00 PM