Coast Guard commandant to discuss port investments, storm response, budget

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Coast Guard commandant Adm. Karl Schultz is expected to announce Coast Guard investments in the Port of Charleston in his State of the Coast Guard address Thursday at the Charleston Cruise Terminal.

This will be Adm. Karl Schultz’s second State of the Coast Guard address. He became commandant in June 2018.

Schultz is expected to discuss how the Coast Guard is positioning its workforce for the future, investments being made in shore infrastructure and his vision for the future of the military branch.

He is also expected to announce that, over the next five years, the Coast Guard will homeport several new cutters here and “consolidate its operations along one waterfront, growing Charleston into one of the nation’s largest concentrations of Coast Guard assets and people,” according to a news release.

Charleston is currently home to two Coast Guard cutters, the Hamilton and the James.

Schultz will also discuss the Coast Guard’s response to Hurricane Dorian and its 2021 budget request.

“Evolving global complexities and increasing demand for Coast Guard services worldwide necessitates the best people, tools and performance,” Schultz said in the release.