b'Conversations with LeadersOn Leading the U.S. Coast Guard: A Conversation with Admiral Karl Schultz, Commandant, U.S.Coast GuardBy Michael J. KeeganAugust 4th, 2021, marked the Coast Guards 231st birthday. Created by Congress as the Revenue-Marine on August 4, 1790, at the request of Alexander Hamilton, the Coast Guard is the oldest continuously operating naval service of the United States. In 1915, the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the U.S. Lifesaving Service and became the modern U.S. Coast Guard. As one of the countrys six armed services, the U.S. Coast Guard has been deployed to support and fight every major U.S. war since 1790. In 2003, the Coast Guard found its current home as a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As the twenty-sixth commandant of the Coast Guard, explains Admiral Karl Schultz, my guiding principles focus on ensuring our Service remains best positioned to Stand the Watch. We serve a nation whose economic prosperity, national security, and global influence are inextricably linked to the maritime domain. Our Coast Guard is strong, the total workforce highly capable, and the demand for our services never greater. Admiral Schultz joined me on The Business of Governmentbridge administration, oil spill response, pilotage, and vessel Hour to discuss the Coast Guards strategic direction, his keyconstruction and operation. priorities and modernization efforts, and reflections on his tenure as the commandant. The following is an edited excerptThe Coast Guard is a member of the national intelligence of our discussion, complemented with additional researchcommunity as well. We do all this with a primary team of and updating from Admiral Schultzs State of the Coast Guardover 56,000, complemented by a truly valuable and unique 2022 address.cohort called the Coast Guard Auxiliary. We operate a fleet of over 200 cutters, over 240 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, On the Mission of the U.S. Coast Guard and over 1,600 boats. Theres about $5.4 trillion in annual We have eleven statutory missions, which conveys theeconomic activity that comes in and out of our 360-plus complexity of the work we do. We are responsible forports, and our 25,000 miles of nautical waterways in the maritime safety, security, and environmental stewardship inMarine Transportation System (MTS). Last year, our budget U.S. ports and waterways. We have a unique dual mission,eclipsed $13 billion for the first time in our history.encompassing law enforcement and being part of the U.S. armed services. We have broad legal authorities associated with maritime transportation, hazardous materials shipping, 22 www.businessofgovernment.org The Business of Government'