# Karl L. Schultz

Karl Leo Schultz is a retired United States Coast Guard admiral who served as the 26th Commandant of the Coast Guard from 2018 to 2022.

## Early life and education

Schultz is a native of East Hartford, Connecticut. He graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. He then earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Connecticut in 1992 and completed a one-year National Security Fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government in 2006.

## Career
### United States Coast Guard

Schultz's operational assignments include Commander, Coast Guard Sector Miami as well as command tours aboard cutters Venturous, Acacia, and Farallon. Staff assignments include Chief of the Office of Congressional and Governmental Affairs; Congressional Liaison Officer to the United States House of Representatives; Liaison Officer to the United States Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs; Assignment Officer at the Coast Guard Personnel Command, and Command Duty Officer in the Seventh Coast Guard District Operations Center in Miami.
Schultz has served as Director of Operations (J3), United States Southern Command in Doral, Florida where he directed joint service military operations across the Caribbean Basin, Central and South America. Prior flag officer assignments were Commander, Eleventh Coast Guard District, where he was responsible for multi-mission operations from California to Peru, and Director of Governmental and Public Affairs at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for external engagement with Congress, the media, and inter-governmental entities.
Schultz assumed the duties as Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area in August 2016. As commander, Schultz oversaw Coast Guard rescue and recovery efforts for hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate in 2017.

### Commandant of the Coast Guard

On March 8, 2018, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced that President Donald Trump intended to nominate Schultz for the position of Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, succeeding Admiral Paul F. Zukunft. His nomination and promotion to admiral was confirmed by a voice vote of the United States Senate on May 9, 2018. Schultz relieved Zukunft on June 1, 2018.
In June of 2018, the House of Representatives launched an 18-month investigation into the culture of the Coast Guard, stemming from whistleblowers who alleged sexual assault, racism, bullying, and retaliation. At the conclusion of the two committee joint inquiry, called Righting The Ship, Congress concluded that the Coast Guard top brass had bullied and retaliated against an active duty female professor at the Coast Guard Academy.
On December 12, 2019, in an unprecedented move, Schultz refused to appear before Congress at the Righting The Ship hearing to answer questions about the culture of abuse and cover up. Several media outlets and members of Congress in the House and Senate communicated their frustration about the culture of the Coast Guard set by leaders at the top.
After a CNN investigative reporting into a sexual assault scandal dubbed Operation Fouled Anchor, it was revealed in an overlapping timeline as the Righting Ship inquiry, that Schultz also failed to act on plans to share the findings with Congress, the Department of Homeland Security, and the public of an investigation into rape and sexual assault in the Coast Guard Academy. His tenure as commandant ended on June 1, 2022, and he retired later that day. His attendance at the 40th year reunion for the Coast Guard Academy Class of 1983 in the wake of the cover-up was concerning to some attendees. After listening to four women describe being sexually assaulted as U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadets, members of the United States Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations probing a "culture of cover-up" vowed to hold past and current Coast Guard leadership accountable. "We're going to pursue those two individuals and others," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., chairman of the Subcommittee, referring to retired Admiral Karl L. Schultz, the former commandant of the Coast Guard, and his successor, the current commandant, Admiral Linda Fagan.
On 25 July 2024, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability investigating the Coast Guard’s mishandling of serious misconduct, including racism, hazing, discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and the failure to disclose internal investigations into those issues to Congress requested that Admiral Schultz participate in a voluntary transcribed interview. The Committee stated that "[o]ne of the key questions the Committee is examining is the extent to which senior USCG leadership willfully concealed internal reports from Congress that would have informed policy changes needed to combat, and further prevent, future incidents of misconduct. As the Commandant of the Coast Guard during the finalization of [Operation Fouled Anchor], the Committee is interested in learning more about what actions you took to notify Congress or conceal misconduct. We believe that as the former Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, you have information that will assist us in fully understanding the extent to which USCG withheld these reports from Congress, how these incidents of misconduct were handled, and what actions USCG took regarding those responsible. We therefore request that you make yourself available voluntarily for a transcribed interview."

## Awards and decorations

| Insignias | Cutterman Officer Insignia | Cutterman Officer Insignia | Cutterman Officer Insignia |
| 1st row | Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal | Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal | Defense Superior Service Medal |
| 2nd row | Legion of Merit with three gold award stars | Meritorious Service Medal with two award stars and "O" device | Coast Guard Commendation Medal with three award stars and "O" device |
| 3rd row | Coast Guard Achievement Medal with award star and "O" device | Commandant's Letter of Commendation Ribbon | Coast Guard Presidential Unit Citation with "hurricane symbol" |
| 4th row | Joint Meritorious Unit Award | Department of Homeland Security Outstanding Unit Award | Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award |
| 5th row | Coast Guard Unit Commendation with four award stars and "O" device | Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation with three award stars and "O" device | Meritorious Team Commendation with three award stars |
| 6th row | Coast Guard "E" Ribbon with three award stars | Coast Guard Bicentennial Unit Commendation | National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star |
| 7th row | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Humanitarian Service Medal with two service stars | Special Operations Service Ribbon with two service stars |
| 8th row | Sea Service Ribbon with three service stars | Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon | Pistol Marksmanship Medal with expert device |
| Devices | Command Ashore Device | | Command Afloat Device |