Karl Schultz is a retired four-star admiral who last served as the 26th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 01 June 2018 to 01 June 2022.  His tenure as a flag officer spanned 12 years, and prior to becoming Service Chief, served as the 3-Star Atlantic Area Commander responsible for execution of all Coast Guard missions from the Rocky Mountains east to the Arabian Gulf.  Other flag assignments included Department of Defense (DoD) joint duty as Director of Operations (J-3), U.S. Southern Command; Commander Eleventh Coast Guard District; and Director, Coast Guard Governmental and Public Affairs overseeing Service engagement with Congress, the media and other external stakeholders. 

Over the course of his 39-year career, Schultz held command at 7 paygrades spanning 17 years, including 3 multi-mission cutters, one of the Service’s most dynamic multi-mission Sectors, and as a flag officer at the District, Area and Service Chief levels.  A hallmark of his tenure as Commandant was his bold vision and purposeful execution of a comprehensive 4-year strategic plan that optimally positioned the Service to protect the Homeland, enhance the Nation’s economic prosperity, and advance America’s maritime interests across the globe, all while championing efforts to forge a more inclusive Service increasingly reflective of the Nation’s demographics.  Of note, he led through a period of unprecedented demand for Coast Guard services from both the Administration and DoD Geographic Combatant Commanders, and through the unique challenges presented by the most active hurricane seasons on record, a 35-day partial government shutdown that left all Coast Guardsmen unpaid, and a protracted global pandemic. 

Schultz is a 1983 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy and earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Connecticut in 1992.  He also completed a one-year National Security Fellowship at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 2006.  His staff assignments include Congressional and State Department liaison tours of duty, as well as assignments in both personnel management and operations. 

His personal awards include the Department of Homeland Security and Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medals, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and multiple awards of the Legion of Merit. 

Beyond his military service, Schultz serves in limited roles as a Senior Fellow at National Defense University (NDU) for their “Capstone-Keystone-Pinnacle” programs, as a Service Fellow at the University of North Carolina research and education Institute for Defense and Business (IDB), and as a Defense Advisory Board member for a company working in the maritime realm.