Murkowski Welcomes Coast Guard Commandant Nominee
Senator: Good News for the Nation, Great News for Alaska and Positive Step for America’s Arctic Future
Senator Lisa Murkowski responded to today’s White House nomination of Pacific Area Commander Vice Admiral Paul F. Zukunft to be the 25th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard:
“Today’s announcement is good news for the nation, great news for Alaska and a positive step forward for America’s Arctic future. I had the chance to meet Vice Admiral Zukunft last month and get to know him when he guided me around the new Coast Guard Sector Anchorage building. I was impressed immediately with his leadership and intelligence – but also with his background and knowledge base in the Pacific and the Arctic. Alaska’s hundreds of thousands of nautical square miles is daunting to those familiar with them, but to Vice Admiral Zukunft, they are his home at sea.
“Admiral Papp has been a steady hand leading the service in recent years, and I am proud to call him a personal friend and a friend of Alaska as he prepares for his next professional venture. Vice Admiral Zukunft is a smart choice to be his successor and assure a smooth transition for Alaska’s nautical challenges and our emerging Arctic opportunities.”
