A Sea Service Gone Ashore
With more Coast Guardsmen opting for shore duty, the service must ensure sea duty remains the desired career path.
By Lieutenant Commander Karen Love Kutkiewicz, U.S. Coast Guard
December 2021
Proceedings
The Coast Guard has been a seagoing service since its founding in 1790 as the Revenue Cutter Service, charged with enforcing the nation’s trade and tariff laws. Today, its cutter fleet is engaged around the globe, addressing some of the world’s toughest maritime challenges and helping to uphold a rules-based order. Unfortunately, going to sea and serving on board cutters has become the least desired job in the Coast Guard. Even command at sea has lost its luster.
Life at sea is not easy. But as the Coast Guard expands its global engagements, its cutters must be led by the highest-quality maritime professionals—and that is possible only with officer retention in the afloat community.
The service must recognize the sacrifice of those who choose this hard career path. It must understand why officers increasingly opt for shore duty and then execute the rudder corrections to ensure sea duty becomes and remains the most desired career path.
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2021/december/sea-service-gone-ashore
