A CONSTELLATION OF HIGH HONORS FOR LOY; CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLINS

By JAMES D. HESSMAN
Editor in Chief

For outgoing Coast Guard Commandant Adm. James M. Loy and his wife Kay the service's 30 May 2002 change-of-command ceremonies were a joyous and honors-filled culmination of Loy's 42 years in uniform--and the beginning of yet another tour of duty, of indefinite duration, as the chief operating officer of the Transportation Department's new Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
For Adm. Thomas H. Collins, Loy's successor, and his wife Nancy the same ceremonies, and Collins's promotion to four-star rank, were recognition of Collins's own sterling leadership qualities, demonstrated in increasingly demanding assignments over the past 38 years--and the realization that the next four years will be filled with probably the most daunting challenges, and opportunities, ever faced by any commandant of the multimission service.

Loy's accomplishments as commandant were spelled out in detail in the citations accompanying the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and the Transportation Distinguished Service Medal, two of several awards and honors presented to him on his retirement. The Defense Medal, presented by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Richard B. Myers, USAF, on behalf of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, praises Loy for his "exceptionally distinguished ... [and] dedicated service" during a career in which he "was a key participant in the joint community" and, among other things, "championed the National Fleet initiative to improve naval service interoperability." Thanks to his "vision and leadership," the citation continues, the Coast Guard "played a prominent role in the execution of the National Security Strategy and ... was a key player in the global war on terrorism ... during Operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom."

The Transportation Medal, presented by Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta on behalf of President Bush, cites Loy's outstanding accomplishments during an "exemplary career" in which he consistently "exercised enlightened leadership ... [that] served to protect the safety, security, and prosperity of the American people. His strategic vision established a legacy of clear direction and plans to restore the readiness and shape the future of the Coast Guard to ... [meet] the worldwide maritime challenges of the 21st century. ... [His] foresighted preparations have affirmed the enduring value of Coast Guard roles and missions and its superb performance of them in service to the American public."

Mineta extended the best wishes of the president to the Loys on their retirement--and five minutes later told them "Welcome back to the Department of Transportation" as he announced Loy's acceptance of the TSA assignment.

Collins, who served as vice commandant from 2002 to 2002, is probably as well prepared as any of his predecessors to keep the multimission service on a straight and steady course. But the challenges he faces will be considerably different, and much more difficult in many respects, than those facing any of his predecessors. The Coast Guard is already playing a key role in the war on international terrorism, particularly in the area of maritime security, and that mission will grow significantly in both scope and complexity in the foreseeable future.

Collins cannot neglect any of the Coast Guard's other major missions, though, all of which will be of increasing importance from both an economic and national-security point of view. The interdiction of drugs and of illegal migrants, for example, deserves higher priority if only because both contribute significantly to the terrorist threat. The establishment of the Coast Guard's Sea Marshal program puts additional strains on the service's already overworked personnel, and the major increase in U.S. exports and imports expected over the next decade or so will add another significant workload.
Fortunately, funding should not be a problem for Collins--not, at least, as big a problem as it has been for most previous commandants. President Bush already has requested a major increase in Coast Guard funding, and has announced plans for a steady expansion of the Coast Guard's active-duty and Reserve forces. Thanks to Loy's visionary leadership over the last four years, and to Collins's own previous accomplishments, Congress seems likely to approve all of the increases the president has asked for, and perhaps add some extra funding of its own volition.

Among the other distinguished guests, in addition to Mineta and Myers, at the change-of-command ceremonies--at historic Fort McNair along the Potomac waterfront in Washington, D.C.--were several members of Congress, a number of former commandants, senior officers from all of the nation's armed services, including the other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a high percentage of the Coast Guard flag officers now serving in or close to the nation's capital, many of Loy's 1964 classmates (and Collins's 1968 classmates) at the Coast Guard Academy, and a large contingent of other Coast Guard officer and enlisted personnel of all ranks and pay grades. *