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Rear Adm. Jake Korn and Rear Adm. Scott Buschman inspect the Coast Guard 7th District honor platoon during the time honored change of command ceremony at Coast Guard Air Station Miami May 1, 2015. The ceremony was also the retirement ceremony for Korn. (Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jon-Paul Rios)
Vice Adm. Dean Lee and Rear Adm. Jake Korn salute during the presentation of colors at the Coast Guard 7th District change of command ceremony held at Coast Guard Air Station Miami May 1, 2015. During the ceremony, Korn retired as the district commander passing command to Rear Adm. Scott Buschman. (Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Calss Jon-Paul Rios)
Rear Adm. Jake Korn (left), salutes Rear Adm. Scott Buschman (right), formally passing the position of Coast Guard 7th District commander during the change of command ceremony at Coast Guard Air Station Miami May 1, 2015. Korn served the district for two years and is passing the duties to Buschman who had been serving as the commander of Coast Guard Force Readiness Command for the past two years. (Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jon-Paul Rios)
Rear Adm. Jake Korn (left), shakes hands with Rear Adm. Scott Buschman (right), after passing the position of Coast Guard 7th District commander during the change of command ceremony at Coast Guard Air Station Miami May 1, 2015. Korn served the district for two years and is passing the duties to Buschman who had been serving as the commander of Coast Guard Force Readiness Command for the past two years. (Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jon-Paul Rios)
Adm. Paul Zukunft (left) reads Rear Adm. Jake Korn’s retirement letter during his retirement ceremony at Coast Guard Air Station Miami May 1, 2015. Korn served as commander of the Coast Guard 7th District for two years and formally passed all duties to Rear Adm. Scott Buschman. (Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jon-Paul Rios)
MIAMI - A change of command ceremony was for the Coast Guard 7th District commander at Coast Guard Air Station Miami in Opa Locka, Florida, Friday.
During the change of command ceremony Rear Adm. Scott A. Buschman assumed the responsibilities as the Coast Guard 7th District commander and Director of Homeland Security Task Force Southeast from Rear Adm. Jake Korn.
Presiding over the ceremony was Vice Admiral William "Dean" Lee, Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander.Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, also participated in a retirement ceremony for Rear Adm. Korn immediately following the change of command.
The change of command ceremony is a time-honored military tradition that formally transfers command responsibility, authority and accountability from one individual to another.
Korn retired after 40 years of honorable service to the Coast Guard. He became the Seventh District commander June 26, 2013, and has previously served as the Assistant Commandant for Acquisition for the Coast Guard. Korn began his career in surface operations before becoming a Coast Guard Aviator. He has served as the Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas; Chief of Search and Rescue for the Coast Guard 8th District; and as Chief of Staff of the Coast Guard 7th District. In 2014 Rear Adm. Korn earned the distinction of becoming the 24th Ancient Albatross of the Coast Guard.
A native of Bloomfield New Jersey, Korn graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering in 1979. He earned a masterʹs degree in Industrial Administration from Purdue Universityʹs Krannert School of Management in 1989. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at the National Defense University in 2000, receiving a Chief Information Officerʹs Certificate and is a 2004 graduate of the Naval War College Fleet Seminar Program. His military awards include three Legions of Merit and six Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medals.
Buschman is originally from Peterborough, New Hampshire and received his commission in 1984 after graduating from the United States Coast Guard Academy. Prior to assuming duties as the commander of the Coast Guard 7th District he served as Commander, Coast Guard Force Readiness Command. The Force Readiness Command is responsible for optimizing human performance throughout the Coast Guard’s workforce. FORCECOM enhances mission execution by providing clear tactics, techniques, and procedures; relevant training, and quality assessments and exercises to enable the operational commanders to achieve a cycle of continuous improvement in human performance.
Buschman previously served as Executive Assistant to the Deputy Commandant for Operations from 2012 to 2013, and as the Coast Guard’s Deputy Assistant Commandant for Capability from 2011-2012. From 2009-2011, he served as the Coast Guard Seventh District's Chief of Staff; the Seventh District is responsible for all operations in the Southeast U.S. and the Caribbean Basin including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and over 15,000 miles of coastline. From 2006-2009, Rear Admiral Buschman commanded Coast Guard Sector Key West, FL.
Rear Adm. Buschman is a cutterman and started his career afloat as a Deck Watch Officer aboard Coast Guard Cutter Sherman, homeported in Alameda, California. Other afloat assignments include navigation officer aboard the cutter Escanaba in Boston, and commanding officer of the cutter Vashon in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. He also served as the deputy commander of Coast Guard Group Key West, Florida. Staff assignments include liaison officer to the U.S. Department of State; Chief of the Congressional Hearings Section; program reviewer in the Coast Guard Headquarters Office of Programs; and Deputy Chief of the Office of Budget and Programs.
Rear Admiral Buschman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy; a Masters of Public Administration from The George Washington University; and a Masters of Business Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as part of the Sloan Fellows Program.
The change of command ceremony is a time-honored event preserved by the rich heritage of naval tradition. It is a custom that is formal, and following military protocol, is designed to strengthen the respect for the continuity of command that is vital to any military organization. The culmination of the ceremony is reached when both officers read their orders, face one another, salute, and transfer responsibility of command. This provides the entire command with the knowledge that the officer directed by proper authority is taking command and an opportunity to witness this transfer of responsibility.
The Seventh Coast Guard District, headquartered in Miami, is a 1.8 million square mile area of responsibility that encompasses the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean basin. The district comprises six sectors and three major air stations. The district is also home to the two busiest ports in the nation, with more than 4 million visitors per year.