Editors Note: Media interested in attending the formal change of command ceremony are requested to RSVP to the public affairs staff by 3 p.m. Thursday and arrive at Coast Guard Air Station Miami (14750 NW 44th Ct.) no later than 9:30 a.m. Friday. For additional information regarding interviews with the outgoing or incoming admiral, please contact the public affairs office at 305-415-6683.
MIAMI - A change of command ceremony is scheduled for the Coast Guard 7th District commander at Coast Guard Air Station Miami in Opa Locka, Florida, Friday at 10 a.m.
During the change of command ceremony Rear Adm. Scott A. Buschman will assume 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 will be Vice Admiral William "Dean" Lee, Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander.Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, will participate 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 is retiring 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.
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.