Denise Krepp

Private Consultant, Professor

K. Denise Rucker Krepp is a homeland security, transportation, and energy expert who began her career as an active duty Coast Guard officer in 1998. After September 11th, Ms. Krepp was part of the team that created the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Coast Guard Trailblazer - Eleanor Creed L’Ecuyer

By Denise Krepp 2019-11-10 15:15:39

In 1944, a very special lady joined the U.S. Coast Guard. Her name was Eleanor Creed L’Ecuyer. Captain L’Ecuyer convinced the Coast Guard to change two important policies enabling pregnant women to continue to serve and allowing for the co-location of active duty spouses. Captain L’Ecuyer is 97 years old and lives in Florida. Please join me in wishing her a Happy Veterans Day. L’Ecuyer was born in Boston to a political family. In 1931, her mother and namesake Eleonor...

National Maritime Security: Counting Ships

By Denise Krepp 2019-10-29 20:18:57

The U.S. sealift capacity is at an all time low and absent a significant course correction, our military will face unacceptable risk in force projection capability beginning in 2024. That’s the prediction of the Army, and as a former Maritime Administration Chief Counsel, I support the assessment. Per Navy documentation, fleet oilers managed over 1,600 refuelings at sea in 1950, the beginning of the Korean War - some 1,750,000 barrels of oil and 171,0000 barrels of aviation gas. Other replenishment...

Threats to National Maritime Security: China and U.S. Federal Agencies

By Denise Krepp 2019-10-21 14:51:15

Last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on “China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative: Implications for the Global Maritime Supply Chain.” Witnesses testified about China’s maritime commercial strength and the decline of the US international fleet. Both are threats to the US national security, and solving them requires some out-of-the-box thinking. While the Chinese government is deliberately devoting resources to building a strong commerical and military presence at sea, U.S. federal agencies are systematically destroying the U.S....

Honoring African American World War II Merchant Mariners

By Denise Krepp 2019-10-04 23:21:33

To aid the war effort, the U.S. government ordered the construction of 2,751 Liberty Ships during World War II. They were named after members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, scientists, and artists. Eighteen were named after African Americans. The SS Booker T. Washington was the first Liberty Ship to be named for an African-American. She was built by the California Shipbuilding Corporation and christened by African-American opera star Marian Anderson. The Washington's master was Capt. Hugh Mulzac, who was born...

Op-Ed: Congress Should Honor WWII Merchant Marine Veterans

By Denise Krepp 2019-10-01 21:33:31

The House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 550, Merchant Mariners of World War II Congresional Gold Medal Act of 2019. The bill was sponsored by Representative John Garamendi (D-CA) and it passed by voice vote. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced identical langauge in the Senate, S. 133, but to date the Senate hasn’t voted on it. Both bills reference the merchant mariners’ contribution to winning the war. Merchant mariners transported combat equipment, fuel, food, commodities, and raw material to...

Trailblazers: The Five African-American SPARs of World War II

By Denise Krepp 2019-07-26 14:53:03

During World War II, over 11,000 women served in the U.S. Coast Guard Women’s Reserve. Collectively, they were known as SPARs. Five of them were African-American - Dorothy Winifred Byrd, Julia Watson Mosley Shields, Olivia Hooker, Aileen Anita Cooke Moore and Yvonne Cumberbatch. Little is known about these women. Who were they, what did they do during the war, and what happened to them after it ended? With help from the librarians at the National Archives, I set out to...

Actions You Can Take To Reopen the Coast Guard

By Denise Krepp 2019-01-23 16:23:34

The federal government has been partially closed for thirty-three days, and the shutdown will continue until at least mid-February. The following is a list of steps you can take to help reopen the Coast Guard and put food on the table during the interim. This list is based on my experience as a former Coast Guard officer, a currently elected local official and a lobbyist. Don’t Assume Knowledge Don’t assume that your elected officials or local press know how many...

Olivia Hooker: A Veteran’s Story

By Denise Krepp 2018-10-17 19:15:00

On Veterans Day, we will join together as a country to thank the men and women who have and are serving our country in uniform. Dr. Olivia Hooker is one of the veterans that we will thank, and her story is one of exceptional courage and determination. Dr. Hooker served on active duty as a yeoman from March 1945 to June 1946. She was the first of only five African American women to serve in the Coast Guard during World War...

Helping MARAD Promote the Maritime Industry

By Denise Krepp 2018-07-30 20:20:02

Not all agencies share the U.S. Maritime Administration's mission to promote the nation's maritime industry. Three of the largest federal departments have long resisted MARAD's efforts to enforce cargo preference rules, which require federally-financed cargoes to be carried aboard U.S.-flag ships - and without public support, this situation could easily continue. When I became MARAD's chief counsel in 2009, I was asked to lead the team responsible for drafting rules that would penalize other federal agencies for not complying with...

The Revenue Cutter Service and the Civil War

By Denise Krepp 2018-05-07 13:56:00

The Maritime Executive recently published an essay about the Revenue Cutter Service operations during the Civil War. The service is an ancestor agency of today’s Coast Guard, and like other American institutions, it was split apart by the conflict. Some RCS vessels served the Union, while others stationed in the South were handed over to the seceding states. This split didn’t happen overnight: it was precipitated by actions taken by a former Secretary of the Treasury. The story starts...