WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker issued the following statement on the confirmation of Manson K. Brown as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Predication at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“I am pleased that the U.S. Senate has confirmed Manson K. Brown as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Assistant Secretary serves as NOAA's second-in-command on weather and satellite matters and Vice Admiral Brown brings strong leadership experience to this role from his long, distinguished career in public service, having served most recently as deputy commandant and commander with the U.S. Coast Guard.

Given Admiral Brown’s experience, I am confident in his ability to oversee NOAA’s satellite, space weather, water, and ocean observations and forecast programs, all critical functions that save lives, protect property and inform important business decisions every day. Working closely with Dr. Kathy Sullivan, I am confident Admiral Brown will also help ensure the effective integration of activities, information, products and services across NOAA.

I look forward to working with Admiral Brown and am pleased that he will help support the Commerce Department's robust environment agenda, including developing the next generation of climate and ocean observation systems and maintaining world-class weather forecasting capabilities.