Coast Guard Innovation Expo

As I write this, it is the morning of day 3 of the Expo. As it is my first time at this 10-year-old event, I wasn't sure what to expect. I am pleasantly surprised, both at the wide variety of ideas and products on display and and at how much of the senior Coast Guard leadership is present here.

I am here with my District Captain - East, Dan Jacquish, assisting him in displaying Team Mercury - the Mobile Communications Rapid Response Team. This Team is composed of members of my division (Division 5) of the D7 Auxiliary and the mobile communications unit around which the team is built.

The unit is self-contained and self-sufficient, with the ability to forward deploy to any place that is reachable by road (or ship or air). The truck contains the communications work stations, of which there are two, and which also pulls the trailer. The trailer contains the work and living space for the team as well as the food and other supplies. In addition, it carries the 4-wheel Mule that is used for local transportation and re-supply.

One of the difficulties in forward-deploying Auxiliarists is in providing for their shelter, food, and hygiene needs. This team brings all of those things with it. The unit has berthing for 6 to 8, food for weeks, a full head with shower, a full galley including a refrigerator/freezer, and work and living space. It also carries 100 gallons of fuel for the generators and 100 gallons of fresh water, with additional capability for purification.

Another unique feature of this unit is its capability to provide an interface between the Coast Guard and the local law enforcement and response communities. This is accomplished by including the 800MHz trunked radios that most local communities use. By having these radios as part of the package, the unit can be that important link between those two operations.

We have had the incredible opportunity to show the unit to most of the Coast Guard's senior leadership over the last two days. If we were struggling in anonymity and obscurity before, I think we have cured that this week.

Now all we need is a couple of deployments, which will provide the opportunity to prove the capability and value of Team Mercury.

Change of Watch: National Commodore of the Coast Guard Auxiliary « Coast Guard Compass

Change of Watch: National Commodore of the Coast Guard Auxiliary « Coast Guard Compass

District 7 Conference

It's Monday afternoon and the conference is history. The D7 leadership chose one of the other candidates for the District Captain - East position, but I'm glad I ran anyway. I learned a lot about the other Divisions in D7 and about the election process.

The choice leaves me free to concentrate on my national staff job (Division Chief - Aviation) - which I would have needed to give up if I had been elected. I had mixed feelings about that anyway, as there were ongoing projects and efforts that have not yet come to fruition. Now I will be able to continue those efforts and after 01 January will have more time to concentrate on them.

There are pressing things happening in other areas also... the largest of which is the Mercury Team having the privilege of presenting at the Coast Guard Innovation Expo in November in Tampa, FL. I am excited about the opportunity, but there is a lot of work to be done.

Had a great flight today - and had the privilege of having LT Lori Bard with us... she's the Chief Director's active duty Operations Officer for the Auxiliary.

District 7 Conference

It is that time of year - the annual Conference of the Seventh District Auxiliary. This is a time for renewing old friendships and making new ones, for learning and socializing, and for choosing the District's leadership for the next two years.

For me, this is a special Conference, as I am a candidate for the position of District Captain - East. This area includes 6 Divisions, (5, 3, 6, 13, 1, 16) running from Sebastian, FL at the north end, to Key West at the other end, and also including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. This year I have had the privilege of serving as the Division 5 Commander - the Treasure and Gold Coasts of southeast Florida. The next level up is an exciting but daunting prospect; I relish the challenge.

Friday afternoon, we'll all know.

Congratulations to the National Incident Command and Teams

A hearty congratulations to those responsible for the massive response operation for dealing with the Deepwater Horizon sinking and the related leaking of the Macondo 252 well in the Gulf of Mexico. As of this morning, the well has officially been declared dead.

This massive effort included thousands of people from the Coast Guard (active duty, reserve, auxiliary, and civilian components), a host of other federal alphabet specialty organizations (NOAA, EPA, DoI, and many others I'm not aware of), State and DoD organizations, BP and a bunch of contractors, and thousands of seafarers, fishermen, and other local individuals. The magnitude of this disaster required a response that was unprecedented in size and scope.

Further, this was the first national-scale implementation of the National Incident Response System (NIMS) - at least for the Coast Guard. All of the levels and components of the system that we all studied in abstract and theory became flesh and blood, staffed with real people, and fully functional. As with any first such implementation, there were bottlenecks and disconnects for sure, but overall it was an incredible learning experience for all involved, especially those from the Coast Guard Auxiliary, for whom it was their first full participation in such an event.

The knowledge gained will be of significant value to those in leadership positions and will position us well for future events.

My hat is off to Admiral Allen and his incredible team. Well-done, all.

FEATURE STORY/PHOTO RELEASE: Miami Beach Coast Guardsman to deliver goods to Colombian orphanage

FEATURE STORY/PHOTO RELEASE: Miami Beach Coast Guardsman to deliver goods to Colombian orphanage

Those of us in South Florida are thankful that we've had 3 misses lately - Earl, Fiona, and Gaston. I'm currently in St. Thomas, where they weren't quite so lucky with Earl. He came right by. They had a lot of tree damage, with some large trees completely blown over and lots of limbs lost from other trees. I haven't seen a lot of building damage, but it was after dark last night when we arrived. This afternoon's ride to the airport will tell a much more complete tale.

Of course, the NWS is watching another "disturbance" that's coming our way from Africa... but I guess that's the way of things this time of year. We're at the peak of hurricane season and it's not unusual to see 3 or 4 "things" to watch in the parade of "things" coming west out of Africa. I know our island friends have not let their guard down. We shouldn't either. Preparedness is the key.