Shipmates,
On Thursday we traveled to Quebec City for the Annual US/Canada Coast Guard Summit. This meeting was started in 2005. We hosted the last meeting in Seattle in 2008.
This forum is an excellent way to exchange information and coordinated our respective efforts. My good friend George DaPont has been an excellent partner for the last three years and have been able to address a broad range of issues that impact both organizations. The photo posted here was taken while we were having a discussion aboard the Canadian Icebreaker Des Groseilliers which is schedule to depart 2 July for their summer Arctic deployment. The officers and crew hosted an opening reception on board and we thank them for their hospitality.
The summit was held at the historic Chateau Frontenac which is in the old walled portion of Quebec City. This is a marvelous city to visit and we will post more photos on FLICKR.
The agenda included the following:
1. A visit to the Regional Command Center located on the Coast Guard Base in Quebec. Their center is very similar to our operations in New York and Puget Sound where we have combined our Sector Command Centers with the Vessel Traffic Center. The Canadian system for managing their portion of the St Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes is impressive. We received a in depth briefing on waterway management and learned a great deal.
2. We received a joint briefing from RDML Pete Neffinger (D9) and Assistant Commissioner Wade Spurrell (Central and Arctic Region) on bilateral cooperation. The briefing included our joint shiprider program, management of icebreaking assets, and search and rescue.
3. We had a general discussion on a variety of topics including our participation in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Coast Guard Fora, the revision to our existing Search and Rescue MOU, and LORAN C.
4. We signed a MOU on Cooperation in Ship Design and Construction that will allow us to exchange information and best practices on issues such as ice breaker design.
5. The Canadians provided an overview of our Data Exchange Agreement regarding Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT).
6. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police provided a briefing on their Great Lakes Maritime Security Operations Center and their Great Lakes Maritime Security Enforcement Teams.
7. Transport Canada discussed the role of Canada's Interdepartmental Maritime Security Working Group, resumption of trade planning, small vessel security, and reciprocity issues on security clearances.
8. Bud Mercer, Assistant Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer of the Integrated Security Unit for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver gave an excellent brief that included the maritime aspects of the event.
9. At the close of the meeting I was pleased to present Commissioner DaPont with the Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award, well deserved recognition for his leadership and partnering for the last three years.
These are extraordinarily useful meetings that have significantly improved our respective organizations and we thank our Canadian friends for their excellent hospitality.
ADM A
