The following are VADM Currier's remarks at the Change of Command for the Coast Guard Chief of Staff.
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Admiral Allen, VADM Crea, VADM Pearson, and family, distinguished visitors, colleagues, Coast Guard men and women.
Welcome, I truly appreciate you taking time from your busy schedules to join us today, particularly those who have travelled from afar.
In today's ceremony, we have duly recognized the significant accomplishments of a great Coast Guardsman and my friend, VADM Cliff Pearson.
I had the privilege of working with Admiral Pearson during my previous tour at Headquarters serving as Assistant Commandant for Acquisition from 2005 through 2007. VADM Pearson's progress toward designing and maturing the Commandant's vision for mission support during my two year absence from the National Capital Region has been nothing less than exceptional. One tends to lose sight of progress when dealing with day to day imperatives. Nevertheless, having served in the field, away from the Washington arena for the past two years, I offer a perspective that recognizes the structural and cultural changes now starting to produce momentum toward our mission support goals. You have achieved much progress Admiral.
Admiral Allen had a vision for support, more of the effect than of the details required of process. We are now walking a path toward achieving that vision. A mass of work remains, not only in maintaining adequate levels of support to sustain today's operations, but to concurrently design an integrated system that will enable us to operate into the uncertain future.
This undertaking is as much art as it is science. It is imperative that we move toward our goal without hesitation; guided by our dedication to our mission and our heritage of excellence.
A statement by one of the less diminutive leaders from our American past comes to mind:
"A good solution applied with vigor is better than a perfect one applied ten minutes late." -- General George S. Patton
We will do just that and I'm confident that our people will respond to further mature mission support.
Our Commandant has stated with certainty that the Coast Guard has never been more relevant in the minds of the American people than we are today. The service's actions following the heinous attacks of September 11, 2001, and our response to natural disasters on the national scene including Hurricane Katrina have propelled the Coast Guard to the forefront as the nation's premiere agency for maritime first response across a broad and impressive mission portfolio. The bar has been set very high by the performance of our people, our assets, and our systems.
The levels of achievements that garner national relevance can only be attained through the readiness borne of effective and efficient mission support. Our challenge, our legacy, and the American public demand that we mature support systems and processes to enable our world class operators to meet national priorities across our mission set.
Admiral Allen, thank you for the opportunity to serve at this level. I pledge to continue to refine our basic strategies and continue to build this very impressive team with the aim of producing a model mission support structure, one that is both effective and efficient, one that is an equal partner in ownership of our operational mission, and one of which Coast Guard men and women can be proud.
Thank you all for coming today. May God bless our nation, her sons and daughters standing the watch across the world, and our United States Coast Guard. Semper Paratus.
Commander Dutton: All Standing Orders remain in effect.
