Shipmates,
We ended a busy week last Friday with a dinner at Fort Belvoir, VA that capped this fall's Chief's Call to Indoctrination (CCTI). The week began in New Orleans at the President's Interagency Task Force on Ocean Policy Task Force public meeting in New Orleans.
While I was on the road on Monday, the Vice Commandant continued our participation in the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review. VADM Breckenridge was in the 14th District for the Change of Command of the U.S. Pacific Command where our very good friend ADM Tim Keating was relieved by ADM Robert (Rat) Willard), my Capstone Classmate.
Throughout the week we held our annual Executive Change Leadership Conference where our newly selected Flag Officers and Senior Executives are provided briefings, take part in discussion with senior CG, DHS and government leaders. We also included a number of our DHS partners in this conference. It is a unique opportunity to build competencies in our leaders, create partnerships in DHS, and build a departmental culture of "One-DHS."
On Tuesday I met with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar along with Under Secretary David Hayes who made the trip to the north slope of Alaska with us in August. We have a tremendous partnership with DOI that includes our extensive collaboration with the Minerals Management Service (MMS) regarding offshore oil and gas exploration and production, as well as renewable energy projects such as offshore wind farms. We also work every day with our partners from the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
On Wednesday we spent the day in Boston.
We started at the MILCOM information technology conference at the World Trade Center where I addressed the conference theme of "convergence."
Next we met with the National Security Fellows Program at the Kennedy School at Harvard. CAPT Stu Merrill is our Fellow this year and he and his classmates are delving into areas that are challenging our service every day.
We left Harvard and went to the other end of Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge to MIT where we met with this year's Sloan Fellows.
After a lunch with a smaller group of MIT Sloan Fellows we visited the School of Comminications at Boston University where we met with the Dean, Tom Feidler, and a group of students. Tom was the Editor of the Miami Herald when I was the Seventh District Commander and my public affairs office was then "LT" Ron Labrec. We discussed how our operations can gain national media attention instantly and the need to continually improve our procedures and outreach.
On Thurday we participated in a video teleconference with the Chief Petty Officer's Academy and ended the day at the British Embassy for the annual Trafalgar Night which celebrtates Lord Nelson's victory over the French and Spanish, despite his death. The evening was magnificent as our British shipmates carried out a number of traditional toasts and we were entertained by the Royal Marine Band. First Sea Lord Stanhope was in attendance and he and I will meet in London next month when I will lead the US delegation to the General Assembly of the International Maritime Organizaiton (IMO).
On Friday we attended the graduation of 19 new Coast Guard Investigative Service agents at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center at Glynco, Georgia and toured the facility. At a lunch prior to graduation we were able to visit with Sheila McNeill (past National Navy League President) and our local Guardians from Station Brunswick and the Maritime Force Protection Unit at Kings Bay, GA.
To close out the week, Pam and I were pleased to attend the traditional dinner on Friday night where 14 Prospective Chief Petty Officers were brought into the ranks as Chiefs, including our Special Command Aide FSC Tony Noel. Congratulations to all the Chief Petty Officers.
ADM A
