Guest post by RADM Sally Brice-O'Hara, Deputy Commandant for Operations (CG-DCO):
This year's Coast Guard Auxiliary National Training Conference (NTRAIN) 2010 concluded on Sunday. The theme was "Leadership, Performance, Readiness". The culmination of extensive joint efforts between Auxiliary and active duty leadership enhances Auxiliary surge capability and capacity to support the active duty workforce, and ultimately improves Coast Guard mission effectiveness. The Coast Guard Auxiliary provides critical reinforcement, not only within our local communities but expanding to national and international response missions, such as the Haiti earthquake.
Auxiliarists have provided vital support in wake of the Haiti tragedy. Immediately following the earthquake event, eight Auxiliary Creole-French interpreters volunteered their service and stand ready to utilize their language skills to contribute to the ongoing response efforts. In addition, Auxiliary members are standing watch in the Seventh Coast Guard District's Joint Information Center to handle public information needs. Also of particular note were the efforts of Mr. Robert Nelson, Director, USCG Auxiliary Public Affairs, who established a system that allowed him to monitor social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook for reports of people in distress. Mr. Nelson also helped coordinate the development of a distress SMS Short Code through the Department of State to allow those in Haiti to send distress text messages. Due to the thousands of text messages that were received, additional Auxiliary members were brought in to assist in filtering messages.
America's Volunteer Guardians live the Coast Guard's Core Values above and beyond the call of duty. The approximate 30,000 members offer their time, skills and resources. The volunteer efforts of the Auxiliarists, through vessel safety checks, safe boating courses, and search and rescue, is immeasurable. I recently issued an ALCOAST that moves the Auxiliary Trident Program one step further in providing additional support to the field. ALCOAST 045/10 announced the release of twelve new and twelve revised and updated Prevention and Response Performance Qualification Standards (PQS) for the Auxiliary Trident Program. The new PQS is the culmination of an extensive joint effort on behalf of Auxiliary and Active Duty Leadership. The Auxiliary must continue its forward-leaning support of Coast Guard missions, and progressively steer its evolution as a volunteer service through well-planned and well managed change in order to improve mission execution within a Modernized Coast Guard.
In the picture Anne Lockwood (left), CG Auxiliary Public Education Director, explains the workings of an inflatable lifejacket to Commodore Robin Freeman.
