Last month I had the tremendous opportunity to represent the Coast Guard as a Marshall Memorial Fellow in Europe. I was honored to be the fourth Coast Guard representative selected for this incredible program, and am pleased to have this opportunity to share some highlights from the experience, as well as some general information about the Fellowship.
The Marshall Memorial Fellowship http://www.gmfus.org was created by the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States to “expose future U. S. leaders to a changing and expanding Europe.” The program provides a unique opportunity for emerging leaders from the United States to engage government officials, policy makers, and business and civic leaders in several European cities/countries. GMF also sponsors a similar program that brings European leaders to the United States.
For approximately three weeks in March I traveled to Brussels, Belgium; Copenhagen, Denmark; Rome, Italy; Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina; and Bucharest, Romania, with several other American Fellows, including leaders from multiple regions and business and government sectors. Typical engagements included meetings with Parliament members, briefings on NATO security policies, civil disaster response, and international war crimes prosecution, one on one meetings with the CFO of Maersk Lines and the Romanian National Security Advisor, visits to national media outlets, and a wide array of cultural events. For a full recap of my Fellowship experience, you can visit my blog at: http://spring2010ammf.blogspot.com/.
Through my Coast Guard experience I know that that America’s security, resilience, and economic prosperity are directly linked to the oceans, and therefore by extension, our international partners. Through the Fellowship experience I learned that neither the tough choices we face as a Nation, nor our desire for long term prosperity and security are unique to the United States. The current economic downturn is indeed global, and our international partners in Europe are struggling with similar challenges.
As the Coast Guard’s Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Coordinator in the Office of Budget and Programs (CG-82), the Fellowship experience broadened my perspective on a number of challenges facing our Service today including operating and recapitalizing with reduced funding levels, managing the delicate balance between effective regulation and efficient commerce, and the importance of maintaining a competent and diverse workforce. Indeed the insights I gained from interaction with both European leaders and my American colleagues were profound, and have better prepared me for the challenges I will face going forward in my career.
For more details on eligibility requirements and the application process, go to: http://www.gmfus.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=91.
