Guardians,
On April 27th, the Coast Guard hosted our shipmates from the U.S. Navy for our semi-annual Staff Talks. Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, and his staff of senior Flag Officers, met at Coast Guard Headquarters where we aligned on strategic matters and reinforced the many facets of our daily, joint operational activities. The Navy and Coast Guard truly work together each day to assure our national security along many fronts ranging from Caribbean and Eastern Pacific counterdrug patrols to joint operations in the Central Command Area of Operation in the Arabian Gulf. These staff talks serve as a continual navigational fix to ensure our respective staffs are focused on key initiatives and that they understand each Service Chief's clear direction.
Together, we celebrated the recent successes of the first Littoral Combat Ship, USS FREEDOM, on her deployment in support of Southern Command, and Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATFS). FREEDOM sailed with a Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, along with specially trained counterdrug pursuit boat operators and a Navy airborne use of force helicopter. This effective team netted three large interdictions of cocaine and offered a preview of how effective the LCS and CG Team can be for this mission.
We discussed the value of Navy-Coast Guard Joint Cryptologic Operational Concept and the importance of Service interoperability between the many maritime Operations and Command Centers. These discussions not only foster a common understanding on operational design and capabilities, but also the importance of sharing information, resources, and support. Enhanced interoperability is even more important in the future as meaningful coordination of maritime operations will involve a wider range of multi-Service and multi-agency partners.
Our thanks again, to Admiral Roughead and his team of professionals for the extraordinary framework we have established for future Coast Guard and Navy collaboration.
VADM David Pekoske
