In anticipation of the increased activity, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) is sponsoring Operation Dry Water again. This campaign was successful last year in targeting Boating Under the Influence violations on our waterways.

This is something we should all be on the lookout for whether conducting patrols on the water or vessel examinations at the ramp.  More information can be found at http://operationdrywater.org.  

If the influx in boating activity wasn't enough, we're also being called upon to help with Operation Deep Horizon.  As of this writing, the Coast Guard is seeking individuals with Trident certification and/or completion of (ICS-346, ICS-347, ICS-351, and ICS-440).   Anyone interested in assignment to duty in the Gulf with the aforementioned certifications should let me know ASAP.

But wait, there is more. You don't have to be forward deployed in order to make a difference. Sector Portland currently has over 40 personnel reassigned to help with Operation Deep Horizon.   Sector needs individuals right here in Portland who can help contribute time and help backfill some of these vacancies.   Interested individuals should contact ASC Lynn Easton.

Lastly, I will be out of town for the July meeting, so the Flotilla voted to have a party in my absence.
While I'm out supporting the Coast Guard with the Boy Scout National Jamboree Task Force, Jackie Morgan will host a BBQ/Picnic at her home and all Flotilla members are invited to attend.  We'll be putting out additional information regarding the event on the Flotilla web site at www.Flotilla73.org.

Until next time, stay safe and have a fantastic summer!

Brian Rollins
Commander, FL 73
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

The following news release was issued for the Naval Protection Zone on the Willamette River.  Flotilla 73 and Division 7 have been tasked with enforcing the zone.

Boaters who need to pass through the controlled access area must contact the Coast Guard security escort vessel on VHF-FM channel 16.

Commercial vessels have made special transit arrangements with the Captain of the Port, Portland, prior to this year’s Fleet Week.

All boaters, kayakers, personal watercraft operators and canoeists are asked to avoid the security zone altogether.  However, if a boater does need to transit the controlled access are, they may experience a waiting period.

• No firearms permitted inside the controlled access area.
• Boaters wishing to transit the controlled access area are required to wait in pre-identified staging areas for official patrol escorts.
• Staging areas are located on the east side of the river just north of the Steel Bridge and just south of the Morrison Bridge
• Delays are expected and vessels may be boarded before being escorted through the controlled access area.  Please plan accordingly.
• While transiting the controlled access area, all vessels shall operate at the minimum speed necessary to maintain a safe course and shall proceed as directed by the official Coast Guard Auxiliary patrol escort.
• Vessels will follow the official Coast Guard Auxiliary patrol escort in a single file line and must stay to the east bank of the river.  Do not break away from the escort line.

Violations of a controlled access area may result in a penalty action under the provision of 33 USC 1231 (maximum fine of $37,500).

Additional information about Fleet Week and Rose Fest can be found at:

Shipmates,
The purpose of this message is to provide you further detail on the four principles that will guide my watch as Commandant. These principles, as set forth in my vision statement are Steady the Service, Honor our Profession, Strengthen our Partnerships and Respect our Shipmates.

First, I want to provide you with the background which informs my four principles.  During the past nine years, we have heroically responded to the tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks, hurricanes Katrina and Rita and a devastating
earthquake in Haiti, and we are currently responding to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  We also continued to carry out our many and ever-expanding duties.  This high op-tempo put our service in the public light like never before.  It also provided some important lessons learned. We realized we needed to become more efficient, improve our mission support
delivery infrastructure and recapitalize our aging assets.  These spawned initiatives such as the sector concept, modernization, and undertaking the largest acquisition projects we have ever attempted.  While these were unquestionably the right initiatives to make the Coast Guard more capable, more efficient and stronger, they also produced a lot of organizational change.  Looking forward, I see a need to bring the sector and modernization initiatives to closure, so that our people at every level of the chain of command can refocus on their missions.  My desired end state is to put in place an organization that everyone understands.  Our people need to know who they work for, what their authorities are and who to call to get the tools they need to get their job done.

My guiding principles defined:

Steady the Service - I am committed to focusing on our core roles and missions as defined in Pub One.  To reduce stress on our Service and maintain the highest level of readiness we must emphasize our statutory missions, finish organizational realignment and prioritize demands for our services within the budget.  We must continue to pursue replacement assets for the future.  We must return to a sustainable state.

Honor our Profession - I am committed to professional service by demonstrating the highest competence in execution and support of our varied missions.  At all times, we are a military organization guided by responsibility, authority and accountability.  Mission excellence is our north star.  Honoring our Profession requires inspired leadership to develop
knowledge, skills, pride and experience, in a nurturing environment, built from a foundation of clear doctrine and training.  I will not ask you to do more than our resources allow, but we must do our absolute best with what we
have.

Strengthen our Partnerships - I am committed to partnerships.  They are a force multiplier.  As demand for our Service continues to expand, and the threats in the maritime environment increase in complexity, a unilateral approach will not be the best or the most efficient means to achieve mission success.  We can be more effective and provide greater value to our country when we forge partnerships with local, state, federal, tribal and international agencies.  For the same reasons, strengthening appropriate relationships with private industry is imperative.  Ultimately, strong partnerships are critical to enhancing our capability, effectiveness and credibility in the maritime domain.

Respect our Shipmates - I am committed to a climate of care and concern for Shipmates, active, reserve, civilian, auxiliary, families, and retirees, on a daily basis.  Our people are the Coast Guard's greatest asset and our ability to perform our mission ultimately depends on your health, vibrancy, training and capabilities.  We must provide the best in human resource management, administrative support, wellness programs and professional development, while maintaining a safe, collaborative and productive work environment.  Our Service must also draw strength from the diversity of our Nation.  I want the Coast Guard to be recognized as the profession of choice for Americans of all backgrounds.

Your daily hard work and dedication ensures that our Nation's waters are safe and secure.  My principles are intended to enable and sustain these efforts.

Semper Paratus,

ADM Bob Papp, Commandant

Shipmates,
I am honored to serve as the 24th Commandant of the Coast Guard.  When I assumed the duties from Admiral Thad Allen at noon today, it concluded a series of key rotations and marked the setting of a new watch to lead our service.

Serving with me on this watch are Vice Admiral Sally Brice-O'Hara, Vice Commandant, Master Chief Michael Leavitt, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard and Master Chief Mark Allen, Master Chief Petty Officer of Reserve Forces.  Each assumed their duties over the past ten days.  They are all very experienced professionals who have been tried and tested in the field.  We are also joined by Vice Admiral Robert Parker, Commander, Atlantic Area, Vice Admiral Manson Brown, Commander Pacific Area, Vice Admiral John Currier, Chief-of-Staff and Future Deputy Commandant of Mission Support and Rear Admiral Brian Salerno, Deputy Commandant for Operations.  I am proud to serve alongside this exceptionally talented group of leaders. 

My watch will be guided by the following vision for our service:

We are defined by our missions, people and heritage.  We will selflessly serve our country and perform our duties in a manner that secures the trust and confidence of mariners and citizens alike.  We will set a course that steadies the service, honors our profession, strengthens our partnerships and respects our shipmates.

This vision will be achieved by the incoming watch through clear focus on select projects and initiatives currently under way in our service.  Instead of creating new tasking, we intend to emphasize vital initiatives, leverage teams that are in place now and move these efforts forward to completion.  I will provide more specifics in the coming weeks.

I often use the term Shipmate.  You need to know that this is a team of endearment for me that represents a common bond across the entire Coast Guard family and all mission communities.  There is no higher compliment in my opinion than being called a Shipmate and no better goal than being a good one.

Admiral Allen will continue his service as the National Incident Commander for the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill managing the overall federal response.
I am glad he accepted this last assignment as it will enable me to focus on the Coast Guard's response, and serving you as Commandant of the Coast Guard.  Admiral Allen is a true public servant and visionary, I thank him for his service.

I encourage all Coast Guard active duty, reserve, civilian, auxiliary, families and retirees to bookmark and initiate RSS feed from the senior leadership web page at www.USCG.mil/seniorleadership.  We intend to use this location during our watch to post information and address subjects that are important to our service.

All standing orders remain in effect, set the watch and carry out the routine of the day.

Semper Paratus,

Admiral Bob Papp

Guardians,
Later today, I will be relieved as Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard by Admiral Robert Papp.  It has been an honor to serve as your Commandant for the past four years and I am confident in Admiral Papp's ability to lead the Service during a period of tremendous changes, challenges, and opportunities.  The value of the U.S. Coast Guard has never been greater than it is today and it is the men and women of our great Service who truly make it all possible.

After the Change of Command ceremony, I will continue to serve as the National Incident Commander for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill for some period of time but I wanted to take this final opportunity to thank you for your tremendous commitment, dedication, and courage over the past four years.

When I became the Commandant in 2006, I issued a number of orders that I thought were necessary to meet the challenges we faced then and set the conditions for future success.  With your help we have accomplished a great deal.  We transformed our acquisition process, enhanced our marine safety capability and capacity, created a new and more effective support structure for our Reserve Forces, stood up the Force Readiness Command and Deployable Operations Group, created the Maritime Enforcement Rating, and transformed our maintenance and logistics processes.  At the same time we met operational challenges in piracy off the Horn of Africa, the tsunami in America Samoa, the earthquake in Haiti, and more recently the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  We accomplished all of that without losing focus on our broader mission set.  We continued to interdict drugs and made major strides to eliminate the use of self propelled semi-submersibles.  We deployed wireless biometric capability to significantly reduce illegal alien migration.  At the same time we saved countless lives.

In the last six years, we have also strengthened our relationships within the Department of Homeland Security.  Through the completion of the first Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, we helped mature the Department and build the Nation's homeland security enterprise.

In the process we enhanced our ties to the Department of Defense.  We held unprecedented staff talks with the Navy, Air Force, Marines, Army Corps of Engineers and the National Guard Bureau.   The Chief of Naval Operations, the Commandant of the Marine Corps and I cosigned “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower” and Naval Operating Concepts.  We forged stronger bonds with our interagency partners in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Maritime Administration, Drug Enforcement Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and the Department of the Interior.   Finally, we strengthened our international ties with our hemispheric partners and through the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum and North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum.  Together, we raised the visibility of Coast Guard missions to our external stakeholders and our international partners.

The common thread connecting each of these of initiatives and actions, and my overarching goal as Commandant, was for the Coast Guard to become more change-centric … to sense changes in our operational environment and have the courage to make course corrections before problems overwhelm us or we have terms dictated to us externally.  To do that we must become more diverse, adapt to new technologies, and embrace social media as well.  I believe we have become more change-centric and a learning organization that capitalizes on lessons learned.  Nowhere has this been more evident than in our responses to the devastating earthquake in Haiti and in our leading role to the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  The world has seen the value of the U.S. Coast Guard in action.  We protect, defend, and save America's maritime interests wherever they are at stake - that is the legacy you have left for our future Guardians to embrace.

In spite of our operational successes, challenges remain.  Our operations are not risk free and we have known the pain at the loss of shipmates from USCGC HEALY, MSST Anchorage, CG 6505, and CG 1705.  Our promise to them is to prevent future accidents and insure we create the safest possible environment for our personnel.  The Coast Guard will meet future challenges because of our multi-mission nature, bias for action, and the incredible talent and dedication of our people.  As we look to the future, I encourage each of you to be insatiably curious, to be life-long learners, to look after your shipmates, and, finally, to seize every chance to apply your leadership skills, talent, and competencies when the opportunity presents itself. 

I am incredibly proud of all our active duty members, reservists, civilians and auxiliarists.  No matter how fiercely the winds of change swirl around us, our people stabilize the Service.  You are America's Maritime Guardians and your country needs you now more than ever.  It has been my extraordinary honor to have been your Commandant and I am excited to see where you will take the organization in the future.  Fair winds.

Sincerely,

Admiral Thad W. Allen

SALUTING:

Staff officers who wear officer insignia should be prepared to return salutes rendered by junior officers or enlisted. 

Semper Paratus!

Brian Rollins
Commander, FL-73
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary