The first Coast Guard Reserve Aviators have ‘landed’ at Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile. A new chapter in the reserve component legacy when Aviation Training Center Mobile, Ala., welcomed their first two reserve petty officers to the aviation family, Oct. 9. ATC is proud to be the plankowner of this exciting new workforce initiative. The aviation reservists spent their first drill weekend being immersed into unit culture and focusing on rapid integration. They reconstituted necessary IT access, completed annual administrative requirements, and received aviation rating-specific training in order to perform aircraft maintenance. Subsequent drill periods will focus on working alongside the active workforce. For the past several years, Deputy Commandant for Operations (711 and the new CG-R) and Deputy Commandant for Mission Support (CG-1, FORCECOM), have been working towards better integration of Coast Guard reservists with the active component, and fully realizing the strength of the reserve component. “The creation of CG-R in 2019 was a great start, and utilizing a ‘flexible reserve PAL’ was a great next-step,” said Capt. Christopher J. Hulser. Coast Guard aviators can now affiliate with the Coast Guard reserve and have a reasonable expectation of being able to drill in their either the aviation electronics technician or aviation mechanics technicians ratings. ATC is now working to incorporate the first reserve pilot aviators. Read more.
Coast Guard Cutter Legare returns home from 61-day counter-narcotic deployment. The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Legare returned to their homeport of Portsmouth, Va., following an eight-week counter-narcotics patrol in the Eastern Pacific supporting Joint Interagency Task Force South and the Coast Guard 11th District with Campaign Martillo. While deployed, the cutter patrolled more than 12,650 nautical miles through the heart of the Eastern Pacific Ocean working in conjunction with Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partnering nations. With the assistance of an embarked Helicopter Interdiction Tactical HITRON) Squadron aviation detachment from Jacksonville, Fla, and a two-person Law Enforcement Detachment Team from San Diego, Legare’s team was successful in the interdiction of over 1,300 pounds of illegal narcotics worth an estimated street value of more than $24.6 million. Read more.
Coast Guard medevacs man from fishing vessel 200 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. On Oct. 20, a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak hoisted an injured fisherman from the 117-foot, commercial fishing vessel Patricia Lee. He was flown to Dutch Harbor and placed in the care of medical personnel. "Thanks to the cooperation among air crew members, the command center team and the crew aboard Patricia Lee, our Kodiak team was able to hoist and deliver this young individual to a higher level of care," said Lt. Robert McConnel, Air Station Kodiak operations duty officer for the case. "Our crews routinely train for the treacherous Alaska night conditions they encountered yesterday. It feels good to see our team execute when someone's life is on the line." Read more.
Coast Guard holds Arctic discussions in Boston aboard Coast Guard Cutter. On Oct. 19, Coast Guard Cutter Healy held an Arctic discussion roundtable aboard in Boston to build relationships, identify areas for future collaboration, engage Arctic thinkers, and gain different perspectives on threats and opportunities pertinent to the Arctic. The group discussed topics ranging from science to Arctic governance. "The discussion here today is a valuable and necessary step toward continued effective cooperation and increased capability in the environmentally sensitive and dynamic Arctic region of the world. This session expands our shared network of knowledge and experience – building our relationships toward good Arctic governance and a collaborative approach to managing challenges," said Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, Atlantic Area commander. Read more.