Dedicated to Those Who Are Always Ready
Threat Identifier Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship
www.CGF-kmi.com
December 2011 Volume 3, Issue 6
Maritime Partnerships O Drug Interdiction O Innovation Expo Highlights Stratton Sector Guam O Environmental Studies
U.S. Coast Guard Forum
2012
Editorial Calendar February [4.1]
April [4.2]
jUNE [4.3]
August [4.4]
October [4.5]
DECEMBER [4.6]
Rear Adm. Ronald RĂĄbago Assistant Commandant for Engineering & Logistics
Rear Adm. Steven Ratti Direc. of Operations US Southern Command
Rear Adm. Vincent Atkins Assistant Commandant for Capability
Rear Adm. Thomas Atkin Assistant Commandant for Intelligence & Criminal Investigations
Adm. Robert Papp Commandant
Vice Adm. John Currier Deputy Commandant for Mission Support
Special Section: Arctic Strategy
Special Section: Deepwater Horizon: Two Years On
Special Section: Air Asset Recapitalization & Modernization
Features: Green Initiatives Buoy Tenders Ballast Water Management Urban SAR Training & Simulation
Features: Logistics Afloat Compel Compliance FY 2013 Budget Energy Efficient Propulsion Systems
Features: Security Planning for Maritime Events Anti-Piracy Communications
Careers & Transitions: Public Safety & Emergency Management
Careers & Transitions: Fire Science
Tradeshows: ASNE Day AFCEA Border Security Expo Closing Date: February 9
Tradeshows: Sea, Air, Space* Maritime Homeland Security Summit
Careers & Transitions: Logistics & Supply Chain Management Tradeshows: MACC* Closing Date: May 24
Special Section: NSC Features: Cutterboats Unmanned Surface Vessels CBRNE-Countermeasures Careers & Transitions: Forensic Science Tradeshows: USCG ESO Symposium* Closing Date: July 20
Special Section: Program Management Update Features: Who’s Who in the Coast Guard Summer 2012 Arctic Operations Border Security Careers & Transitions: Criminal Justice Tradeshows: USCG Innovation Expo* Closing Date: September 28
Closing Date: March 23
*Bonus Distribution This editorial calendar is a guide. Content is subject to change. Please verify advertising closing dates with your account executive.
Special Section: Stiletto Demonstration Vessel Features: Integrated C4ISR & Navigation Systems Inspection Program Incident Management & Preparedness Careers & Transitions: Communications/Public Affairs Tradeshows: International Workboat Show* Closing Date: November 21
U.S. Coast Guard Forum
December 2011 Volume 3 • Issue 6
Features
Cover / Q&A Charting a New Course Coast Guardsmen already possess real-world experience as environmental stewards. How can a degree or certificate in environmental studies or policy equip Coast Guardsmen with the education needed to complement their experience and advance in rank or transition to a civilian career?
5 Industry Innovators
7
In October the Coast Guard and industry convened in Tampa for the 11th Annual Coast Guard Innovation Expo. The theme of the Expo, “Innovation-Steering the Course for Enduring Excellence,” was demonstrated on the floor of the convention center, during the expert panels, and in the sky and on the water during Coast Guard demonstrations. CGF highlights industry innovators who are helping the service steer for course for excellence.
18 Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security & Stewardship
Stratton: From Bow to Stern
10
Coast Guard Forum takes you aboard the Stratton as she transited from Annapolis to Baltimore, Md., where she spent the week before continuing her voyage to Alameda, Calif. where she will join NSCs Bertholf and Waesche. By Maura McCarthy
Big Blue Rising
22
When the floating dry dock known as “Big Blue” sank unexpectedly at its station near the mouth of Inner Apra Harbor, Guam, Coast Guard officials from Sector Guam immediately took to the task of pollution and safety assessments. The salvage job presented a challenge that experts had never before seen. By Lt. J.G. Wade Thomson and Ensign Richard Russell
Departments 2
Editor’s Perspective
3
Nav Notes
16
On the Horizon
31
Calendar, Directory
On The Run
26
In mid-July the Coast Guard interdicted the first self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) in the Western Caribbean, which led to the first underwater drug recovery of an SPSS. The mission—which recovered $180 million dollars worth of cocaine off the ocean floor—demonstrated the importance of maritime law enforcement partnerships and the proper tools for countering narco-terrorists. By Maura McCarthy
Industry Interview
Partnering For Better Options
29
Partnerships, joint ventures and teaming by private companies are extremely useful in support of Coast Guard procurement initiatives. These arrangements may be done to comply with procurement regulations, as is the case in set-asides for small businesses, or be arranged or proposed by private firms purely to meet support requirements most efficiently. By Henry Canaday
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32 Gene Kegley Vice President Vigor Shipyards
U.S. Coast Guard Forum
Volume 3, Issue 6 November/December 2011
Dedicated to Those Who Are Always Ready Editorial Editor Maura McCarthy mauram@kmimediagroup.com Managing Editor Harrison Donnelly harrisond@kmimediagroup.com Online Editorial Manager Laura Davis laurad@kmimediagroup.com Correspondents Adam Baddeley • J.B. Bissell • Peter Buxbaum Henry Canaday • Erin Flynn Jay • Kenya McCullum Art & Design Art Director Jennifer Owers jennifero@kmimediagroup.com Senior Graphic Designer Jittima Saiwongnuan jittimas@kmimediagroup.com Graphic Designers Amanda Kirsch amandak@kmimediagroup.com Scott Morris scottm@kmimediagroup.com Kailey Waring kaileyw@kmimediagroup.com Advertising Account Executive Shireen D’Souza shireend@kmimediagroup.com
KMI Media Group Publisher Kirk Brown kirkb@kmimediagroup.com Chief Executive Officer Jack Kerrigan jack@kmimediagroup.com Chief Financial Officer Constance Kerrigan connik@kmimediagroup.com Executive Vice President David Leaf davidl@kmimediagroup.com Editor-In-Chief Jeff McKaughan jeffm@kmimediagroup.com Controller Gigi Castro gcastro@kmimediagroup.com Trade Show Coordinator Holly Foster hollyf@kmimediagroup.com Operations, Circulation & Production Distribution Coordinator Duane Ebanks duanee@kmimediagroup.com Data Specialists Rebecca Hunter rebeccah@kmimediagroup.com Tuesday Johnson tuesdayj@kmimediagroup.com Casandra Jones casandraj@kmimediagroup.com Raymer Villanueva raymerv@kmimediagroup.com Summer Walker summerw@kmimediagroup.com Donisha Winston donishaw@kmimediagroup.com
At the 10th Annual Coast Guard Innovation Expo, the theme of the Expo, Steering the Course for Enduring Excellence, was demonstrated throughout the week. From expert sessions on C4ISR and disaster response to Academy cadets discussing environmental sustainability to the early morning bootcamp run by the Guardian Fitness team, Coast Guard excellence pulsed throughout the convention center. The technology displayed was impressive; however, what impacted me more were the personal and professional standards of excellence that Coast Guardsmen display. With budget concerns at the forefront of everyone’s mind, we naturally focus on the hardware needed to properly equip the service, but a cutter is only as good as her crew and a system Maura McCarthy only as good as its operator. Fortunately, as Admiral Zukunft discusses Editor in his featured interview, the Coast Guard attracts our nation’s best. While I’m sure I should say the panel on asset recapitalization was the most interesting part of the Expo, the highlight for me was joining in the Guardian Fitness Team’s morning bootcamp as it allowed me for a few days to feel in a small way as if I were part of the Coast Guard “team.” Through these workouts I realized that Coast Guard excellence servicewide is created in part by excellence at a personal level; when individuals with a sense of purpose, professionalism, pride, responsibility, motivation and determination come together excellence can be the only result. To see admirals sweating alongside junior officers and enlisted folk (and a lone editor) made me realize what a unique and outstanding service the Coast Guard is. Participating in these workouts instilled in me a felt a greater sense of accountability that made me want to push myself harder: I didn’t slack off on the last round of pushups because I was tired—everyone else was doing pushups too; I didn’t slow down running the stairs—everyone else was running up those same stairs; I couldn’t stop throwing the medicine ball—my partner needed me to throw it to him. I certainly couldn’t shut my alarm off and skip the workout—I was not going to be a quitter. Never having served, I can’t compare this experience to basic training but I imagine that it is through shared challenges like this where you are pushed to your physical limits with your shipmates that collective seeds of excellence are sown. The Expo allowed me to gain a new view of the service—one that left me even more impressed by the leaders who have been steering the service and future leaders who will keep the service on the path of enduring excellence.
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On December 1, 2011, Admiral Papp testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on Coast Guard operations in the Arctic. The following is a portion of his oral testimony.
America is a maritime nation. The United States relies on the sea for our prosperity, trade, transportation and security. We are also an Arctic nation. The Arctic region—including the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering Seas and the Arctic Ocean—is truly an emerging maritime frontier. Although the northern part of the Arctic has remained frozen much of our lifetimes, change is clearly occurring. Arctic ice is gradually diminishing—and in summer months an entire new ocean is emerging. This accessibility is spurring an increase in human activities such as natural resource exploration, shipping and ecotourism. The Arctic contains an estimated 22 percent of the world’s technically recoverable oil and natural gas. The Shell Exploration and Production Company plans to drill exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea beginning in 2012—other companies will likely follow. For more than 221 years, our nation has relied upon the Coast Guard to protect those on the sea, protect the country against threats delivered by sea, and even to protect the sea itself. Our challenge today is to ensure we are working to develop a Coast Guard capable of meeting our new and emerging responsibilities in the Arctic region. Today, based upon what we have learned, I’m pleased to offer you my best military advice on our Arctic operational needs. Before I do so, however, I must tell you I am concerned by recent Authorization language passed by the House that limits my ability to move the Coast Guard forward on all mission fronts, including those emerging in the Arctic. My first concern is the mandate to decommission the Polar Star. This provision would eliminate the nation’s only existing heavy ice breaking capability potentially as soon as two years after Polar Star’s reactivation [in 2013] … and, after the Congress invested over $60 million to extend the cutter’s service life. Admittedly, keeping this 30-plus-year-old ship running is a bridging strategy— not a long-term solution for the nation’s heavy ice breaking needs. While I can understand the desire to accelerate a solution, I do not see an alternate source of U.S. heavy ice breaking capability that could be made available within the next three years. This mandate puts us in a position of confronting expanding Arctic missions without a heavy icebreaker. We have weathered the last couple years without an active heavy icebreaker. I strongly recommend against making this situation permanent—and I urge reconsideration of this provision [Section 307] during conference. My second concern is the Authorization bill’s mandates constraining our ability to procure the national security cutters just as we have stabilized costs and matured their design. While I understand and share the committee’s desire to deliver the most capable and effective replacement for the 12 high endurance cutters, I cannot see how technically challenging and disruptive performance milestones in law achieve this. The NSC is a stable and successful acquisition program now managed by some of the best acquisition professionals in the federal government. This legislation risks disrupting the production schedule, raising costs and jeopardizing the entire NSC project. I would state here today that the national security cutter is more important to me to carrying out Coast Guard missions in Alaska—but we still need new icebreakers as well. www.CGF-kmi.com
[USCG photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Kelley]
It is my judgment and advice to you that Polar Star must be kept as part of the heavy icebreaker bridging strategy for the next 5 to 10 years and that the NSC shipbuilding program momentum must be maintained. The Coast Guard is no stranger to Arctic waters—we have operated in the Arctic for most of our history. Protecting one of the world’s richest biomasses, those who make their living harvesting it, and other shippers who transit through its often treacherous waters, creates a persistent demand for Coast Guard services. We understand and we have the experience to meet these challenging maritime missions—resourcing them will be another story. But we’ve also been actively gathering information about operating above the Arctic Circle in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, as we prepare for a gradual northerly expansion in demand for our services in ice diminished Arctic waters. For the past three years we have conducted seasonal cutter, small boat and helicopter operations—along with bi-weekly Arctic Ocean flights. This year we are organizing a major operation in the 17th Coast Guard District in anticipation of drilling in the Chukchi Sea. This operation will feature a mix of flight deck equipped cutters, sea-going buoy tenders, fixed wing aircraft and helicopters and communications and support infrastructure. In the Beaufort and the Chukchi seas, we are now seeing a gradual transition from very limited, episodic demand into a more sustained seasonal demand. At some point, these demands may evolve into full-fledged seasonal operations. Our present operational concept is largely an extension of our current posture—a mobilization of sea-based command and control forward operating bases, from which we will conduct operations with gradually increasing support from our shore-based aircraft. Should a national incident arise in the Arctic, we will mobilize the entire inventory of Coast Guard assets. We will accomplish the mission—just as we always have during our more than two centuries of service to the nation. But to fulfill this promise to America, our heroic Coast Guard men and women need, and frankly they deserve, the modern assets to get their job done. CGF 3.6 | 3
$42.8 Million Contract Awarded for Coast Guard Logistics Information Management System The Coast Guard awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to Mythics of Virginia Beach, Va., for software licenses for the Coast Guard Logistics Information Management System (CG-LIMS). By using state-of-the-market, commercial off-theshelf software applications configured to meet Coast Guard requirements, CG-LIMS will help the Coast Guard better manage configuration, maintenance, supply chain and technical data for its assets by migrating legacy logistics systems into a single new one via incremental technical refreshments. “This project will provide the mission support community with the modern tools they deserve to support Coast Guard mission execution,” explained Captain Dan Taylor, CG-LIMS project manager. “They deserve a system that’s
easy to use and supports a single Coast Guard business model so they’ll have the right parts in the right place at the right time to maintain all of our different assets.” The CG-LIMS project intentionally separated the competitive selection of the software from the configuration and implementation of the software system. The Coast Guard is serving as the system integrator and will be directly involved in the software’s configuration and deployment, which will take place one product line at a time. Under this agreement, Mythics will provide Oracle e-business products as its CG-LIMS software solution and Ventureforth’s vMobile software to support offline capability, which preserves data that would otherwise be lost in the event
an asset in the field loses communications with CG-LIMS software hosted ashore. The BPA was awarded under the vendor’s General Services Administration Multiple Award Schedule contract and will run for a period of five years at a ceiling value of approximately $42.8 million. The first task order was also awarded for approximately $678,000 to procure 40 user licenses to support the initial configuration for one year. “This BPA award is a significant step in executing the Coast Guard strategy of streamlining the logistics support for the aircraft, ships, boats, shore facilities and C4 [command, control, communications and computers] systems needed to execute missions,” Taylor said.
Coast Guard Foundation Announces 2011 “Books for Boats”
Letter to the Editor Ms. McCarthy,
Coast Guard Foundation is happy to announce that 147 cutters throughout the Coast Guard will receive a total of $36,750 to bolster their ships’ libraries courtesy of the 2011 edition of the Coast Guard Foundation’s “Books for Boats” program. “Books for Boats” is a long-standing tradition that helps cuttermen who are underway to stay sharp by reading and maintaining their professional libraries. Crews are encouraged to purchase books that are on the Commandant’s reading list, or books that suit their general interest. Commandant Adm. Robert Papp compiles the list to enable members of the service [Photo courtesy of USCGC Washington] to share in a common learning experience. The commanding officers of the cutters were notified via email that their boat was awarded a grant and the Foundation has received a number of phone calls and emails from COs thanking them for the grant. The Lieutenant Dana Rupprecht, commanding officer of the USCG cutter Washington, which is based in the remote pacific island of Guam wrote, “Thank you very much for this generous gift and continued support of the Coast Guard. The crew is very excited and is working on selecting some books from the Commandant’s Reading List to have onboard for longer patrols. Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands, our area of operations, have a lot of history and a colorful culture so we intend to purchase some books on these local topics to have on hand for new crewmembers. Additionally, this will allow us to have a couple hiking guide books available to help get the crew out and safely exploring all the stomps on Guam, Tinian and Saipan.”
4 | CGF 3.6
Good afternoon. We just received our current copy of the U.S. Coast Guard Forum and when I opened it up I was completely surprised to see OS2 Eden Papineau staring at me! I must say that this was an absolutely amazing article and so very, very cool of you to do this for her. In your last paragraph you talk about her passion, professionalism and humor and I will tell you that she brings the same to her duties at PSU 305. We are extremely proud of her and glad that she is a member of our unit. Again, thank you for the article and acknowledging her. Respectfully, CDR Michael Ferullo Commanding Officer Coast Guard Port Security Unit 305
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Charting a New Course Always striving to equip Coast Guardsmen with information needed to remain semper paratus, Coast Guard Forum’s focus on education will help Coast Guardsmen navigate the next phase of their career.
Coast Guard Forum editor Maura McCarthy posed the following question to the American Military University and the State University of New York:
Coast Guardsmen already possess real-world experience as environmental stewards. How can a degree or certificate in environmental studies/policy and planning equip Coast Guardsmen with the education needed to complement their experience and advance in rank or transition to a civilian career?
Cmdr. Carol A. Pollio, Ph.D. Program Director of Environmental Science American Military University
The Coast Guard does provide an outstanding learning environment for the environmental field for its members. A degree or certificate in environmental science or policy, though, pulls together this hands-on experience with the knowledge and critical thinking skills gained in the classroom, allowing you to function on a higher level. Why is that important? The skills gained through formal education are very much in demand, both in the Coast Guard and with potential employers. Employers seek out problem solvers—people that can be challenged with a complex environmental problem and find a solution that works on many levels and with a broad range of stakeholders. So, while you’re an expert in your field as an marine science technician or pollution investigator, for example, a degree in environmental science not only supports your previous work experience, it opens the door to the wide range of the field of environmental issues and exposes you to what I like to call “application science.” Application science is applying your knowledge and experience to find solutions to difficult or complex problems. In addition to employer demand for critical thinking skills, employers also are looking for employees that have the most to offer their organization. A degree in the field of environmental science or policy demonstrates not only knowledge, but also commitment, initiative and dedication to the career field
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you’re hoping to enter. This is true of both the Coast Guard (for promotions) and external employers (post-service employment). When you complete a degree, it says a lot about the type of person that you are! It sets you apart from your competition. You have an advantage over your competition because you have educational opportunities, such as tuition assistance and support from your command to pursue an education. Why not take advantage of that opportunity to prepare for your future? Finally, pursuing a degree is something you should do for yourself. How often do we take time to develop ourselves? As you move up in the Coast Guard, doesn’t it make sense to continue to grow and develop, not only as a technical expert, but as a leader in your field? As a member of the Coast Guard for the past 28 years, I have obtained several degrees; each of them has been motivated internally—simply me wanting to learn more about my career field—but also because when I am learning, I am developing myself as an individual. A degree puts you on a path of personal development unlike other pursuits. It challenges you in ways you can’t imagine. Do something for yourself, for the Coast Guard and for your future. Think about the person you want to be tomorrow. A degree in environmental science and policy will help you achieve your goals, whatever
CGF 3.6 | 5
they might be, by preparing you to solve the complex environmental problems we face as a society. You’ve already chosen to work for the world’s most respected sea going service—why not be the best of the best within it? American Public University System, winner of the Sloan Consortium’s 2009 Ralph E. Gomory Award for Quality Online Education and two-time recipient of Sloan’s Effective Practices Award, offers 87 online degree programs through American Public University and American Military University. APUS’s relevant curriculum, affordability and flexibility help more than 100,000 working adults worldwide
pursue degrees in subjects ranging from homeland security to management and liberal arts. O For the past 27 years, Dr. Pollio has actively served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. Now a commander, she was activated in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, serving as a member of the U.S.C.G. Lessons Learned Team responsible for evaluating the largest mobilization of the Coast Guard Reserve since WWII. She was also deployed to the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010 and served as the liaison officer to Santa Rosa County, Fla.
Valerie A. Luzadis, Ph.D. Professor and Chair Department of Environmental Studies Assistant Provost for Assessment and Academic Initiatives State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry As population grows and pressure increases on our natural environment to provide resources and basic life support functions, environmental stewards become increasingly needed. Coast Guardsmen can enhance their value as environmental stewards with a degree or certificate in environmental studies or science. Building on the experiences of protecting the environment by pursuing an environmental degree or certificate provides a great way to transition to civilian life. The best academic programs provide opportunities to build on experience with coursework, actively engaging students in the classroom. SUNY-ESF offers strong environmental programs to complement Coast Guardsmen’s experiences as environmental stewards. ESF has programs in environmental studies and environmental science at all levels: associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate as well as a graduate certificate in environmen tal decision-making. Within these programs, Coast Guardsmen can focus on environmental policy, planning and law or environmental communication and public participation. As a doctoral granting institution, students have tremendous opportunities to pursue research at all levels of study. Founded in 1911 as the New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse University, ESF is one of SUNY’s oldest and most unique colleges. The ESF campus occupies 17 acres in Syracuse and 25,000 acres on its regional campuses throughout Central New York and the Adirondack Park. US News & World Report ranks ESF among the “Top 50 Public National Universities” and is in the top 50 of all national universities in the “Best Values”
category. Forbes ranks ESF the third best college in the nation for women in science and engineering. As one of the only institutions in the U.S. with a primary focus on the environment, SUNY-ESF students, faculty and staff have a common interest that strengthens our campus community. The campus culture is influenced by a strong commitment to protecting the environment and a long-standing partnership with adjoining Syracuse University, which provides ESF students with expanded academic and extracurricular opportunities. The values Coast Guardsmen exemplify as ‘always ready’ fit well with the environmental stewardship ethic at ESF. As a community, ESF is committed to the highest standards of personal and professional behavior. The college celebrates the diverse backgrounds, cultures and perspectives represented in the campus community, and we believe that respect for one’s self and others leads to a community characterized by integrity and honor. ESF is attentive to the health, safety and well-being of the community, realizing that its greatest assets are faculty, staff and students. Through this concern and compassion for others, the college strives for continual improvement and excellence in service provision. As part of the State University of New York, ESF’s service to the community extends beyond the bounds of the campus. The college is committed to sharing its discoveries and knowledge with public and private constituencies, organizations and citizens throughout our state, our nation and the world. A degree or certificate in environmental studies or science will provide Coast Guards build a rewarding civilian life. O
For more information, contact CGF Editor Maura McCarthy at mauram@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.CGF-kmi.com. 6 | CGF 3.6
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Coast Guard and industry join to plot a course for the Coast Guard of the future. In October the Coast Guard and industry convened in Tampa for the 11th Annual Coast Guard Innovation Expo. The theme of the Expo, “Innovation-Steering the Course for Enduring Excellence,” was demonstrated on the floor of the convention center, during the expert panels, and in the sky and on the water during Coast Guard demonstrations. With exhibitors showcasing advances in navigation, detection and communication, just to
name a few, the convention center was alive with possibilities for enhancing and improving Coast Guard operations. While we couldn’t possibly highlight all of the programs and advancements demonstrated, the companies below offer a sampling of the innovations on display at the Expo and are indicative of the work industry is performing to help the Coast Guard steer a course for enduring excellence.
Motorola The Motorola MC75A Worldwide Enterprise Digital Assistant re-defines the standard for mobile computers with biometric capture, a 3.5G world cell phone, integrated GPS, 1D and 2D bar code scanning, a high resolution auto focus color camera, bright full VGA touch screen, accelerometer, WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity—all in a single device. The advanced biometric attachment with optional contact and contactless smart card readers is well-suited for identity management applications. A FIPS 201 certified fingerprint sensor supplies the highest quality images within a variety of lighting conditions. Additionally, the MC75A’s optional auto
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focus color camera transforms this solution into a multimodal mobile computer delivering fingerprint and facial image capture. With the available ISO compliant contact and contactless smart card readers, this attachment is positioned for security applications such as CAC, TWIC, PIV, FRAC, ePassports, eVisas and other biometric-enabled secure credentials. The 3.5G based MC75A allows law enforcement, first responders, government and other enterprise security agencies to standardize on one device for global deployments, reducing the complexity, support requirements and the cost of mobility solutions.
CGF 3.6 | 7
Trijicon Inc. Trijicon Inc. has expanded their product line to offer the military and law enforcement communities a line of optics designed specifically for machine guns. Trijicon’s MachineGun Optic (MGO) line is built on the combat proven ACOG design and incorporates a Bullet Drop Compensating (BDC) Reticle specifically calibrated for machine guns, a GDI auto-locking lever mount, and a built-in option for mounting an additional reflex sight for mounted applications. Trijicon’s MGOs are full mission profile sighting systems designed for use on M249, M240, or M2 machine guns. Trijicon’s MGOs can be used to engage targets from the muzzle to 1,000 meters (M249 variant), 1,200 meters (M240
variant), or 2,000 meters (M2 variant) because of the MGO’s illuminated BDC reticles. The reticles in the MGOs are dual-illuminated through the use of Tritium and fiber-optics. This battery-free method of illuminating the reticles makes Trijicon’s MGOs ideal for maritime use—or any other environmental conditions that typically wreak havoc on battery operated systems. The illuminated reticles utilized in Trijicon’s MGOs allow the operator to keep both eyes open while engaging targets while the BDC gives a precise point of aim out past 1,000 meters. This more precise point of aim won’t turn your machine gun into a sniper rifle, but it will significantly increase your chances of a first-burst hit.
Truestone designs and builds differential GPS “Jump Kits” for Coast Guard Aids to Navigation (ATON) work boats. When used with electronic charting software loaded onto a laptop, the kits are transported and used to mark existing buoys or place new buoys that the larger buoy tenders are unable to access. Nearly 100 kits have been deployed throughout the United States and its territories to support the Coast Guard’s mission to maintain maritime safety in waterways. Key features of the GPS include ruggedized metalwork
(brackets, clamps, and mounts) which secures all of the components within the case; AC or DC power that allows the system to run for about 10 hours on the internally mounted battery; recessed external I/O panel containing connectors for power; and antenna and data on the outside of the case allows for the case to be fully watertight while in operation. The kits offer a portable, rugged, cost effective solution and serve as a backup that can be used onboard the buoy tender if the primary differential GPS is not working.
TrueStone
Telephonics Corporation Telephonics Corporation has a long history of manufacturing state-of-the-art radar systems, advanced electronics, wired/wireless communication systems and software engineering for aerospace, defense and commercial markets worldwide. Our products have been integrated into land based, air and surface assets for a broad spectrum of mission sets including search and rescue, drug interdiction and border/port security. We understand the complex and critical nature of maritime surveillance missions. Telephonics offers a complete line of light weight, low power, multi-mode radar products. Using advanced techniques such as synthetic aperture, pulse compression, frequency agility, and high-speed signal processing, our surveillance classification radar 8 | CGF 3.6
provides extremely high-resolution and precise imaging for high-probability of small target detection. We are a world leader in the design and manufacture of secure wired and wireless intercommunication systems found aboard fixed wing, rotary wing, lighter-than-air aircraft, ground control shelters, and surface vessels. Our TruLink wireless communication system is also NSA Type 1 certified. Telephonics is dedicated to offering the highest quality customer service in the industry. Our Technical Support Services Center located in Elizabeth City, N.C., offers a full range of services including complete turnkey, fully integrated aircraft avionics modifications, radar repair and field support. www.CGF-kmi.com
Lowrance Navico—the parent company to the Lowrance, Simrad Yachting and B&G brands—announced its next-generation, solid-state Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radome, the Lowrance, Simrad and B&G broadband 4G radar models. 4G radar delivers 50 percent greater range and target detection than broadband 3G radar. All 4G radar models feature beam sharpening technology that provides the sharpest-possible radar images. For optimal target separation, broadband 4G radar uses beam sharpening, which improves azimuth resolution. The result is a resolution that is equivalent to a 3.5-foot open array radar. When combined with a Simrad NSE, NSO or B&G Zeus multifunction display, the system’s user-defined, target-
separation control allows users to adjust the level of separation to meet specific navigational needs. All broadband 4G radars provide an unequalled number of working ranges, 18, for premier performance and navigational awareness. Providing intuitive and easy-to-use operation, each model also features pre-defined offshore and harbor modes on all ranges without requiring special tuning knowledge. The system marks objects within two meters of the boat, providing target definition and separation in close quarters where traditional pulse radar is blind. Maintaining high sensitivity and clarity in all weather conditions, the radar provides detail of targets even in highsea states.
Wyse Technology is the global leader in cloud client computing. The Wyse portfolio includes industry-leading thin, zero and cloud PC client solutions with advanced management, desktop virtualization and cloud software supporting desktops, laptops and next-generation mobile devices. Cloud client computing replaces the outdated computing model of the unsecure, unreliable, energy-intensive and expensive PC, all while delivering lower TCO and a superior user experience.
Whether you’re protecting mission-critical data on a classified network or managing a thousand users at a federal medical facility, Wyse cloud client computing is an affordable, low-maintenance solution and the preferred alternative to the PC. When rigorous security and safety are called for, Wyse rises to the challenge with solutions for government applications, guarding sensitive data while offering affordable options for field and military operations.
Carmanah’s Model M704-5 is a self-contained solar-powered LED marine lantern, trusted by the world’s largest maritime authorities. The M704-5 features up to five nautical miles visibility and optional GPS synchronization capability. In use by coast guards, navies and port authorities, the M704-5 solar marine lantern delivers up to 10 years of maintenance-
free operation. (Battery replacement required at 3-5 year mark.) The M704-5 is designed specifically to be vandal and theft-resistant. The M704-5 is engineered to meet requirements of the USCG in 22 CFR part 66 for Private Aids to Navigation and is manufactured in a facility with a quality management system that is certified to ISO 9001:2001. O
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For more information, contact CGF Editor Maura McCarthy at mauram@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.CGF-kmi.com.
www.CGF-kmi.com
CGF 3.6 | 9
Stem
Stratton:
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Stern By CGF editor Maura McCarthy
Following delivery to the Coast Guard on September 2, 2011, Stratton, the service’s third national security cutter, embarked on her shakedown cruise, which included a stop in Baltimore, Md., to showcase the vessel and her capabilities. Replacing the 378-foot high endurance cutters, at 418 feet the NSC is the largest and most technologically advanced class of cutter in the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard plans to acquire eight Legend-class national security cutters which will be the flagship of the service’s recapitalized fleet. On November 1, I had the opportunity to join the crew of the Stratton as they transited from Annapolis to Baltimore. In a sit-down in Stratton’s wardroom, Captain Charles Cashin, commanding officer of the Stratton, explained, “The real benefit that NSCs bring is an improvement of capabilities from what we had before when we would have to return to port more frequently and refuel more often. This class of ship, because of increased endurance and increased sustainment, allows us to be underway longer. When we’re patrolling in places where we’re further away from our port, it allows us to stay on scene longer and better perform the mission. We also have better capabilities on board to take care of the crew, for example habitability is definitely improved; when crews aren’t on watch they get better rest so that when they are on watch they can perform better. The engineering plan is far superior in that it requires less maintenance and is more reliable; we spend less time getting the shipping ready and more time actually using it and performing the missions.” The class is powered by two 9,655 horsepower diesels and one 30,655 horsepower gas turbine to achieve a maximum sustained speed of 28 knots. With a range of 12,000 nautical miles, an 10 | CGF 3.6
NSCs’ typical patrols will last between 90-180 days, although the vessels are able to sustain up to 60 days without replenishment. Enhanced maritime domain awareness is provided by an X- and S- band radar, 3-D air search radar, SPQ-9B radar, AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite and the class is armed with Mk110 57 mm gun, a 20 mm close-in-weapon system (CIWS) and an Mk53 launching system (NUKLA). In terms of air and surface assets, NSCs have the capability to house two helicopters and three cutter boats—two from a stern launch and one from a davit system on the starboard side. Bertholf, Stratton’s sister ship, boasts some significant bragging rights; not only was she the first NSC, but she also houses the Coast Guard’s first SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility) afloat. In March 2011, Bertholf upgraded from her initial one-year authority to operate to a three-year approval from the Department of Homeland Security to operate the SCIF’s Ship’s Signals Exploitation Equipment (SEEE). While Cashin declined to comment on the installation of a SCIF aboard Stratton, he emphasized that, “The cutter has very good command and control and has been designed to work closely with our DoD counterparts and that way we can integrate with combatant command if we deploy as such, it also works well with homeland security and national command and control in that we’re able to provide on scene assessment and sustainability. We can stay in a contaminated environment if the situation ever arises and provided feedback to the overseers.” In a previous interview with Coast Guard Forum, Rear Admiral John Korn, assistant commandant for acquisitions, confirmed that, “Yes, a SCIF will be installed on the first three NSCs for sure. Decisions www.CGF-kmi.com
on the following ones may be affected by the budget but that’s unknown.” The NSCs are a major improvement from the 378s they are replacing. “Stratton is a great ship; the hull design is terrific. We’re very pleased with how it works—the engineering plan allows us great speed, great sea keeping capability. There was a storm warning as we were coming around Hatteras—we didn’t have much more than 9 or 10 foot seas—but the ship has ability to maintain speed through that and still have significant crew comfort,” said Cashin. Stratton is expected to be commissioned in the early spring of 2012 and has a proposed, although unconfirmed, date of March 24, which is her namesake, Dorothy Stratton’s birthday. Stratton plans to train with the Navy in the middle part of 2012. “We will conduct tailored ship training availability; we’ll work primarily off San Diego. Here we’ll do a more formal workup that aims not just to make sure we’re ready to sail, but that we’re ready to operate. We’ll do more than just navigation, seamanship, engineering, we’ll go into our combat systems and work with the Navy on training those crews as well. It’s a broad spectrum training to get us ready for any operation the ship can entertain,” Cashin said. That training is the only scheduled deployment for the Stratton in 2012; the vessel will then conduct a patrol that will most likely focus on fisheries or drug enforcement, although the area of operation has yet to be defined. From bow to stern, Stratton is an impressive vessel and along with the other NSCs will provide the Coast Guard with enhanced
capabilities needed to execute law enforcement maritime homeland security and national defense missions. The Stratton’s motto, “We can’t afford not to,” were words written by Dorothy Stratton of her decision to leave her position as dean of women at Purdue University in order to join the military. These words could not be more appropriate today when considering the national security imperative for this advanced class of ships. In his recent testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on Coast Guard operations in the Arctic, Admiral Papp emphasized the imperative of the cutters, stating, “[A concern of mine] is the Authorization bill’s mandates constraining our ability to procure the national security cutters just as we have stabilized costs and matured their design. While I understand and share the committee’s desire to deliver the most capable and effective replacement for the 12 high endurance cutters, I cannot see how technically challenging and disruptive performance milestones in law achieve this. The NSC is a stable and successful acquisition program now managed by some of the best acquisition professionals in the federal government. This legislation risks disrupting the production schedule, raising costs and jeopardizing the entire NSC project. And I would state here today that the national security cutter is more important to me to carrying out Coast Guard missions in Alaska—but we still need new icebreakers as well.” Construction has begun on the fourth NSC, Hamilton, and the contract has been awarded for the fifth, Joshua James.
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[Photo courtesy of USCG]
[Photo courtesy of MT4]
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Navigation Suite
The third national security cutter, Stratton, completed its acceptance trials with the full suite of Furuno electronics onboard and presented no starred cards. At the heart of NSC Stratton’s navigation suite is Furuno’s 1934C/NT Radar/Chart Plotter, a 4kW, true -color Radar with a range of 48 nautical miles. Part of the well established NavNet vx2 line, the 1934C/NT displays C-Map/NT cartography on a vivid 10.4” color LCD display. Routes and waypoints created on the 1934C/NT are sent to the Furuno NAVpilot 500 smart Autopilot, which maintains accurate course via self-learning algorithms built into the system. With each voyage, NAVpilot learns more about NSC Stratton’s handling characteristics, adjusting the manner in which it handles navigation commands from the Chart Plotter for enhanced accuracy and efficiency. Accurate heading is maintained via Furuno’s PG500R rate-compensated heading sensor, and important navigation data is displayed on the rugged RD30 Remote Data Display. The LH3000 loud hailer rounds out the Stratton’s impressive electronics suite.Prior to acceptance, an NSC must pass more than 400 tests, including approximately 60 conducted during sea trials. Stratton’s builder’s trials this past summer resulted in no major issues with the cutter’s important command, control, communications and computers systems.
Sensors
Since the first installation in 1984, more than 250 FLIR Systems sensors have been installed on various United States Coast Guard platforms. The Star Safire III sensor has been installed on the HC-144A Ocean Sentry medium-range surveillance aircraft for search and rescue, law enforcement, marine environmental protection, military readiness and international ice patrol missions. The system has also been installed on the HC-130J long-range surveillance maritime patrol aircraft. Under the SIRVSS program, a variant of the Star Safire 230-HD stabilized multi-sensor system has been successfully integrated onto the national security cutter, the 270’ medium endurance cutter and the 378’ high endurance cutter. Despite some of the harshest conditions imaginable, FLIR Systems Star Safire products provide the USCG cutters the ability to perform through significantly impairing elements like corrosion, freezing fog and ice. As the needs of the Coast Guard continue to grow, FLIR has developed a fully-marinized Star Safire HD family—the first true family of interchangeable, all-digital, high-definition and single LRU imaging systems providing a full spectrum of ISR capabilities. Each product within the Star Safire HD family shares the same installation hardware and the same user interface hardware and software. FLIR’s marinized long-range and gyrostabilized sensors were developed and tailored for maritime installation to provide maximum sensor range performance and increased capability over typical pan/tilt systems.
Propulsion System
Combined diesel and gas turbines (CODAG) systems are among the most advanced marine propulsion solutions available today and combine the benefits of two systems: for economical long-distance cruising or when traveling at low speed, only the propulsion diesel engines are used, whereas for high-speeds, the gas turbine can be added. Stratton is powered by a CODAG system comprised of two 20-cylinder Series 1163 MTU diesel engines with a combined output of 14,800 kilowatts and a GE LM2500 gas turbine with up to 22,000 kilowatts. If needed, top speeds of more than 28 knots are possible. The German engine manufacturer and systems supplier MTU Friedrichshafen—through its U.S. daughter TOGNUM America—delivered the complete propulsion systems, offering an optimal combination of compact performance and low weight. In addition, MTU provided all subsystems including reduction gearboxes and two variable-pitch propellers, as well as “Callosum MC,” the integrated propulsion monitoring and control system. Specifically tailored for the vessel’s wide range of missions, “Callosum” ensures optimum alignment of acceleration and operational response with the prevailing requirement—so that the technology on board functions reliably, safely and efficiently whenever the Stratton is out at sea.
Davit System
The Allied Marine Crane model DC8600CTS is a USCG Safety of Life at Seas (SOLAS) approved single point davit which can deploy fully loaded rescue boats weighing up to 8,600 pounds in sea state 5 conditions. The DC8600CTS davit is a fully self-contained davit that employs a boat cradle for stowage of the rescue boat integrated into the frame. Other davit features include a SOLAS approved quick release hook, an Allied Constant Tension winch that aids in the launch and recovery of the rescue boat, anti two-block system, and a heavy duty double acting cylinder. The stainless steel hydraulic reservoir, pump and electric motor are integrated into the davit’s unique design for easy maintenance and installation. All Allied davit systems are designed and factory tested for severe duty at sea operations and include an emergency system to launch or recover the boat in the event of loss of power. Allied davits and cranes have been supplied to several U.S. and foreign government agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy. All models are factory tested before shipment to ensure compliance with all certifications, regulations and operations.
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Deck Fittings
Schoellhorn-Albrecht, a veteran-owned small business based in St. Louis, is a manufacturer of a wide range of marine mooring equipment. The deck fittings manufactured for the Stratton were designed and built to the rigorous standards of the Coast Guard. Among the products made for the Stratton are roller fairleads, double bitts and mooring chocks. With over 120 years of experience, Schoellhorn-Albrecht is one of the leading designers and manufacturers of marine deck equipment, dock equipment, and vessel access systems for the U.S. military. In addition to a standard product line, the company specializes in producing marine equipment built to the standards of the military. Recent products include the mooring fittings and special castings for U.S. Coast Guard Icebreakers, buoy tenders and the U.S. Navy’s LPD 17 San Antonio-class, littoral combat ship, LHA-6 and DDG 51 programs.
Wind System
AGI Moriah 15” high end display (HED) receives wind speed, wind direction and meteorological data from the Moriah wind processor unit (WPU). The HED is pre-configured at the factory with several pages of data that is presented in both digital and analog-like format. Each page is presented to display as much data as required by the operator. Displayed data includes relative and true wind speed and wind direction; ship’s speed and heading; ship’s roll and pitch; helicopter launch and recovery envelopes; “Fox Corpen” calculations (computation of ship’s speed and course to achieve a wind speed and direction to safely land the helicopter); meteorological information (air temperature, barometric pressure and relative humidity); health status indication signal back to the WPU. The HED functions are managed by a high speed internal microprocessor. A Linux operating system is used and serial communication is at standard baud rates up to 38,400, using an Ethernet interface 100 BaseFx. The HED processor controls all the functions required to store, distribute and display windrelated data, and calculates Fox Corpen from the true wind and wind launch and recovery envelope parameters for each type of rotary aircraft employed on the ship. The HED has built-in test facilities for display checking, memory testing and other self-tests.
Antenna System
The need for bandwidth continues to grow for maritime applications, much like the rest of the world on land. Mounted near the top of the ship is an antenna system communicating to the satellites in the skies above making sure that personnel aboard the U.S. Coast Guard vessel are getting reliable and up-to-the-minute information from the land. Very small aperture terminals (VSAT) designed specifically for the demanding maritime needs by companies like Sea Tel allow for true broadband experience. These systems have to be stabilized and stay pointed at the satellite no matter how rough the seas are or sharp the turns the ship takes. Until recently, there were four main satellite frequencies such as L, C, Ku and X available to the Coast Guard to chose from for its communication infrastructure. However, Ka-band services that offer higher bandwidths are now on the horizon. In fact, Sea Tel is the only company to date that has announced a new Ku to Ka upgradable 4012 system that will allow Coast Guard to future proof its communications infrastructure and maximizes the return on investment.
H-65 Dolphin
The H-65 Dolphin, built by EADS, is a key element of the Coast Guard’s rotary wing fleet, with more than 100 of these twin-engine aircraft providing reliable performance for the service’s operations. Based on Eurocopter’s proven AS365, this helicopter leverages its highend capabilities, making it particularly well-suited for search and rescue, maritime security, border patrol, monitoring illegal immigration and drug interdiction. The H-65’s dash speed, 350-nautical mile range, automatic flight control, low/no visibility operating capabilities and ability to operate from Coast Guard cutters allow these helicopters to excel while performing the full range of Coast Guard missions. Initially entering the Coast Guard inventory in 1985, the H-65 currently is operated from 18 cities across the United States—including stations that serve the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, Caribbean and Great Lakes region. In addition, this aircraft frequently has been deployed aboard Coast Guard cutters, and has operated from the Arctic to the Antarctic—as well as any other location the service’s forces have been deployed.
[All photos unless otherwise noted are by CGF editor Maura McCarthy.]
For more information, contact CGF Editor Maura McCarthy at mauram@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.CGF-kmi.com.
www.CGF-kmi.com
CGF 3.6 | 15
Compiled by KMI Media Group staff
Coast Guard to Receive up to 5,000 ACR Personal Locator Beacons Cobham has been awarded a Coast Guard contract to supply up to 5,000 406 MHz ACR Electronics personal locator beacons (PLBs), called ResQLink. ACR, a business unit of Cobham Commercial Systems, will provide up to 1,000 units per year under this five-year contract, with a contract extension possible after the fifth year. The ResQLink is small and light enough to hold comfortably in one hand yet powerful enough to guide rescuers to within 100 meters or less of the user’s position in a life-threatening emergency. Many of the GPS-enabled ResQLink PLBs are to be used by the Coast Guard’s small and medium response boat crews.
“ACR Electronics has over many years equipped the U.S. Coast Guard and other branches of the military with satellite detectible beacons and a variety of rescue lights and strobes,” said Michael Wilkerson, ACR’s general manager. “It’s a relationship built on quality, performance and trust.” The ResQLink offers great capability in the smallest and lightest package available today. It combines ease of use and ACR technology to give pilots, boaters and outdoors enthusiasts a powerful and accurate safety companion, ready for action at the simple push of a button. The ResQLink broadcasts a unique registered distress signal that not only tells rescuers where the sender is, but who they
are. The onboard 66 channel GPS can quickly fix the sender’s position to within 100 meters and then utilizes a powerful 406 MHz signal to relay the distress call to orbiting satellites. As local search and rescue is deployed, a separate homing signal and integrated LED strobe light guide rescuers to the sender’s exact position.
Nano-Composite Vessel Sets New Standards Zyvex Technologies announced that it has launched a new division, Zyvex Marine. The new division’s mission is to design and build the most advanced maritime platforms in the world and recently shipped its first production boat, a lightweight 54’ vessel. In early 2009, the world’s first commercialized carbon nanotube enhanced carbon fiber material, Arovex, enabled the design of a prototype vessel called the 540SE. Setting new standards for fuel efficiency and performance, the lightweight 540SE hull offered a 75 percent reduction in fuel consumption costs, translating to increased range and lower operating costs. In 2010, Zyvex manufactured its first prototype craft, the Piranha, taking it from the drawing board and into the water in under one year. “Any company can unveil an eye-catching concept or a photo render of a boat,” said Russell Belden, vice president of design at Zyvex Marine, “We built the Piranha and proved that our designs and technology deliver unmatched performance.” Zyvex Marine is headquartered near Seattle, Wash. “We are the only company building boats out of nanomaterials” said Byron Nutley, vice president and general manager of Zyvex Marine. Composite materials, such as Zyvex’s nanoenhanced carbon fiber Arovex, continue to see greater adoption among boat operators as increased fuel efficiency and reduction in operating costs continue to be primary concerns in the industry. The estimated $2 million Piranha has already demonstrated a fuel consumption rate of 12 gallons per hour at a cruising speed of 24 knots. Compared to a traditional
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boat’s consumption of 50 gallons per hour, a 54’ craft from Zyvex offers a 75 percent reduction in fuel consumption costs. “We’ve proven our technology delivers results, and now we’ve proven we can successfully deliver those results into commercial scale production at Zyvex Marine,” said Lance Criscuolo, president of Zyvex Technologies. “The Piranha is not only tough and capable, it is super-efficient. Better materials make awesome products.” Zyvex Marine is developing new maritime platforms based on the Piranha’s success and customer demand. Two new platforms will be unveiled later this year.
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New RB-S Fleet Metal Shark Aluminum Boats has been awarded a contract to replace the U.S. Coast Guard’s fleet of response boat-small (RB-S) vessels. Up to 470 boats will be delivered across the Coast Guard fleet, an additional 20 boats will be available to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and another 10 slated for purchase by the U.S. Navy. The $192 million contract is one of the largest boat buys of its kind for the Coast Guard and provides a significant economic boost to the state of Louisiana. To better manage the increase in manufacturing requirements, Metal Shark plans to expand its 65,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Jeanerette while increasing its production team of skilled aluminum welders, rigging and electronics experts, and installation professionals from 80 to 120 employees over the next six months. Based on Metal Shark’s Defiant platform, the 28-foot RB-S is powered by twin 225 hp Honda outboards for speeds exceeding 40 knots with a minimum range of 150 nautical miles. RB-S meets all Port Security Grant requirements and is ideally suited for port and waterway enforcement, search and rescue operations, drug and coastal interdiction, environmental and other law enforcement missions. The boat is road transportable for service between missions and may also be transported via C-130 aboard a specialized trailer.
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RB-S also includes a full complement of communications and navigation gear, as well as shock-mitigating seats for enhanced crew comfort. The crew is further protected from foes—and the elements—by a fullyenclosed cabin enhanced with ballistic materials. The vessel’s side and rear windows drop down to improve crew communication and ventilation. RB-S is also weapons-ready, with multiple weapons racks and an integrated weapons-ready mounting system at the bow. The forward-mounted gunner’s platform provides 180-degree firing capability while a pass-through hatch leads to the cabin for easy access in any conditions. Metal Shark sells directly to qualified government and commercial organizations, and custom-builds all boats to mission specifications. Metal Shark products are also available for purchase using General Service Administration (GSA) Supply Schedule 084. GSA pricing is also available to state, county, and municipal agencies qualifying under the 1122 Counterdrug Program. A subsidiary of Gravois Aluminum Boats LLC, Metal Shark offers a lineup of CBRN, law enforcement, military, fire/rescue, and commercial vessels ranging from 16 to 65 feet. Metal Shark’s all-aluminum construction provides a solid, durable and low-maintenance platform built to withstand extreme conditions.
Coast Guard Awards Contract for Cutter Services Eaton Corporation recently announced it has been awarded an engineering services contract from the U.S. Coast Guard, in conjunction with Integrated Marine Services, valued at approximately $20 million. “Our team of certified engineers and expertise in electrical power management will help the Coast Guard keep its vessels running safely and efficiently while increasing load carrying capacity, and providing system protection and monitoring.” Under the contract, Eaton will provide electrical infrastructure preventative maintenance services, including circuit breaker retrofits and replacements, and power service inspection and testing, for up to 12 Coast Guard cutter vessels in San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco and Hawaii. “This is a great opportunity for Eaton to support the Coast Guard through our operational maintenance expertise,” said Ken Narod, director, Government Sales and Solutions, Eaton Corporation. “Our team of certified engineers and expertise in electrical power management will help the Coast Guard keep its vessels running safely and efficiently while increasing load carrying capacity, and providing system protection and monitoring.” Eaton’s services will be commissioned for up to five and a half years, though the Coast Guard aims to complete the project in two years. During periods of vessel availability, Eaton will provide necessary tools, materials and approved test equipment along with the services of experienced and knowledgeable marine switchboard and circuit breaker service engineers. Specifically, the commissioned Eaton engineers will perform circuit breaker overhaul and refurbishment, control panel inspections and testing, electrical preventative maintenance, and any additional electrical engineering service required, before providing Coast Guard representatives with a comprehensive service report.
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Threat Identifier
Q& A
Securing and Safeguarding the Maritime Environment Rear Admiral Paul Zukunft Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship Rear Admiral Zukunft assumed his current position as assistant commandant for marine safety, security and stewardship in May of 2010. He is responsible for developing and promulgating national marine safety, security and environmental protection doctrine, policy, and regulations, as well as ensuring policy alignment throughout the federal government and with international maritime partners. In addition, he leads and oversees the important work of numerous federal advisory committees and international partnerships related to marine safety, security, and environmental protection. He recently served as the federal-on-scene-coordinator for the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf where he directed federal, state and local agencies in response efforts. His previous Headquarters flag assignments included the director of response policy and the assistant commandant for capability. Zukunft has also served as the commander, Eleventh Coast Guard District. His responsibilities as district commander included command and control over all Coast Guard missions along the Pacific coast from California to Chile culminating in the removal of more than 120 tons of cocaine; 5,800 lives saved; safety and security of three of our nation’s top five port complexes; and implementation of the Transportation Worker’s Identification Credential to more than 75,000 members of the maritime industry. Zukunft’s first Flag assignment was as the director, Joint Interagency Task Force West. In that capacity, he served as U.S. Pacific Command’s executive agent for strategic planning and tactical execution of counter drug related activities throughout 41 countries and across more than 105 million square miles. He was promoted to Flag rank in 2006. His senior staff assignments included chief of operations, Coast Guard Pacific Area and chief of operations oversight, Coast Guard Atlantic Area where he directly supervised all major cutter operations in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. He also served as chief of staff, at the Fourteenth Coast Guard District in Honolulu. Zukunft has commanded six units and served extensively in the cutter fleet where he commanded the cutters Cape Upright, Harriet Lane and Rush. He also served as chief of Port Operations, Marine Safety Office (now Sector) Corpus Christi where he supervised a $100 million Superfund clean-up. Zukunft graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in government; from Webster University in 1988 with a Master of Arts degree in management; and from the U.S. Naval War College in 1997 with a Master of Arts degree in strategic studies and international affairs. He is a graduate of the Asia Pacific Center for Strategic Studies Executive Seminar and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government National Preparedness Leadership Initiative course. He wears the permanent Cutterman pin and his personal awards include the Department of Homeland Security Distinguished Service 18 | CGF 3.6
Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (2), Meritorious Service medal with “O” device (5); Coast Guard Commendation Medal (2) and Coast Guard Achievement medal with “O” device (2). Rear Admiral Zukunft was interviewed by CGF editor Maura McCarthy Q: Could you offer a brief sketch of your background and experience in the Coast Guard? How have your past commands prepared you to be assistant commandant for marine safety, security, and stewardship? A: Over my career I’ve had six commands, so I have a lot of experience leading at the very front. A number of those have been at sea, but I’ve also commanded a district and a joint interagency task force doing global counter-drug efforts. Since my title is marine safety, security and stewardship, when I was a lieutenant I was also the chief of port operations at a marine safety office, which are now called sectors. I was very involved in marine safety programs, which is somewhat unique in our service as usually there are two discreet career paths; I was able to that but also spent a lot of time doing more fundamental law enforcement, counter-drug and migrant interdiction operations as well. www.CGF-kmi.com
Q: In Admiral Papp’s State of the Coast Guard address he outlined four pillars to help guide the Coast Guard in its work, which included sustaining mission excellence, recapitalizing and building capacity, enhancing crisis response and management, and preparing for the future. How as assistant commandant for marine safety, security and stewardship can you implement this guidance? A: The commandant has actually given me some specific guidance, especially in regard to sustaining mission excellence. I’m leading an overhaul of some of our specialized capabilities, we’re calling it a Stem to Stern review, of some high-end capabilities the Coast Guard acquired post-9/11, particularly with our maritime safety and security teams and our enhanced capabilities that are almost on par with what special operations programs do. I’m certainly leading that effort. On recapitalization, I come from a cutter fleet and I can speak firsthand of the challenges that I faced—at that time operating a 40-year-old cutter, which was almost 10 years ago—in the Bering Sea. The challenges were really on the crew to keep that cutter mission ready; when I go back to my command assignments and think of the need for recapitalization, it’s really felt hardest on the people that we ask—and require—to maintain these aging platforms to conduct our nation’s business. As far as enhancing crisis management, I was the federal-on-scene coordinator and was in the Gulf for seven months last year leading the effort for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response. Actually, I just signed out a fairly lengthy federal-on-scene coordinator’s report that outlines all of the activities that we undertook, many of which are not in our national contingency plan, which will help prepare us in the future for worst case scenarios, especially as we look in the Arctic where there are drilling initiatives afoot. How do we prepare to respond in a contingency in a remote arctic region? The other aspect of preparing for the future is preparing to sustain mission excellence in what is looking to be a very budget-constrained environment, certainly with the budget control act that was passed the day after Coast Guard day on August 5, 2011. That act applies to all services, all agencies. What that means in my line of work is questioning how we better integrate our work with those of the other DHS components and continue to leverage the relationships we have with DoD. Q: Could you discuss the Coast Guard’s approach to maritime border security? A: This has been, I think for some, when we talk about prevention and response, probably not widely understood. We really look at that and we ask how we can preserve the resiliency of the global supply chain. That really starts at a point of departure for any ship destined for the U.S. That outermost layer of the border, if you will—you always hear about a layered security regime—the outermost layer is really in the foreign ports of the countries with which the U.S. conducts trade. We have an international port security liaison program where Coast Guard officers go out to hundreds of foreign ports and then use the international port security code as a checklist to audit that port’s ability to abide by international port security regimes. If they are found to be in compliance then we have a good trade agreement with them, but for those ports and countries who are not in compliance, any ship that would stop at that port, or in any of its previous five ports prior to coming to the U.S., would be subject to more stringent boarding and inspection regimes upon arrival to the U.S. That is one layer—determining where the high threats are overseas. www.CGF-kmi.com
The next layer is when a vessel over 300 gross tons is coming into the U.S., they are required to provide at least 96 hours of advance notice of arrival. With that advance notice information—cargo and crew information—we work with Customs and Border Patrol at the National Targeting Center, and prior to its arrival we go through a very detailed vetting of the crew, their background, the cargo and the shippers, to determine what threat the crew or cargo may pose to the U.S. This then informs the captain of the port: one, do we allow the vessel to enter, and two, if we do, do we need to apply additional safeguards prior to that vessel’s arrival? That’s just in our day-to-day trade on the international scheme; probably more of the familiar aspect of border security is our counterdrug activity. We have 44 bilateral agreements with other nations, primarily in the source zone where drugs come from, and a number of these countries don’t have the means to conduct detection, monitoring or interdiction of drugs, especially on vessels that transit the waters of those nations. We’re forward deployed in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific where many of these drugs originate and we conduct law enforcement on behalf of those countries, including the interdiction and prosecution. Similarly, where we have significant migrant flow, especially in the Straits of Florida, we have vessels pre-positioned to apprehend the smuggling vessels, particularly since we’re responsible for the protection of life at sea and second to make sure those people don’t gain illegal entry into the U.S. Q: How will the new Maritime Operations Coordination Plan facilitate information sharing and coordination across DHS components? A: The Coast Guard has a program of record called Watchkeeper; it’s an information sharing tool if you will. Our concern would be that some of these information sharing systems become proprietary; if they become proprietary what they do is create stovepipes within the interagency process. Using this Watchkeeper system, it allows us to share information, not just across the DHS enterprise, but also with our port stakeholders. Not just providing them situational awareness, but also with the ability to coordinate operations. As we look in a resource-constrained environment, we may have a vessel that poses a threat, maybe in a given day we have Coast Guard boats and cutters that are conducting emergent search and rescue; this allows us to work with other port partners—CBP, maybe harbor police—where we can leverage their platforms so we can continue to conduct the mission. What it does is bring all of port-centric law enforcement into a common operating picture, to not just share information but also to coordinate operations. Q: What are the challenges, or competing priorities when developing doctrine and policy during these austere economic times when the Coast Guard must do more with less? A: I think that’s been our mission since 1790 when we started with 10 revenue cutters to enforce trade laws for a young nation. With that said, we’ve never been more relevant; there are new fronts that have opened up, particularly in the Arctic, and that does present a challenge for us. Our immediate concern is recapitalization of our aging fleet. These are very capable but very expensive platforms in what portends to be very austere budget times. At the same time, today we have one operational ice breaker, cutter Healy. The Polar Star is undergoing a life extension program and we’re preparing to decommission cutter Polar Sea. In the not too distant future, our capacity in the Arctic will CGF 3.6 | 19
diminish, short of a recapitalization of our ice breaking fleet in the Arctic—that is certainly a challenge as well. If this year is any indication— and I don’t attribute it necessarily to global climate change, although some do—we’re seeing more frequent and severe events, whether it’s earthquakes in Haiti, flooding in the Midwest, or frequent hurricanes with flooding. The second order effects these may have as well, especially the displacement of people in underprivileged countries, such as Haiti, may trigger a mass migration. As we look out the window and not too far over the horizon, we certainly see more challenges ahead but also a resource base that is dwindling. You might ask, ‘How do we deal with that?’ We don’t have a force in garrison if you will. I was involved in the Haiti earthquake and just like after Katrina, in Haiti the Coast Guard was the first to have resources on scene. Our secretary asked us how we did that. Well, we were already down there doing drug and migrant interdiction operations. We shifted to do humanitarian relief in Haiti, but in order to do humanitarian relief we were no longer doing migrant interdiction or counter-drug operations, so it really comes down to a triage approach: What is the highest priority mission for the United States and the Coast Guard in those contingencies?
is very constrained. There is a trend over the last four years toward increased human activity in the Arctic—everything from cargo ships using that route as a shortcut between Asia and Europe, to ecotourism and passenger vessels travelling there in the summer months. Probably even more pressing is an initiative on behalf of Shell Corporation to do exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea, probably within next eight to 10 months in the late spring of 2012. What would happen if we had a Deepwater Horizon event in the Arctic? We’re severely constrained in terms of the muster of response organization. We had 47,000 people working at the peak of the Deepwater Horizon response, whereas in Barrow, Alaska, I think you’d be hard-pressed to put up more than 100 people there, let alone the tens of thousands required; infrastructure is clearly a big challenge. At the same time, as a nation we are looking to provide more independence from foreign sources of oil and to go a little more domestic. There’s a fine balance of meeting economic security needs while at the same time balancing the environmental risks associated with that. Ultimately, how do you establish the necessary infrastructure—ships, piers, hangars—to be ready for a contingency in the Arctic? Infrastructure, bottom line, is our biggest challenge in the Arctic domain.
Q: How does the Coast Guard leverage its domestic and international strategic partnerships when it comes to drug and migrant interdiction?
Q: As federal-on-scene-coordinator for the Deepwater Horizon incident, what lessons did you learn and how will the Coast Guard integrate them?
A: Primarily through our bilateral agreement process. As I mentioned we have 44 counter-drug bilateral agreements; we have a Coast Guard flag officer as the director of our JIATF both in Key West and Honolulu for the Asia Pacific region. This becomes a rallying point for forging international relationships, sharing information, and adjudicating the prosecution of cases. In fact, on at least a weekly basis we work through a process known as the Maritime Operational Threat Response Program. If we interdict a vessel at sea carrying drugs, maybe it’s a stateless vessel, it may have a number of different nationalities on board, we convene a call—all hours of the night—with Department of Justice, State Department, Homeland Security, DoD— just to name a few—to determine how we want to prosecute this case. Do we want to bring this case to the U.S. or do we want to return it to either the home state of those nationals or to the flag state of the vessel? It’s done in a collaborative process, which is important when you go back to the Simas Kudirka case in the early 1970s, where the Coast Guard unilaterally made a determination to remove a Russian defector, which quickly escalated into an international incident. Through this process, we are able to convene a whole of government—not just a call, but a coordination process—to determine who the lead agency is and what the ultimate disposition of a given case may be. This again works across the interagency and international spectrum.
A: I think the first thing we learned was when the drilling companies submit a lease—back then it would go to Minerals Management Services—and within that lease they would determine what the worst case discharge would be. In the case of the Deepwater Horizon, if we were to look at their oil spill response plan based on that vessel—Deepwater Horizon had a capacity of about 1 million gallons of fuel. So we were looking at that vessel from a million gallons of fuel that it had, but our planning activity didn’t take into account that it was working over a reservoir that may contain 300 million barrels of fuel. There was a big gap between our review process and back then Mineral Management Service; we have since made that correction. We concurrently review these plans with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement [BOEMRE] and Coast Guard to look at that. Another thing I learned firsthand in the Gulf was that many of these communities have been exposed time and time again to the Stafford Act due to natural disasters—hurricanes—that fall under a national response framework, which is really driven from the state up to the federal level orspill of national significance, we’ve done a number of exercises, but we have not had a spill of national significance since the Exxon Valdez, so it’s been over 20 years. These communities were not attuned to the nuances of the national contingency plan, which is very much driven from the federal level down. The awkwardness within the national contingency plan is that the responsible party is also responsible for the cleanup. So, you’re working in a community that first of all sees the responsible party as the bad guy, but also as the one doing the cleanup. My role as the federal-on-scene coordinator was to ensure the responsible party is doing everything required to minimize the impact of the spill. The perception is that the federal government is aiding and abetting the responsible party. That was just the perception that we had to overcome. A more significant challenge was the technology that was required to control the well—we could keep skimming and burning and dispersing oil until the cows came home, but every day we had a major spill occur and that happened for 87 consecutive days. The real
Q: As the Arctic becomes increasingly more navigable, what challenges do you see for the Coast Guard in developing marine safety, security and environmental protection policy and then executing this mission? A: Our biggest challenge right now is infrastructure. I actually participated in the deliberations on the Arctic Council with the eight Arctic Council nations, and we signed a binding search and rescue agreement, basically a treaty, which lays out a number of protocols. If there were to be a mass rescue requirement in the Arctic, our ability to get there, establish communications, to have full situational awareness 20 | CGF 3.6
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challenge was stopping the source of the oil spill 5,000 feet below the surface. In order to do that you need remotely operated vehicles, you need all the different approaches that were used—we had junk shots, top kills, top hats, capping stack, which was the final procedure that killed it, and then the relief wells that were drilled. None of these technologies exist within the federal government. There were a number of pursuits for the federal government to take over the spill, but if we in fact had to relieve BP of those duties, we would have had to turn around to another oil company to provide that technology because again, that does not exist in the federal government. Another key point in what we came to appreciate is that the solvency of a responsible party is equally critical. When I left at the end of last year in December, the cost to date of the response was already in excess of $16 billion. If the feds were to have taken that over, or if we had a non-solvent responsible party, it would be then incumbent upon the federal government to provide those dollars. Again, it comes down to austere budget times—that was not a cost that we want to bear. The final piece is how do you stay in front of the news and not just react to it, and that is a challenge whether it’s a hurricane, fire, oil spill or any event. It did challenge our ability to consolidate all the information, to get it out in a coherent fashion to the national media outlets, and to do so in a way that would inspire public trust. The way I found to finally do that, was for almost every press release I did, I took the media in a helicopter or plane out to the source, to the front line of where the action was. To really lead the operation from the front, you can’t lead it from an air-conditioned office and provide third-hand reports, you really have to provide firsthand reports to provide credibility that the federal government has full situational awareness. I think a quote Admiral Allen and I used was that it was an ‘all hands on deck’ response. Q: What do you see as the most pressing tasks for the Coast Guard in the year ahead? A: Clearly, how do we balance a declining budget with an aging fleet and ultimately recapitalize our aging fleet? To date we’ve done quite well, but we’ve gone through a period of nearly 10 consecutive years of budgetary growth and those days have ended; I see that as a challenge and a task for us, especially here in D.C. Mission excellence, as I alluded to, will be a challenge. There are going to be days where some missions may take priority over others; we have 11 statutory missions. During Deepwater Horizon we pulled in about seven of our buoy tenders who do aids to navigation to respond to an oil spill. In order to provide mission excellence we will have to, on a daily basis, assess what our greatest risks and requirements are to be able to meet those needs. Finally, this probably goes back to the beginning of our conversation, I’ve had the great pleasure of having a number of various commands, and the last ship I left had a very complex systems of weapons, fire control, turbines. When you’re the commanding officer of a ship, you probably know how to flip eggs, apply paint, but you’re not the subject matter expert in all of the systems who keep the platform running. It’s fairly junior enlisted people who are the backbone of our service, and as we look at the challenges ahead we need to be very mindful of the future leaders of our Coast Guard, who are those very junior people right now. They look to us to provide a sense of optimism that we will work through this budget cycle and we will come out just as strong a Coast Guard as we went in. Q: What are some of the most significant lessons you’ve learned since assuming your current position? www.CGF-kmi.com
A: I would go back to last year’s Deepwater Horizon incident. There was a tendency to say that the Coast Guard should just take charge of this; however, there’s a fine distinction between what I call unity of effort and unity of command. Unity of command works very well in a hierarchical organization such as that which exists in DoD. I didn’t have that with the 47,000 responders; on any given day, all but the 7,000 Coasties could have walked off the job and I would have been left hanging. So, how do you build unity of effort? I actually went to a course at Harvard to try to get a little bit smarter on this. At the Kennedy School of Government they teach a course called the National Preparedness Leadership Institute; they have a term called meta-leadership. It’s the principles of how you lead up an organization, how you lead down, and how you lead horizontally. In the context of the Deepwater Horizon, when it came to leading up, it went up as high as the White House; when it came to leading down it came down to impoverished communities that depend on the sea for their livelihood and how you connect with them. Leading horizontally was how do I provide leadership to all of the people trying to minimize the impact of the spill? The other component is how you communicate strategically. I’m not the smartest guy in the room, so the key is to make sure you find the smartest people, make sure you surround yourself with them, and make sure you don’t have yes people. You want them to tell you, ‘Emperor, you have no clothes.’ I really found that surrounding yourself with smart people and applying common sense, and when you communicate, communicate so that it makes sense and everyone understands what you’re saying, was critical. Q: Do you have any closing thoughts? A: I was just up at the Coast Guard Academy when the new class of swabs came in; when you look at the diversity of people and the talents they bring into the service, I think our future looks very bright. I’ll give you one quick sea story. My last command afloat was on the cutter Rush, one of our high-endurance cutters, and I would meet with our new graduates from Cape May all the way up to the chiefs and officers in focus groups. So as I was meeting with our new graduates—we call them non-rates, but I just call them seamen or firemen—the first question I asked them was, ‘How many of you have graduated from high school?’ 100 percent. ‘How many of you have been to college but didn’t complete it?’ 60-70 percent.’How many of you have an associate degree?’ About 40 percent. ‘How many have undergraduate degrees?’ About 25 percent. ‘How many have master’s degrees?’ About 10 percent. Ten percent of that crew, journeymen in the Coast Guard, had master’s degrees. So I asked one, ‘What did you do before enlisting in the Coast Guard?’ He was a little bit older. And he says that he worked for a major defense contractor. I asked where he went to school and he said, ‘MIT. I have a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.’ I thought, ‘Why did you enlist, you were making six figures?’ He said he wanted to be a naval engineer in the Coast Guard and the only way to learn it is to learn from the bilges up. The rest of the story was that one of our engines broke in the Bering Sea, we had a four strath blower without a spare part, but we had a machine shop on board. So we call this kid up and tell him we’re down hard in the Bering Sea in the winter, can you help us out? He says, ‘Sure, I’ll have it fixed in 90 minutes.’ Sure enough, he had us back up and running. That’s just an anecdote of the quality and strength of our people. With people like that, I’m very comfortable that as my service is probably in its twilight, the dawn of the next generation of the Coast Guard men and women coming up is brighter than it’s ever been before. O CGF 3.6 | 21
By Lieutenant Junior Grade Wade Thomson and Ensign Richard Russell In the early morning hours on January 3, 2011, the floating dry dock known as “Big Blue� for its signature blue paint job sank unexpectedly at its station near the mouth of Inner Apra Harbor, Guam. A critical facility servicing the U.S. maritime fleet, the $70 million dry dock that once had reign over large-scale vessel contracts in the Pacific Ocean and Philippine Sea was in jeopardy. The salvage job presented a challenge that experts had never before seen: a floating dry dock designed to sink and raise itself with a large vessel onboard was now sunken accidentally and unable to recover. More than just a complex recovery operation, the 26-year-old dry dock potentially carried untold amounts of 22 | CGF 3.6
marine pollutants. In the days immediately following the sinking, concerns ran high in the public over the pollution risks. U.S. Coast Guard officials from Sector Guam immediately took to the task of pollution and safety assessments. U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy marine engineers provided safety oversight for the operation, which also was a potential hazard to navigation. If the dry dock slipped its anchorage and moved, or if oily waste had leaked from its tanks, it could have hampered operations in the highly valuable Navy and Coast Guard port and threatened neighboring environmentally sensitive areas. www.CGF-kmi.com
Historical Fixture Its original name given by the Navy was the Machinist Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock 8 (AFDB-8). The now weathered and not so brightly colored dry dock has had a notable history, even before its service in Guam. In 1986, Big Blue, known then as “Machinist,” was built in Bremerhaven, Germany, by the Seebeck Shipbuilding Yard. At 825 feet long and 175 feet wide, upon completion the dry dock was then heavy lifted from Germany on a lengthy transit to Subic Bay, Philippines. Once in the Philippines, the Machinist was commissioned into service by the Navy in 1988 and remained there for four years supporting several Department of Defense ships. In 1992, as the Navy withdrew from Subic Bay, the dry dock was towed to Hawaii and was in the inactive fleet until 1999. The Machinist was removed from the Naval Register in 1999 and sold to Guam Shipyard in 2000. In 2004, the Machinist was put back in operation. Acquiring Big Blue and keeping it in Guam enabled Guam Shipyard to offer repair services in a very remote region of the Pacific, where similar facilities did not exist. Under the Jones Act, U.S. flagged vessels must use U.S. shipyards for dry dock repairs. Being the only operational dry dock facility in the region, keeping Big Blue in service was of the upmost importance to Guam Shipyard. Without it, the closest availability of dry dock services for larger U.S. military ships operating in the Western Pacific would be Hawaii, a distance of more than 3,000 nautical miles.
Costly Combination Going into its 25th year of service, Big Blue was in need of significant repairs. In the middle of these repairs on January 3, 2011, Coast Guard Sector Guam received an alarming notification from Navy Harbor Security: Big Blue was sinking, possibly on fire and adrift in Outer Apra Harbor. Personnel from all of Coast Guard Sector Guam’s departments and Station Apra Harbor were alerted and Coast Guard small boats rushed to the incident scene. Station Apra Harbor deployed a 25-foot RB-S, a small, rigid hull inflatable boat, which surveyed the waters around the dry dock, locating floating debris and to verify no people were onboard Big Blue or in the water. Shore-side responders quickly confirmed with Guam Shipyard that no employees were on board, ruling out the need for a search and rescue case. After an initial assessment, the situation was not as grave as originally reported. Several electrical panels had submerged beneath the waterline, causing sparks as electricity continued to flow through the lines before shorting out. However, the floating dry dock that once sat well above the water was merely three feet above the water at its lowest point, with several compartments that should have been watertight completely flooded.
[Photos courtesy of Sector Guam]
Coast Guard Response As the sun rose on January 3, Coast Guard Sector Guam began the process to establish a Unified Command with Guam Environmental Protection Agency and Guam Shipyard to manage the recovery process. With the Unified Command and Incident Command System in place, the assessment of the dry dock and overall planning began. “The primary concerns throughout the response [were] the safety of responders and mitigating the pollution threat,” said Captain Sparks during an interview with local media. “Of particular concern to us [were] turtle nesting grounds in Sumay and Clipper coves as well as Sasa Bay, and also some fish hatchery areas of concern in between those areas,” he said. The best thing that could have happened is for nothing to get into the water.
Hazards: Pollution, Debris, and Worker Safety Guam Shipyard officials reported no signs of petroleum leaking from the dry dock’s oil tanks the following day after a team of divers conducted a survey of the www.CGF-kmi.com
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dock. “There were reports of a minor sheen some time [the day after the sinking]. It’s hard to know the source of that, but if nothing else there was enough residual grease and oil products on the deck of the dry dock itself that could have caused the sheen,” said Sparks. Floating boom was deployed as a precaution in case of a pollutant release and Navy helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 (HSC-25) assisted by taking aerial photos of Big Blue and the surrounding waters to ensure there were no signs of oil or debris that could become hazards to navigation. Initial estimates indicated that a potential 83,000 gallons of wastewater, a mixture of oil or diesel with seawater, could be on Big Blue. After reviewing schematics of the dry dock, several tanks potentially filled with oil products were identified. Soundings of all known tanks on Big Blue needed to be conducted to confirm the total potential discharge, a first priority for the response. “Identifying all the tanks and where the pollutants were that was the biggest challenge,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Aaron Swanson, who works in pollution mitigation at Sector Guam and was assigned as a documentation specialist for this incident. To further assist with the response, Sector Guam brought in a member from the Coast Guard District Response Advisory Team, Lieutenant Junior Grade Ryan Dickson, based in Honolulu, and three members of the Pacific Strike Team, BMC Benjamin Gamad, YN1 Benedict Lizama and MK2 Kurt Stricklen, to assist Guam Shipyard with establishing recovery goals and bringing forward the necessary expertise to ensure all fuel and oil was removed from Big Blue with no impact to the environment. Once enough of the machinery space was dewatered, the first tank identified on Big Blue as a pollution threat was a diesel generator fuel tank with a capacity of 22,000 gallons. After testing fuel transfer lines, Sector Guam reviewed the fuel transfer plan, allowing Guam Shipyard to transfer diesel fuel from Big Blue to a tank on a Guam Shipyard tug boat, Marianas Voyager.
Mitigating the Pollution Threat The process began at the rate of 480 gallons per hour transferred from the generator fuel tank. This tank was the largest source of fuel known to be on the dry dock and a significant step in mitigating potential negative environmental impact. The following
[Photo courtesy of Sector Guam]
day, Guam Shipyard successfully transferred approximately 11,000 gallons of diesel fuel onto the tug Marianas Voyager, emptying the diesel fuel tank aboard Big Blue ahead of schedule. With the diesel fuel removed from Big Blue, Guam Shipyard moved forward with plans to remove oily wastewater from the machinery space that was still submerged. Guam Shipyard purchased additional pumps
[Photos courtesy of Sector Guam]
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in a determined effort to increase their ability to remove more water from the dry dock. ProductTotal Removed Total Remaining Dewatering efforts continued in the dry dock’s starboard side machinery space. This machinery space Diesel Engine Fuel Oil 10,633 gals 0 contained a lube oil tank and sludge oil tank. Every precaution was taken to remove the oily water mixture Lube Oil 100 gals 0 from the machinery space. At this point in the response, approximately 41,000 gallons of sea water that mixed Oily Water (machinery space) 96,995 gals 0 with oily residue from the machinery space had been transferred off Big Blue to isolation tanks. Around-theOily Water (sludge tank) 707 gals 0 clock dewatering operations within a few days removed nearly 97,000 gallons of oily wastewater from Big Blue’s Oily Water (machinery wash) 3,983 gals 0 starboard side machinery space. With the oily wastewater removed, workers were able to work safely in the All Products Removed 101,685 gals machinery space of the dry dock. Several days later, around the second week of the [Courtesy of Sector Guam] response, workers were able to safely reach the last known remaining fuel sources aboard the dry dock: a lube oil tank and a sludge tank. Once the transfer lines were tested, portion of which rested unevenly on the sea floor. Underwater damtransfers began on both tanks, removing 100 gallons of lubricant age surveys and repairs were conducted by local dive crews, and oil from the lube oil tank and another 707 gallons of waste oil from Guam Shipyard workers kept water pumps working around the the sludge tank. clock during the entire two month span to maintain buoyancy and With all known oil products removed from Big Blue, activities keep the dry dock from sinking completely. Coast Guard personnel below the water started, as divers worked to re-establish watertight stood watch alongside shipyard and salvage workers throughout the integrity of other spaces still submerged. Guam Shipyard workers entire operation, ensuring basic safety precautions were adhered to also moved forward on the meticulous process of cleaning the diesel by all personnel. No injuries were reported throughout the process. engine and internal pumping equipment, which would eventually Further engineering oversight was provided by Coast Guard and enable the dry dock to rise under its own power. Navy specialists flown to Guam from off-island. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center Salvage Engineering Response Team Lieutenant Michael Venturella and Lieutenant Andrew Czarniak reviewed the A Team Salvage and Recovery Effort salvage plan drafted by salvage master Resolve and naval architects from Heger. Captain Stephen Reimers and Lieutenant Commander The complex operation of raising the dry dock required input, Derek Peterson of U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet’s Fleet Maintenance, planning and oversight from a number of experts in varied disciCommander Norman Maples of Navy Base Guam, and Lieutenant plines. By early afternoon March 3, 2011, 61 days after the sinking, a Commander Derek Peterson from 7th Fleet Diving and Salvage multi-agency team of marine salvage contractors and military safety Operations, were on scene to augment Coast Guard oversight oversight representatives witnessed the raising of Big Blue almost to throughout the process. its designed floating state, its wings reaching several stories above the water line. The 12-hour operation started the night before, with water pumping operations that drained the dry dock’s flooded comMission Complete partments incrementally. Big Blue rose throughout the morning on March 3, see-sawing The raising of Big Blue on March 3 was completed with no its way upward out of the water. Jets of seawater spray could be seen injuries, no pollution and no hazards to navigation. Divers worked shooting out the pressure relief valves like geysers as a result of air to patch all openings in the dry dock’s hull, and Guam Shipyard offiexpanding from a pressurized state inside buoyancy tanks as the cials expected to complete repairs and get the dry dock back to full structure was brought to the surface from as far as 60 feet below. operation, continuing its service to U.S. ships in the Pacific region. Just days later, on the 66th day of operations, the Coast Guard, Navy and contractors reconvened during the final stages of dewatering. Unique Technical Challenge The respective parties deemed the major risks of pollution and personnel hazards averted and demobilized the Unified Command, The successful 12-hour operation took more than a month of ending Coast Guard oversight of the operation. O preparation. Underwater salvage experts were hired by Guam Shipyard early in the salvage process and worked 40 days to raise Big Blue. Numerous high-surf advisories during those weeks stressed the importance of safety throughout the process, but delays in starting the salvage were not a result of nature’s intervention. Rather, the unique engineering aspects of Big Blue posed challenges to salvage crews that required creative thinking and research. For more information, contact CGF Editor Maura McCarthy Before the lifting could take place, massive cranes were used at mauram@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.CGF-kmi.com. to offload heavy equipment on the open decks of the submerged dry dock to relieve pressure from the compromised structure, a www.CGF-kmi.com
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On the Run
The Coast Guard’s successful drug interdictions exemplify the service’s role in maritime law enforcement—and demonstrate the need for a recapitalized fleet. By CGF Editor Maura McCarthy
In mid-July the Coast Guard interdicted the first self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) vessel in the Western Caribbean, which led to the first underwater drug recovery from an SPSS vessel. After a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) maritime patrol airplane spotted the suspect vessel and alerted the cutter Seneca to its location, the CBP airplane, a Coast Guard pursuit boat and a HITRON (Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron) air asset engaged to apprehend the SPSS. The team interdicted the vessel and detained its crew before the vessel sank. The mission—which recovered $160 million dollars worth of cocaine off the ocean floor—demonstrated the importance of maritime law enforcement partnerships and the proper tools for countering narco-terrorists. In 2010 alone, the Coast Guard removed 202,439 pounds of cocaine and 36,739 pounds of marijuana from the drug transit zone; the newest—although not yet validated—figures as of September 2011 put Coast Guard removal at 150,696 pounds of cocaine and 26,659 pounds of marijuana. During the first deployment of Waesche, the service’s second national security cutter, the vessel seized 500 kilograms of cocaine—with an estimated street value of $25 million—in a 48-hour period. Most recently, in late November cutters Bertholf and Boutwell interdicted more than 2,470 pounds of cocaine and detained 12 suspects in three separate missions during a one-week period.
Partnerships & Laws When it comes to drug interdiction, the Coast Guard has a unique military law enforcement role: “We’re the only U.S. government agency with both the capability and the authority to conduct maritime law enforcement outside U.S. territorial waters. Other agencies or services may have authority but not capability, others may have capability but not authority, we have both which makes us a great tool,” said Lou Orsini, senior maritime law enforcement advisor for the Coast Guard Office of Law Enforcement. For example, the Coast Guard will deploy LEDETS (law enforcement detachments) aboard Navy ships—who have the capability but not the authority— bringing their law enforcement authority with them and increasing effectiveness in conducting counter drug interdiction and apprehension. LEDETS are also deployed aboard allied naval ships from the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Canada in the transit zone—the 6 million square mile drug transit zone between South America and U.S. 26 | CGF 3.6
Such partnerships are critical and the Coast Guard works routinely with the Departments of State, Justice, Defense, the FBI, DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and DHS partners CBP and ICE, as well as organized crime drug enforcement task forces. Additionally, “The Coast Guard has over 40 bilateral agreements, which are very important to be able to conduct pursuit and entry into territorial waters of other countries, in order to board ships flagged in other countries, and to exchange shipriders,” explained Orsini. “When you embark a shiprider, the purpose is to make the receiving unit dualhatted, so that they would have on board the authority of both their own government and the government of the shiprider. If we take on a shiprider from Panama, for example, the USCG ship effectively becomes both a U.S. and a Panamanian law enforcement vessel.” During the aforementioned interdiction involving Bertholf, the Guard Guard’s first NSC, the Coast Guard benefited from having a Panamanian shiprider aboard. Bertholf was patrolling Panamanian waters under the authority of an embarked Panamanian shiprider when, five miles west of Punta Caracoles, Panama, a maritime patrol airplane spotted a go-fast boat and informed Bertholf of the vessel’s position. Using the NSC’s forward-looking infrared radar, Bertholf was able to pinpoint the go-fast’s location and then launched a cutter boat to pursue it. Although the go-fast jettisoned approximately nine bales of contraband, the cutterboat’s crew recovered one. Another unique element of the Coast Guard’s law enforcement capability is its airborne use of force (AUF) capable helicopters in HITRON. “HITRON forward deploys armed helicopters to the high threat drug trafficking areas and high security risk areas—not necessarily drug trafficking, but other illicit trafficking such as human and money. Narco-terrorism is all connected,” explained Captain Donna Cottrell, commanding officer of HITRON. With 10 helicopters, the squadron can deploy up to four at a time, “which can be to the Caribbean or the Eastern Pacific, but they are moved around depending on the threat vectors. We work with JIATF South in that regard,” said Cottrell. “Compel compliance basically gets them to disable their vessel. We either get them to stop with just our presence or we can disable the engines to get them to stop so that boarding teams can get onboard,” Cottrell said. Since May 1999, HITRON has seized $9 billion worth of illicit drugs, with their most recent bust being the interdiction of the aforementioned SPSS vessel with cutter Seneca. “We’re doing good things and our crews are www.CGF-kmi.com
extremely professional, we’re very disciplined in terms of weapons,” Cottrell emphasized. Part of the challenge in tackling drug smugglers stems from the resources they have at their disposal—both in terms of finances and connections. “They have deep pockets and they have great networks; and again, I’m not just talking about the drugs but also the terrorist networks and the connection to terrorism. They can adapt pretty quickly to what we’re doing, compared to how we can adapt to them, which partly is due to the nature of a bureaucracy. This is a challenge for all countries battling narco-terrorists, not just the U.S. That’s the challenge at the strategic level; at the tactical level if they start using more SPSS it will challenge us because it is hard for us to detect them,” Cottrell concluded. One way the U.S. has addressed the rise of SPSS vessels and strengthened the Coast Guard’s ability to prosecute the smugglers is through the Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act (DTVIA) of 2008. The principal law the Coast Guard enforces is the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA), which states that it is illegal to have drugs in possession with the intent to distribute in a maritime arena. However, since 2008 the service has also relied upon the Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act that was born out of the rise of SPSS. “What we didn’t have under the MDLEA is the ability to prosecute a vessel without the drugs, simply because they are configured for low profile or not engaged in commerce. With the DTVIA, we can actually prosecute the vessel’s crew almost to the same extent that we can under the MDLEA without having any drugs on board. If they dump their load or scuttle, we can still prosecute,” Orsini explained.
Threat Detection Many industry leaders have engaged the service and its partners in order to develop the enhanced technology needed to thwart illicit drug traffickers. Radars, communication systems, sonars and visual imaging systems are just some examples of the latest technologies that enable the Coast Guard to extend their eyes and ears on the water and meet the challenges of a determined adversary. Terma North America Inc., an international company providing aerospace, defense and security applications, develops products for mission-critical environments. A leader in radars for coastal surveillance, vessel traffic services (VTS) and airport surface movement radars, Terma’s Scanter 2001 is utilized in over 1,200 locations globally. “The Scanter 2001 is well established as part of the USCG VTS program (formerly PAWWS), within the USCG Sector Command Center (SCC) Hawkeye program, as part of South Florida’s anti-smuggling surveillance shared by the USCG and Palm Beach County Law Enforcement authorities, and as part of the FAA’s Low Cost Ground Surveillance (LCGS) pilot program with installations at four sites,” explained Jim Moore, director of business development radar systems for Terma. Terma’s newest generation of radars includes Scanter 6000, developed for shipboard applications, which rises to the challenge of detecting threats in a marine environment. This high-performance radar is “designed for the challenging detection and tracking requirements of the professional surveillance community for applications such as naval surface and low-altitude air surveillance, vessel traffic services, coastal surveillance installations, and airport surface movement radar. These applications demand consistent detection and tracking of targets ranging in size from extremely small to very large in high clutter environments and under a variety of conditions,” noted Moore. www.CGF-kmi.com
Crewmembers from the Coast Guard cutter Oak, homeported in Charleston, S.C., offload 15,000 pounds of cocaine worth more than $180 million at the Coast Guard Base Support Unit Miami, Aug. 2, 2011. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Tara Molle]
To enhance maritime domain awareness in counter-drug missions, Scanter 6000’s advanced signal processing techniques means the system can conduct both long-range surveillance and close-in navigation tasks simultaneously. Additionally, “coherent processing, pulse compression, and true Doppler processing allow us to also add the ability to perform low-altitude air surveillance as well. This would allow a patrol vessel to use one tactical surveillance radar to perform navigation, long-range surface surveillance, and helicopter launch and recovery operations all simultaneously. In addition, operators performing each of these mission areas would not need to change radar settings and each would have radar data presented to them optimized for their use,” Moore highlighted. Terma is demonstrating these capabilities aboard the Navy’s technology demonstration platform, Stiletto.
Reliable Crew Comms Once the suspected vessel is identified, the ability for Coast Guard crewmembers—whether they be air crews or boat crews—to communicate with each other is paramount. Hearing over the roar of the engines while you’re cutting through the water at speeds in excess of 30 knots is exceedingly challenging, if not impossible, never mind hearing over the rotor noise at any speed. Specializing in communication equipment for high noise environments, David Clark Company Inc. (DCCI) has provided communications systems to fire departments, civilian and military pilots, airline ground support personnel, NASA, as well as U.S. and NATO partner countries for over 50 years. DCCI’s 9900 Series Wireless Communication System offers clear communications, hands-free communication that is critical for law enforcement, homeland security and coastal patrol marine vessels, aeromedical SAR teams, and mobile work teams. The system utilizes duplex communication with DECT-based technology and is able to interface with existing wired systems and most HF, VHF and UHF mobile radios. To withstand the harsh marine environment, the rugged system uses “stainless steel hardware to prevent corrosion and sealed enclosures that are IP67 rated to prevent water ingress,” explained Mark Gardell, director, sales and marketing for David Clark. Additionally, to coordinate among multiple vessels, the system can integrate up to four users per gateway and can expand to include multiple gateways— each headset with a range of up to a 100-meter radius from the gateway. Perhaps most importantly, the system provides crewmembers the ability to communicate through a secure signaling “close link” feature that prevents interception. “The system allows multiple crew members to communicate hands-free under high-speed conditions CGF 3.6 | 27
while hearing communications from other vessels or locations via onboard radios, resulting in improved interoperability. Additionally, the freedom of mobility allows boarding members to remain in full communication with the primary vessel,” noted Gardell.
Underwater Recovery In cases like the aforementioned interdiction of the SPSS—which was the first time the Coast Guard used divers to recover contraband— the Coast Guard and partners require specific equipment for underwater identification. In this sense, for “police, fire and specialized search and rescue/recovery dive teams presented with the daunting task of searching large underwater areas, an invaluable part of their solution is the EdgeTech 4125 side scan sonar,” said Doug McGowen, director of business development for EdgeTech and ORE Offshore. EdgeTech and affiliate ORE Offshore lead the industry in the design and manufacture of underwater sonar imaging systems and acoustic command, control and positioning solutions, serving customers including the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers, as well as foreign navies, survey firms and law enforcement groups. “EdgeTech develops and produces a variety of standard and engineered-to-order marine products and systems including side scan sonar, sub-bottom profilers, bathymetric, combined, integrated and modular systems,” explained McGowen. These systems can be configured for towed, deep towed, autonomous underwater vehicles, unmanned surface vehicles (USV), remotely operated vehicles (ROV), remotely operated towed vehicles and custom platforms and have been used by military and law enforcement agencies to conduct underwater search and rescue, port and harbor security, mine hunting, pre- and post-dredge reviews, buried object location, ship hull survey, channel clearance surveys, deep water geohazard surveys and military rapid environmental assessments—all of which require advanced underwater imaging technologies. “EdgeTech offers a set of unique and exciting underwater imaging technologies including full spectrum CHIRP processing, multi-pulse technology, and dynamically focused arrays. Our proprietary full spectrum CHIRP processing enhances long-range resolutions through improved signalto-noise ratios. Multi-pulse technology puts up to four pulses in the water simultaneously, thereby enabling either a quadrupled survey speed increase over conventional side-scan sonar systems or a marked increase of pings on target, leading to superior resolutions. EdgeTech’s exclusive dynamically focused arrays sharpen resolutions in the far field and enable better target identifications at longer ranges. In addition to these pioneering technologies, our expertise in telemetry, compact and low power electronics, modular designs and software programming allows us to provide unique and tailored solutions for platforms that include towed bodies, powered towed bodies, ROV, USV and unmanned underwater vehicles,” said McGowen.
Eyes on the Water FLIR has a long history of partnering with the Coast Guard, dating back to the development in the mid-1980s of the first thermal imaging search and rescue system that was more affordable and available than the expensive military equipment that was on the market at the time. In 2007, FLIR was awarded Coast Guard contracts for the installation of a variant of the Talon stabilized multi-sensor thermal imaging system on both surface and air platforms. The SIRVSS program (Shipboard Infrared Visual Sensor System) 28 | CGF 3.6
is a five-year contract to install the Talon variant on cutters including the 270’ MEC and 378’ HEC, while the ESS program (electro optical sensor system) is a 10-year contract to install the Talon variant on HH-60J and H-65 helicopters (which are being upgraded and re-designated as MH-60T and MH-65) for airborne use of force, interdiction and search and rescue. While FLIR couldn’t comment specifically on the programs, in general the Talon can carry up to six different payloads including IR (infrared), color, CCD (charge coupled device), EMCCD (electron multiplying charge coupled device), laser pointer or laser illuminator, LRF (laser rangefinder), and IMU (inertial measurement unit). The system features state-of-the-art imaging, stabilization, advanced fiber optic gyro, multi-target autotracker, analog and digital video, single LRU option, and embedded IMU/GPS and LRF. “Generally, the Talon variant gives the Coast Guard a fairly long-range, look-down capability. They can not only effectively track targets of interests—go fasts, for example—both day and night, but they can also conduct search and rescue. It gives them a very capable system for day and night and inclement weather. It’s really a force multiplier for them, allowing them to see things they wouldn’t have been able to, allowing them to do their mission in much worse weather,” explained Dave Strong, vice president of marketing for government solutions at FLIR. When designing products for the Coast Guard, one of the most significant challenges is the “marinization” of the product, Strong noted. “When building products for an airborne environment, the ability to simultaneously have both very good gyro stabilization and sealing, from a technical perspective, is, in a way, contrary requirements. To be able to do them both well takes experience, capable design, knowledge and background. Since we also put these same products on ships, we’ve learned over the years how to ‘marinize’ them effectively. We have special seals that are used for these units that allow them to go on small craft in heavy sea states and take a lot of pounding from the ocean. We can therefore apply that knowledge to the airborne environment and seal the airborne products effectively,” Strong said. FLIR learned firsthand the importance of addressing environmental challenges when it worked with the U.S. military deployed in the Persian Gulf in the 1990s. Strong explained, “In the Persian Gulf, the salinity in the water is higher than it is just about anywhere else in the world. Working with the military, we learned how to select the proper materials, use the right coatings and the right seals to survive in that harsh environment. Applying that to customers like the Coast Guard, we provide them a very effective capability to resist the effects of salt water, corrosion and intrusion.” The future of imaging systems may already be here, though they are not yet widely used. FLIR has developed high-definition capabilities, although worldwide the adoption of high definition is still in the early stages. Additionally, augmented reality—the ability to merge various sources of data—is promising. “Imagine looking at the screen of your thermal imager and seeing a number of ships in the channel, but overlaying that is data about the identity of those ships, their destinations and cargo. The ability to augment the reality you see with moving map information is definitely the wave of the future and something that we’re offering today,” Strong highlighted. O
For more information, contact CGF Editor Maura McCarthy at mauram@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.CGF-kmi.com.
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By Henry Canaday CGF Correspondent
Partnerships, joint ventures and teaming by private companies are extremely useful in support of Coast Guard procurement initiatives. These arrangements may be done to comply with procurement regulations, as is the case in set-asides for small businesses, where partnerships enable compliance with the law while obtaining the expertise and resources of larger firms. In such cases there are also business advantages, as the teaming combines the flexibility of small businesses with large-firm assets. Partnerships may also be arranged or proposed by private firms purely to meet support requirements most efficiently, as many large programs require products, services or expertise that cannot be supplied by a single firm. It is often easier for private firms, constantly in touch with industry colleagues, to integrate these different capabilities than to leave this task to a small and hard-pressed Coast Guard procurement staff. The total solution can be put together with less risk to the Coast Guard because of constant collaboration among the private partners.
Big Firm Advantages Brunswick, a diversified firm with 15,000 employees, partnered with the small business Metal Craft Marine on its bid for the over-the-horizon Mark IV (OTHIV) cutter boat program partly just to be eligible under Coast Guard set-asides for small business, acknowledged Kelly Webb, Brunswick’s program manager for the Coast Guard. However, Webb considers the partnership as having a number of advantages for the participating firms, the potential www.CGF-kmi.com
customer and possibly other customers as well. Brunswick brings to the partnership its buying power and thus the ability to get good pricing on parts, pieces and follow-up services. With its worldwide dealer network, Brunswick can provide the life cycle support that is always critical in federal procurement; on the other hand, Metal Craft brings facilities and a business model that is designed for customizing government requirements for small numbers of aluminum boats. Webb explained that Brunswick and the other major ship builders run production lines very efficiently when producing large numbers of identical or similar hulls, but are ill-suited to customizing one-off or small production runs. “This is much easier for a small business to do,” Webb noted. In partnering with Metal Craft for the OTH-IV cutter boat bid, Brunswick brought Coast Guard procurement experience to the table and helped draft the proposal; if awarded the contract, Brunswick would obtain good pricing both for the initial acquisition and for later support. The Coast Guard has recently down-selected the Brunswick-Metal Craft partners, along with other bidders, for final evaluation before the award of the OTH-IV contract. Under the Brunswick-Metal Craft bid, the Coast Guard would get a flexible firm that can customize existing hulls to meet requirements efficiently, even though only three to 11 boats may be built each year. Most of the cutter boats would be built and outfitted by Metal Craft in New York, with Brunswick supplying parts and expertise. For multiple units, it is possible that Metal Craft would build up to the hull deck,
which would then be transported to Brunswick’s facilities in Florida for outfitting. Having the two firms’ production facilities, one in the Northeast and one in the Southeast, also yields flexibility to hold costs down in the future, depending on delivery point and transportation costs, Webb said. “Metal Craft could build all the hulls and then ship them to Florida for fitting out if that is cheapest.” Although this is Brunswick’s first successful partnership proposal to the Coast Guard, Webb likes the partnership and said that it is being applied to a Sentry line for law-enforcement and patrol boats. Depending on whether a future project is small business set-aside or not—in which it is generally required that the small business earn 51 percent of contract value—either Brunswick or Metal Craft might take the role as prime contractor, with the other as subcontractor. Webb said he is “absolutely” interested in working with the partnership approach in the future and hopes there will be other opportunities for Brunswick and Metal Craft to team up for Coast Guard and other work. Other major firms see the procurement field similarly and have chosen to forge partnership approaches as well. Take for example Wärtsilä, a Finnish firm with a worldwide presence and billions of dollars in annual revenue. “Very few suppliers can fill all the requirements,” said Paul Glandt, director of business development for Wärtsilä Ship Power-Defense. Since government customers, especially the small Coast Guard, usually have limited resources to follow the latest technologies in ship building, “there might be holes in CGF 3.6 | 29
supplying particular installations, or an opportunity for growth or advanced items,” Glandt explained. “Private companies are well informed on what is out there and we can build a more complete solution.” Private partnerships are also able to manage and reduce risk when it comes to procurement. Glandt said one of the biggest risks in acquiring a new system is integrating different and new components, and private companies can manage this risk better than government procurement offices because private staff—not just the project managers but also engineers—are constantly exchanging information. Wärtsilä has been involved in a number of partnerships over the years; for example, while Wärtsilä provides propulsion systems, it has used partners to bring in the best systems for bridge controls. “That way, captains can look at not just the ship, but at the environment and where they want to go,” Glandt explained. “They can see the weather and route information in a full suite on the bridge. That takes a load off the crew. They can drop off one engine and run the other more fuel-efficiently, saving fuel and still getting where they want to go on time.” So far though, Wärtsilä has provided mostly propulsion and seals to the Coast Guard. “We have not yet provided an integrated package but hope to in the future,” Glandt said. For other customers, Wärtsilä has partnered with firms that have expertise in emissions. “We know engines, they know emissions. That would benefit the Coast Guard in meeting emission requirements.” Once the contract is fulfilled, in some instances the partnership may endure and be applied to continuing support. Wärtsilä often works with its competitors to supply parts under contracts with defense customers, noted Dave Smith, general sales manager for Wärtsilä Defense. It does this more frequently for Military Sealift Command but also sometimes for the Coast Guard in supplying shaft bearings along with Wärtsilä’s own shaft seals. “We are always open to partnerships,” Smith said. “For example, we have formed a partnership with a competitor, Cummins Engines,” as well as with diving companies, such as Phoenix, since work on shafts requires either dry docking the ship or making its shafts waterproof with divers. “They have the divers and diving equipment and can prevent water ingress. Phoenix has a fantastic reputation but we work with other divers on occasion,” noted Smith. Wärtsilä 30 | CGF 3.6
thinks highly of Phoenix as a diving partner but is willing to work with other companies. Additionally, Wärtsilä can provide a technical representative to help shipyards and the Coast Guard perform work themselves, or it can provide a turnkey service with Wärtsilä responsible for the entire job. In such turnkey solutions, partners are used, and Wärtsilä often works with Collins Machine on machining shafts and with Thermal Spray Solutions on spraying shafts. Overall, “We try to look for local companies where we do the work,” Smith explained. “This enables us to provide the best package and the customer only has to go to one place.” This approach reflects a general policy: Wärtsilä’s mission statement says it wants to be the most valued partner for its customers and enable them to deal with only one supplier. “We want to provide a package and we are constantly putting more products into that package, like propeller repair, shaft repair, ballast water systems and bearings and seals,” Smith said. “We want to provide everything that can move a ship.”
Small Firm Benefits Partnerships are also attractive from the other end, for smaller firms looking to get into new business lines. Here, too, there might be advantages for the Coast Guard. For years, EPS Corporation has provided installation and training for the U.S. Army and other government agencies in telecommunications and information technology systems. The service-disabled veteran-owned small business conducts about $100 million per year in these areas, and chairman and chief executive officer Francesco Musorrafiti said his firm is now getting into ship building and looking for partnerships either with the Coast Guard or other private firms. EPS has teamed with Spanish shipbuilding firm Dayfer and formed a partnership called EPS-Narwhal USA, which has bought a shipyard in Titusville, Fla. EPS-Narwhal USA has already built two 68-foot hovercraft for Saudi Arabia and can also make rigid hull inflatable boats for military, lifesaving and offshore markets. EPS-Narwhal’s special strength is in composite boats, Musorrafiti emphasized, which he thinks will be increasingly important in future boat building as there’s a catch-22 with popular aluminum boats. In order to keep weight down and carrying capacity
up on aluminum boats, Musorrafiti said aluminum skins must be kept thin, which is what in turn makes these aluminum boats vulnerable to rust. “Advanced composites are much more robust and do not rust,” Musorrafiti stressed. However, he acknowledged one challenge in that international rules now favor aluminum boats, although he believes that will change over time as the advantages and strengths of composites become better known. “We have to make changes in the rules, and it will be a long process,” he noted. EPS is used to partnering with defense customers. For example, it has a publicprivate partnership with Tobyhanna Army Depot on radios, allowing it to work as either a prime or subcontractor on government contracts. One future possibility is partnering with major firms that build glass cockpits for boats, while EPS provides its expertise in non-corrosive, fiber-reinforced advanced composites. “We are confident that the advanced composites that we work with are truly the wave of the future,” Musorrafiti emphasized. “Although the composite approach has been around for a long time, it has nevertheless been relegated to a second seat behind aluminum.” He asserted that a partnership relationship with the Coast Guard would enable mutual learning about the advantages of composites and create a forum for the exchange of ideas.
Longevity Once private firms team up for a specific project, they become familiar with each other and grow acclimated to working together, which may lead to a continuing partnership on other similar projects. However, partnerships may also be ad hoc and temporary if they are necessary only to meet a one-time requirement. It all depends on whether Coast Guard or other defense or homeland security support requirements make the partnership arrangement an efficient solution for the firms and the customer. Once formed, the stability of these partnerships depends on circumstances: “They can grow or they can wither, depending on what the market needs,” Glandt concluded. O
For more information, contact CGF Editor Maura McCarthy at mauram@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.CGF-kmi.com. www.CGF-kmi.com
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C GF Calendar
This index is provided as a service to our readers. KMI cannot be held responsible for discrepancies due to last-minute changes or alterations.
Compiled by KMI Media Group staff
Calendar February 9-10, 2012 ASNE Day 2012 Arlington, Va. www.navalengineers.org/events/ individualeventwebsites/asneday12/ pages/asnelandingpage.aspx
www.CGF-kmi.com
February 27-29, 2012 Joint Search and Rescue Summit Washington, D.C. www.jsarsummit.com
February 29-March 1, 2012 Small Vessel Security Threats Conference Charleston, S.C. http://svstconference.com/
March 26-27, 2012 Combat Systems Symposium Arlington, Va. www.navalengineers.org/events/ individualeventwebsites/css/pages/ asnelandingpage.aspx
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Industry Interview
Gene Kegley Vice President Vigor Shipyards
Q. Can you give us a little background on Vigor Industrial and Vigor Shipyards? A: Vigor Shipyards is one of the largest providers of Coast Guard repair and modernization services in the nation, yet it’s a name many outside our Pacific Northwest region are just now starting to hear. But we’re really not a best-kept secret. Our companies and our yards have provided leading ship repair, shipbuilding and other maritime services throughout the Pacific Northwest for nearly a century. We’re proud of our long history serving the Coast Guard and Navy through companies like Todd Pacific Shipyards, which we acquired in 2011, and the World War II-era Kaiser Shipyards. Today, we maintain a good portion of the red, white and black hull fleet for the Coast Guard. We work on up to three of the Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers at any given time, plus destroyers and other vessels. We work in Seattle, Everett, Bremerton and Portland, executing both single-project and multi-ship/multi-option (MSMO) contracts. In fact, Vigor Shipyards is the Vigor Industrial subsidiary which specializes in Coast Guard and Navy work. We’re working to enhance homeland security, creating innovative designs and plans to build the offshore patrol cutter. Q: How do Vigor companies leverage this experience to support the U.S. Coast Guard? A: Our decades of Coast Guard collaboration mean that for complex sustainment programs, the government can rely on our expertise to help identify, plan, execute and document fleet maintenance. We work closely with the government to deliver the right maintenance at the right time, making best use of maintenance dollars to achieve readiness objectives. We do this through multi-year maintenance contracts for Polar class icebreakers, for the Coast Guard’s only operational icebreaker USCGC Healy and for the Navy’s CVNs, DDGs and FFGs. Our Coast Guard-dedicated teams, on the piers and in our administrative ranks, know these large vessels inside and out. We’re executing $56 million in maintenance and modernization efforts aboard Polar Star to return it to service in 2013. We also meet 32 | CGF 3.5
U.S. Coast Guard Forum
Arctic drilling platforms. We’re also working in alternative energy fields, building and getting ready to launch a prototype wave-energy platform and even fabricating methane-gas conversion skids that turn landfill waste gas into electricity. In short, for 2012, we’re looking at both cutting edge and cutting steel.
routine and emergent maintenance requirements for the remainder of the USCG fleet, including national security cutters, the legacy high and medium endurance cutters, and the buoy tender fleet. From 1985 to 1992, our Seattle yard revitalized the WHEC 378 Hamilton class through a $55 million-pervessel overhaul that included engineering, habitability, electronics and combat system upgrades. We are combining our Coast Guard expertise with our century of competitive shipbuilding to smartly plan for and, we believe, ultimately execute the largest acquisition program in Coast Guard history—the offshore patrol cutter design-build project. Q. What projects are currently being worked on and for what customers? A: Economic challenges notwithstanding, we believe this is a great time to be building ships and to be upgrading and improving them. In addition to renovating the heavy icebreaker Polar Star and work already done for Polar Sea, we stand ready to assist should a decision be made to return Sea to active service. We recently provided emergency repairs to the Alert. Additionally, we are teaming with other Coast Guard and maritime experts to design and build an innovative, cost-effective solution for the offshore patrol cutter program. For the U.S. Navy, we continue to maintain our nation’s active aircraft carriers in Bremerton and in Everett. We’re one of only three firms in the country with MSMO contracts to be part of the team repairing these major national assets. Although transportation by sea is already one of the most fuel-efficient ways to move goods, our companies are hard at work making efficiency, environmental and safety upgrades for a wide range of vessels, from fishing boats and trawlers to cargo ships to
Q: What are some of the biggest lessons you have learned in military acquisitions and/or Coast Guard acquisitions? A: We know that affordability is very important to the Coast Guard, particularly in the current budget climate. At the same time, we know the Coast Guard is a unique customer, with operational and support requirements that differ substantially from the U.S. Navy and foreign militaries. Day in and day out, the Coast Guard gets the job done for the American people, under the most difficult conditions, on a very lean budget. We know that to support them, we have to perform at the same level. Our people know—and constantly remind me—that the Coast Guard is unique. The people there from operations to acquisition are practical. Real-world. Always on. Always working. We’ve learned that working with the Coast Guard takes the same kind of company. We know it’s crucial that everyone from our execs to our estimators to our craftspeople know Coast Guard vessels inside and out. Long before I took on the job I have today, I did icebreaker maintenance and worked the WHEC 378 FRAM program, riding along for six months as a warranty engineer on USCGC Mellon. Vigor also has a number of former Coast Guard senior officers and senior enlisted sailors and engineers as advisers who translate real-world Coast Guard needs into every project we do.We know that precise documentation is as important as precision metalwork. In short, we’ve learned two words say it all when working with the Coast Guard, whether at sea or with the Acquisitions Directorate: experience matters. Kegley is executive in charge of Vigor’s Shipyards division, with responsibility for a range of government and multi-ship contracts including Vigor’s extensive portfolio of Coast Guard and Navy repair and modernization projects. www.CGF-kmi.com
NEXTISSUE
February 2012 Vol. 4, Issue 1
Cover and In-Depth Interview
Rear Adm. Ronald Rábago Assistant Commandant for Engineering & Logistics SPECIAL SECTION Arctic Strategy As the waters in the Arctic become increasingly navigable, the Coast Guard’s responsibilities will increase. What are the region’s challenges and how is the service preparing for an augmented role?
FEATURES Charting a New Course
Operation Fall Retrieve
How can a degree or certificate in public safety and emergency equip Coast Guardsmen with the education needed to complement their experience and facilitate the transition to a civilian career in the field?
District 9 will highlight their ATON work on the Great Lakes.
Going Green In 2010 then-commandant Admiral Allen issued an Energy Management Strategy, with the mission of fostering “the supply of energy commodities and the execution of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs and projects in a sustainable, reliable and accountable fashion.” How is the Coast Guard meeting this objective?
Ballast Water Management As global maritime trade increases, so too does the risk of aquatic nuisance species being introduced into ecosystems from ballast water discharge. The Coast Guard has implemented a Ballast Water Management Program and the Office of Management and Budget recently began review of the Ballast Water Discharge Standard. How are the service and industry working to facilitate the development of ballast water management systems technologies and promote compliance?
Insertion Order Deadline: February 2, 2012 • Ad Materials Deadline: February 9, 2012
Dedicated to Those Who Are Always Ready
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