NACON 2008 – Operating Committee Meeting (OPCOM) Article & photos by Mel Borofsky, Editor, SITREP

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NCOS McAdams opens the OPCOM meeting

Wednesday, October 20.
The National Operating Committee (OPCOM) is comprised of the National Chief of Staff, The National Directorate Commodores, The National Board and the various Department Chiefs. It is the function of this committee to coordinate and lead the programs within each of their departments.

The OPCOM meets from time to time, usually at NACON and N-Train, but said meetings are not limited to those events. The presiding officer at this meeting is the National Chief of Staff (NCOS). Commodore Warren McAdams currently fills this position.

Since most of the material presented during this meeting concerns plans for the future, some of which may never come to pass, this meeting is held as a “closed door session.”

Sitting in on the meeting, and able to pose comments or questions are the sitting District Commodores. Visitors also include invited guests, Deputy Department Chiefs and District Vice Commodores.

The subject matter is varied, each presented in turn by the Department Chiefs. “The closed door, availability of open floor discussion, presents a unique opportunity for the department Chiefs to meet and share experience and expertise,” said Robert Nelson, Chief of the Public Affairs “A” Department.

The gathering also presented an opportunity for the new Chief Director of Auxiliary, Capt. Mark Rizzo, USCG, to introduce himself and present a thumbnail sketch of his Coast Guard background. He commented on some of the excellent, ongoing programs of the Auxiliary, including the Auxiliary’s Interpreter Corps. “The program is used heavily by the Coast Guard, as well as other services,” he said. “I am happy to be here and am looking forward to the coming years.”

Personnel Department Chief Gregg Trask presented some bright news. “Our recruiting is going well, and we are bringing in more new members than those leaving. Our challenge for the future is keeping those new members,” he said.

Vessel Examination Department Chief Peter Urgola stressed that “our vessel safety examiners and marine visitors are not merely literature distributors and checkers, they are educators, providing current information to the boaters.”

~HRW