Thursday Morning Meetings Article & photos by Mel Borofsky, Editor, SITREP

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NAPM Facilitator CAPT James Montgomery

Thursday, August 21
Tropical Storm/Hurricane Fay has eased up a bit; we are actually seeing some brightness in the sky. Most, if not all senior officers have arrived, as attested by the number of participants at this morning’s meetings.

Thursday morning at the National Conference is traditionally set aside for meetings of specific leadership groups. These meetings afford an opportunity for individuals from different parts of the country to meet, sometimes for the first time, and discuss common problems and situations. Idea sharing and problem defining are one of the key purposes of these meetings. The introduction of new programs and procedures and the updating of existing programs and procedures fill the agenda.

National Area Planning Meeting (NAPM)
The meeting was chaired by ARCO-A(W) Jim Vass and the discussions were facilitated by Captain James Montgomery, USCG. The Auxiliary participants included members of the National Board, The District Commodores and Vice Commodores. The Coast Guard active duty participants included the District Directors of Auxiliary and Operational Training Officers.

There were sixteen issues for discussion offered from the floor. Almost all of them dealt with problems encountered at the deck plate level. Qualifications, the amount of requirements imposed and the effect this could have on Auxiliarist participation occupied a sizeable portion of the meeting. Training requirements and the opportunities for acquisition was another topic widely discussed.

It was generally agreed that solutions to these problems or situations could not be solved in a meeting of this sort. The value of the meeting was the airing of the problems and the need for follow-up action.

Area Planning Meetings
Following the NAPM, the different Area Commodores (ARCO) and their respective District Commodores each met in separate session. Each Area then placed their localized problems under the microscope for all to see and discuss. Some of the issues brought up in the NAPM were discussed, again, localized to their areas of responsibility.

National Chief of Staff Meeting
National Chief of Staff, Commodore Warren McAdams, chaired this meeting. The participants included the various Department Chiefs (DC) and their Deputies (DC-d).

This meeting was an extension of yesterday’s OPCOM meeting. Cross discussion between the DC’s and DC-d’s allowed them to problem solve and offer assistance across Department lines. An opportunity to publicize their department’s ability and availability to assist was a key feature of the meeting.

Chief Director of Auxiliary Meeting
Chief Director of Auxiliary, CAPT Mark Rizzo, USCG and his staff chaired this meeting. The District Directors of Auxiliary and their staffs attended the meeting.

Matters concerning the active duty were discussed at this meeting.

~HRW