Conversation with the Commandant
By Manny Romero, Division Chief, Training, National Department of Public Affairs
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Admiral Thad Allen meeting with leaders from |
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen was here February 5 to meet with leaders from Auxiliary Division 10 (D11-SR)—whose members form the essence of the Coast Guard on Arizona’s desert lakes.
In a relaxed breakfast meeting designed to acquaint the Admiral with local personnel, the Coast Guard leader spoke of several initiatives to help align the Auxiliary with the Coast Guard modernization program.
He also expressed his favorable impression of the transition between Administrations and his early interactions with the new President and DHS Secretary (former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.)
He noted, “I have been through several transitions in my career, and I can tell you that this one has been by far the smoothest and most collegial, thanks to the professionalism of both the incoming and outgoing administrations.”
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Admiral Allen with Commodore |
As to what to expect from the new Administration, “You can expect them to be inclusive and focus on how we all work together and how can we arrive at the best conclusion,” he said.
Turning to the Coast Guard modernization program, the Admiral alluded to his push for more transparency through “better use of the Internet, social media and networking. I think that’s right in line with where the president is going with e-government.”
“And,” he added, “I think you’re going to see a real push for making information more available to the public and make everything more transparent. That’s a real hallmark of this new administration moving forward.”
Known as a strong proponent of the Auxiliary, ADM Allen has worked closely with Auxiliary National leadership for the past several years as part of his “product line management” goal to make the Coast Guard more successful in the 21st Century.
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| Admiral Allen and Commodore Johnson |
Our new command structure “should give us some significant opportunities to more closely align with the Auxiliary…to serve you better and give you more visibility with us,” he said.
“It allows us to pull the skills and talents you have and put them to use for what we need beyond the traditional operational, inspection and education missions that you do,” he said. ADM Allen has often praised the Auxiliary during his long Coast Guard career. The Tucson, Ariz. native did so again with this “hometown” audience by saying, “I’ve relied on you folks my entire 40 years in the Coast Guard at one point or another—every command.” Earlier he had complimented Division 10 on earning several diversity awards.
“I think we’ve barely begun to tap the talents of the Auxiliary,” he said. “My philosophy is that there is nothing an Auxiliarist can’t do, unless precluded by qualification or legal restriction such as law enforcement.
“There’s no one right way to be an Auxiliarist. When I was in Group Long Island Sound years ago, as an O-6 (Captain), I took one of our Auxiliarists and she deployed on the Eagle for an entire summer as a cook. And they never ate so good,” he quipped.
The Coast Guard leader responded to audience inquiries ranging from how the Auxiliary can help military families, to how implementation of the new Rescue 21 project will affect inland areas. Designed to harness global positioning, Rescue 21 will replace aging, obsolete radio equipment and close 88 known coverage gaps along U.S. coastal regions.
General Dynamics C4 Systems of Scottsdale is the production contractor to replace the Coast Guard’s outdated system in the contiguous 48 states and Hawaii. The Coast Guard will be the system integrator for deployment to sectors in Alaska.
ADM Allen was in Scottsdale to conduct an annual program review with the CEO of General Dynamics.
Division 10 (D11-SR) covers Arizona’s inland lakes and Lake Powell as part of Coast Guard Sector San Diego, District 11 (Southern Region).
~GJA