Admiral
Thomas
H.
Collins
“This
Is
Our
Time”
State
of
the
Coast
Guard
Address
March
26,
2003
A
year
ago,
if
we
had
tried
to
imagine
how
much
our
world
of
work
might
change
in
the
period
of
just
twelve
months,
I
doubt
that
we
could
have
anticipated
the
scope
and
scale
of
the
changes
that
were
in
store
for
us.
The
events
of
the
past
week
alone
have
been
breathtaking
in
the
speed
and
power
with
which
they
have
taken
place.
Our
nation
has
gone
to
war
half
a
world
away—a
war
that
has
extended
to
our
own
shores
in
a
way
that
no
previous
war
ever
has.
Coast
Guard
forces
have
been
valiantly
engaged
in
support
to
the
combatant
commanders
overseas
in
the
Persian
Gulf
and
in
the
Mediterranean.
We
have
deployed
2
high
endurance
cutters,
8
patrol
boats,
1
buoy
tender,
4
port
security
units,
strike
team
personnel,
and
2
maintenance
support
units.
And
here
at
home,
Coast
Guard
units
have
been
providing
a
significant
security
presence,
patrolling
vigilantly,
working
side
by
side
with
our
partners
in
the
Department
of
Homeland
Security
and
other
federal,
state,
and
local
agencies
and
the
private
sector
to
ensure
the
security
of
our
nation.
We’ve
activated
nearly
half
of
our
selected
reserves
in
support
of
Operations
Neptune
Shield,
Liberty
Shield
and
Iraqi
Freedom
.
And
our
Auxiliary
continues
to
provide
an
awesome
presence
throughout
our
Coast
Guard—truly
a
model
American
volunteer
organization.
I
salute
every
member
of
our
Coast
Guard
for
the
sacrifice,
selfless
courage,
and
professionalism
that
have
been
so
clearly
evident
throughout
the
past
year,
and
especially
during
the
past
week.
Our
thoughts
and
our
prayers
are
with
those
who
remain
in
harm’s
way,
and
whose
inspiring
service
compels
me
to
say
that
I
have
never
been
more
proud
to
wear
the
uniform
of
our
great
nation.
I
know
there
are
many
here
who
feel
the
same
way.
The
vivid
images
of
the
past
week
are
still
fresh
in
our
minds.
Although
our
attention
has
been
drawn
forcefully
to
the
events
of
war
and
to
the
hope
for
nothing
less
than
our
complete
victory,
I’d
like
for
us
to
think
for
just
a
few
minutes
about
all
the
other
accomplishments
of
the
past
year.
Each
of
these
accomplishments
alone
might
easily
have
caused
us
to
be
absolutely
amazed
in
less
turbulent
times.
As
I
recount
our
most
significant
accomplishments
please
know
that
this
speech
is
one
of
the
easiest,
and
at
the
same
time,
one
of
the
hardest
to
give.
It’s
easy
in
that
there’s
so
many
things
to
talk
about,
especially
this
year,
that
describe
noteworthy
accomplishments
by
Coast
Guard
men
and
women.
And
it’s
hard
for
the
very
same
reason
…
there’s
so
much
to
talk
about.
My
challenge
is
to
hit
the
highlights
in
the
time
allotted.
Think
about
it.
Just
25
days
ago,
we
reported
to
Secretary
Ridge
and
became
part
of
the
Department
of
Homeland
Security,
an
arm
of
the
executive
branch
of
our
government
that
did
not
even
exist
a
year
ago.
The
enormous
effort
involved
in
that
single
transition—the
largest
re-organization
of
the
federal
government
in
sixty
years—should
be
enough
to
mark
this
year
as
historic.
But
there
is
so
much
more.
On
November
24th
of
last
year,
the
very
same
day
that
President
Bush
signed
the
law
that
established
the
new
Department
of
Homeland
Security,
he
also
signed
the
Maritime
Transportation
Security
Act
of
2002.
The
Maritime
Transportation
Security
Act,
or
MTSA,
is
an
extremely
important
law,
both
for
the
security
of
the
global
maritime
transportation
system
and
for
the
impact
it
will
have
on
the
Department
of
Homeland
Security
and
the
United
States
Coast
Guard.
The
MTSA
addresses
the
critical
need
to
focus
on
the
security
of
America’s
361
seaports
and
the
maritime
transportation
system.
It
creates
a
comprehensive
legislative
framework
to
enhance
the
security
of
the
global
maritime
transportation
system.
It
does
this
through
a
systematic
approach
of
defining
responsibilities,
creating
standards,
assessing
vulnerabilities,
and
authorizing
funds
to
address
those
vulnerabilities.
Furthermore,
the
MTSA
provides
a
clear
and
fresh
legislative
mandate
for
the
Coast
Guard
to
initiate
new
rulemaking
for
maritime
homeland
security.
The
Coast
Guard
worked
very
hard
to
lead
the
way
to
ensure
MTSA’s
provisions
are
consistent
with
port
and
vessel
security
regimes
hammered
out
in
another
remarkable
effort
by
the
Coast
Guard
at
the
International
Maritime
Organization
this
past
December.
Yet
another
major
success
story
of
this
past
year.
Last
summer,
the
President
also
unveiled
the
National
Strategy
for
Homeland
Security,
which
outlines
plans
to
accomplish
three
broad
objectives:
to
prevent
terrorist
attacks
within
the
United
States;
to
reduce
America’s
vulnerability
to
terrorism;
to
minimize
the
damage
and
recover
from
attacks
that
do
occur.
It
is
a
sound
strategy
that
depends
primarily
on
preventing
future
attacks
by
sharing
information,
securing
our
borders,
protecting
vital
infrastructure,
partnering
with
others
at
home
and
abroad,
and
preparing
to
respond
quickly
if
necessary.
That
sounds
a
lot
like
bracing
for
a
coming
storm
at
sea,
doesn’t
it?
I
think
that’s
why
it
makes
so
much
sense
to
us.
Like
a
gathering
storm,
threats
to
our
security
at
home
have
grown.
Separately
and
collectively
they
pose
dangers
to
our
sovereignty,
our
economy,
our
environment,
and
our
safety.
All
of
them
have
a
distinct
maritime
dimension.
We
obviously
need
a
maritime
security
strategy
that
supports
the
President’s
broader
homeland
security
strategy
….
We
have
developed
a
comprehensive
one
in
close
cooperation
our
Department
..…
one
that
will
enable
us
to
provide
enhanced
security
in
our
ports
and
waterways
while
concurrently
facilitating
commerce.
The
six
principal
elements
of
our
maritime
security
strategy
call
us
to:
·
conduct
enhanced
security
operations;
·
strengthen
our
port
security
posture
and
reduce
the
vulnerability
of
strategic
economic
and
military
ports;
·
create
a
more
comprehensive
awareness
of
threats
and
activities
in
the
maritime
domain;
·
acquire
and
build
Critical
Security
Capabilities,
to
include
re-capitalization
and
modernization
of
our
aging
fleets;
·
prepare
our
forces
to
transition
easily
between
homeland
security
and
homeland
defense
operations;
·
and
sustain
a
lasting
partnership
between
the
military
and
law
enforcement
communities,
and
between
the
public
and
private
sectors,
both
at
home
and
abroad.
We
are
executing
this
strategy
aggressively,
including
currently
supporting
a
code
orange
presence
in
our
ports
and
waterways.
This
is
our
time
….
and
we
must
rise
to
the
challenge.
Our
non-homeland
security
missions
remain
vitally
important.
And
despite
the
enormous
effort
required
to
build
and
improve
our
Homeland
Security
capabilities—and
that
alone
has
been
a
tremendous
lift—we
have
had
some
real
successes
in
terms
of
operational
excellence
in
performing
our
other
vital
missions.
For
example,
we
had
a
near-record
year
in
cocaine
seizures.
Our
total
amount
for
the
year
was
the
third
largest
of
any
previous
year,
including
a
25,000
pound
seizure
that
was
the
second
largest
maritime
seizure
ever
recorded.
Search
and
Rescue
continues
to
be
vitally
important
to
our
seafaring
nation.
Just
about
two
weeks
ago,
two
New
Bedford
fishing
vessels
arrived
safely
back
in
port
after
encountering
serious
trouble
at
sea
in
stormy
winter
weather.
One
of
the
boats
was
in
serious
danger
of
flooding.
The
other
had
been
left
powerless
and
drifting
by
a
broken
drive
shaft.
Coast
Guard
cutters
and
aircraft
assisted
both
of
them
safely
back
home.
I
think
it
is
also
worth
noting
that
the
numbers
of
deaths
in
our
nation’s
most
hazardous
industry—offshore
commercial
fishing—decreased
by
nearly
half
in
2002
compared
to
the
yearly
average
from
the
previous
six
years.
That
good
news
can
be
attributed
at
least
in
some
part
to
partnerships
we’ve
developed
with
industry
to
improve
safety,
as
well
as
the
dedicated
efforts
of
Coast
Guard
men
and
women
around
the
country.
The
icebreakers
Polar
Sea
and
Healy
are
now
homeward
bound
from
Antarctica,
after
smashing
through
50
miles
of
ice
more
than
a
story
high,
and
leading
re-supply
ships
into
McMurdo
Station
to
sustain
scientific
studies
of
the
Earth’s
climate.
Our
icebreakers
in
the
Great
Lakes
and
along
the
East
coast
had
their
toughest
winter
in
a
quarter
century.
The
lake
shipping
season
opens
this
week—about
a
week
later
than
planned.
Our
crews
have
been
instrumental
in
facilitating
commerce,
both
on
the
Lakes
and
in
the
Northeast.
Shifting
our
attention
for
a
moment
to
environmental
protection,
last
year
a
grand
jury
indictment
charged
a
corporate
director,
two
corporate
managers,
a
ship’s
captain
and
first
engineer
for
their
roles
in
discharging
oil
directly
into
the
pristine
waters
of
Alaska
from
a
fleet
of
large
refrigerated
cargo
ships.
The
Justice
Department
and
the
Coast
Guard
are
making
it
clear
that
environmental
crimes
will
continue
to
result
in
criminal
prosecution.
These
are
just
a
few
of
many
examples
that
clearly
illustrate
the
constancy
of
the
operational
excellence
of
our
missions
in
the
midst
of
dynamic
change.
Clearly,
we
must
continue
working
diligently
at
all
our
missions,
and
with
the
continued
support
of
the
President,
the
Secretary,
and
Congress,
we
can…and
we
will.
This
is
our
time.
The
flexibility
to
embrace
necessary
change,
while
maintaining
vital
continuity
in
service,
is
crucial
to
our
enduring
commitment
to
operational
excellence.
How
do
we
sustain
our
operational
excellence
in
this
environment?
I
believe
firmly
and
without
hesitation
that
the
answer
remains
consistent
in
the
watchwords
of
the
Commandant’s
Direction,
which
I
set
out
upon
taking
the
helm
of
the
Coast
Guard
nearly
a
year
ago.
You
know
those
watchwords
very
well
by
now,
I’m
sure:
Readiness
…
People
…
Stewardship.
We
have
been
attending
to
those
themes
diligently
during
the
past
year
with
very,
very
good
results.
America
expects
nothing
less.
We
will
be
ready
in
all
our
mission
areas,
with
particular
emphasis
on
maritime
homeland
security
and
search
and
rescue.
The
current
and
future
readiness
of
the
Coast
Guard
is
determined
by
the
attention
we
give
to
properly
training
and
equipping
our
units.
It
depends
entirely
on
the
obtaining
the
right
capabilities,
the
right
capacity,
and
right
partnerships
with
others.
How
have
we
done
with
improving
readiness
in
the
past
year?
My
assessment
is
that,
due
in
large
measure
to
the
strong
support
from
the
Administration
and
the
Congress,
we’ve
made
tremendous
progress…
but
we
still
have
a
long
way
to
go.
In
the
past
year—for
the
first
time
in
many
years—we
have
restored
our
maintenance
funding
base,
which
will
enable
us
to
properly
maintain
our
electronics
and
communications
systems.
That’s
making
a
huge
difference
in
readiness.
We’ve
increased
our
investments
in
our
search
and
rescue
mission,
by
adding
nearly
a
thousand
new
billets
across
the
nation
over
the
last
several
years
and
by
re-establishing
an
active
duty
“A”
school
for
boatswain
mates.
The
“A”
school
training
system
overall
has
increased
to
maximum
capacity
through
night
classes,
hiring
additional
contract
instructors,
installing
temporary
classrooms,
and
training
at
contractor
facilities.
Cape
May
is
operating
at
maximum
training
levels
to
meet
expected
growth.
Officer
Candidate
School
has
increased
accessions
by
50
percent,
and
Academy
accessions
have
increased
12
percent
this
year.
That’s
great
news,
especially
to
our
troops
in
the
field.
In
fact,
we
have
added
2200
new
billets
this
year,
and
the
best
news
is
that
our
retention
rates
are
higher
than
they
have
been
in
many
years.
In
FY
02-03
we’ve
added
over
100
new
boat
allowances
and
13
patrol
boats
…
more
are
on
their
way.
Increased
capacity
will
allow
us
to
become
as
much
a
“presence”
organization,
as
we
are
a
response
organization.
We
can’t
afford
to
simply
respond
to
emergencies.
We
must
be
in
place
to
prevent
them.
It’s
all
about
awareness,
deterrence,
and
prevention.
This
is
our
time.
In
addition
to
increased
capacity,
we
have
seen
real
improvements
in
capability.
For
instance,
we
have
added
four
new
Maritime
Safety
and
Security
Teams
in
key
ports
around
the
nation.
Two
more
are
coming
this
summer
and,
hopefully,
six
more
in
FY04.
Our
out-conus
counter-drug
HITRON
is
batting
a
thousand!
We
have
decided
to
build
on
that
success
by
expanding
that
capability
to
in-conus
homeland
security
applications
and
expanding
our
airborne
use
of
force
policy
to
apply
to
other
rotary
wing
aircraft,
as
well.
We
are
continuing
to
improve
our
maritime
domain
awareness
by
increasing
our
capabilities
to
share
information
and
by
strengthening
our
partnerships
with
federal,
state,
and
local
agencies,
as
well
as
our
industry
partners.
In
particular,
our
new
status
as
a
member
of
the
National
Foreign
Intelligence
Community
gives
us
greater
access
to
national
systems.
And
I
have
established
a
new
Assistant
Commandant
for
Intelligence—into
which
we
have
folded
our
Coast
Guard
Investigative
Service.
We
are
also
increasing
our
capabilities
with
two
new
Maritime
Intelligence
Fusion
Centers,
and
with
new
Field
Intelligence
Support
Teams
in
major
ports.
But
our
readiness
does
not
just
depend
on
better
capacity
and
capability.
As
much
as
we
need
them,
we
need
the
key
partnerships
that
have
already
proven
so
valuable
to
our
effectiveness.
We
need
to
further
strengthen
these
relationships—both
within
the
new
Department
of
Homeland
Security
and
throughout
government
and
industry,
at
home
and
abroad.
We’ll
need
them
to
increase
our
readiness
and
to
sustain
our
operational
excellence
across
our
mission
portfolio.
Building
effective
partnerships
was
the
key
reason
for
our
success
at
the
International
Maritime
Organization
this
past
December.
Partnership
will
continue
to
be
essential
as
we
develop
and
implement
our
MTSA
rulemaking
effort
over
the
next
year.
And
our
partnership
with
DOD/USN
allows
an
effective
two-
way
flow
of
capability
to
meet
both
expeditionary
and
domestic
security
imperatives
…
all
in
the
national
interest.
Capability
…
Capacity
…
and
Partnerships—three
key
ingredients
to
being
ready
and
sustaining
operational
excellence.
We
are
more
ready
today
then
we
were
a
year
ago
…
and
we’ll
be
more
capable
in
the
months
and
years
ahead.
Good
stewardship
also
contributes
to
operational
excellence.
Good
stewardship
means
managing
our
resources
with
effectiveness
and
efficiency.
We
have
earned
good
marks
here.
The
Comptroller
General
of
the
United
States,
Mr.
David
Walker,
recently
referred
to
us
as
“one
of
the
best
managed
agencies
in
the
federal
government.”
We
have
received
clean
financial
audits
three
years
in
a
row.
We
must
continue
to
earn
and
keep
the
trust
of
the
American
people
by
doing
the
very
best
with
what
we
have.
We
must
also
continually
look
to
the
future,
and
determine
what
we
will
need
to
answer
the
call.
Good
stewardship
means
developing
and
maintaining
performance
based
plans…and
we’re
beginning
to
realize
the
fruits
of
our
planning
efforts
in
this
area.
This
is
our
time.
With
the
increases
proposed
in
the
President's
fiscal
year
2004
budget,
the
Coast
Guard
will
be
better
positioned
to
respond
to
the
Nation's
future
maritime
homeland
security
and
safety
needs.
The
proposed
budget
is
part
of
a
multi-year
plan
that
emphasizes
modernizing,
building,
and
sustaining
both
capacity
and
capability
in
all
our
mission
areas—a
plan
that
is
vitally
important
to
achieving
our
goals.
President
Bush
and
Secretary
Ridge
have
been
strong
advocates
of
this
plan.
We
are
working
very
hard
to
keep
their
support
through
measurable
performance
and
operational
excellence.
If
the
budget
is
enacted,
by
the
end
of
FY04
we
will
have
grown
by
over
4100
personnel
and
increased
our
overall
budget
by
over
$1.6B—a
30%
increase
over
FY02.
That
should
come
as
welcome
news
to
anyone
with
interest
in
our
ability
to
conduct
our
many
missions,
and
with
interest
in
preparing
us
for
the
future.
We
are
putting
these
increases
to
excellent
use
through
sound
stewardship.
I
think
two
major
projects
that
we
have
in
the
works
illustrate
that
point
clearly.
In
particular,
the
Integrated
Deepwater
System
project
will
re-capitalize
the
Coast
Guard’s
aging
cutters,
aircraft,
and
offshore
Command
and
Control
network
to
help
push
out
the
U.S.
borders
and
increase
our
Maritime
Domain
Awareness
(MDA).
It
is
a
flexible
program,
able
to
meet
emerging
requirements
for
maritime
security.
Our
Rescue
21
project
will
serve
as
a
maritime
911
system
that
provides
both
a
distress
network,
and
an
integrated
coastal
command
and
control
system,
which
will
aid
communication
among
agencies
responding
jointly
to
emergencies.
Both
Deepwater
and
Rescue
21
will
be
interoperable.
These
programs
and
others
are
at
the
heart
of
providing
a
ready
Coast
Guard
having
the
competencies
and
capabilities
to
respond
to
our
missions
across
the
board.
When
Deepwater
is
complete,
no
longer
will
our
cutters
and
aircraft
operate
as
independent
platforms,
with
only
limited
awareness
of
what
surrounds
them
in
the
maritime
domain.
Instead,
they
will
have
the
benefit
of
receiving
information
from
a
wide
array
of
mission
capable
platforms
and
sensors,
and
will
be
able
to
work
easily
in
tandem
with
other
cutters,
boats,
and
aircraft.
That
capability
will
truly
transform
our
work.
One
of
our
110’
patrol
boats,
the
Cutter
Matagorda
is
now
in
the
shipyards,
becoming
the
first
of
our
cutters
to
venture
into
Deepwater,
so
to
speak.
This
historic
occasion
marks
the
advent
of
a
new
era.
The
changes
that
Matagorda
will
undergo
in
this
yard
period,
as
she
is
converted
into
a
123’
patrol
boat,
will
make
her
stronger,
faster,
and
far
more
capable
of
performing
the
many
missions
required
of
her
in
this
new
century.
In
a
similar
way,
the
changes
that
the
entire
Coast
Guard
will
undergo
in
the
coming
years
will
make
us
stronger,
faster,
and
far
more
capable
of
performing
our
many
missions,
both
here
at
home
and
abroad,
when
needed.
There
are
other
examples
of
good
stewardship
and
innovation
that
we
should
take
note
of.
In
the
past
year,
for
example,
we
have
engineered
a
high-speed
data
link
that
allows
cutters
to
access
the
world
wide
web
via
satellite.
That’s
critically
important
to
their
ability
to
share
information
and
conduct
business
at
sea
through
e-Coast
Guard.
We
have
also
created
assessment
teams
to
measure
the
effectiveness
of
e-Coast
Guard
initiatives
and
the
progress
being
made
toward
achieving
the
reality
of
an
electronically
integrated
Coast
Guard.
Furthermore,
the
Innovation
Council
sponsored
a
one-year
pilot
project
aimed
at
using
hand-held
computers
to
support
our
boarding
officers,
inspectors,
pilots,
and
others
with
a
portable
job
performance
aid.
This
new
tool
will
enable
field
operators
to
record
essential
data
digitally
and
allow
it
to
be
uploaded
later
to
a
central
database,
saving
time
and
increasing
the
accuracy
and
speed
of
our
operations.
These
are
but
a
few
examples
of
dozens
that
I
could
give
you
to
illustrate
our
efforts
to
maintain
good
stewardship.
Readiness
and
stewardship
both
really
depend
on
one
thing:
the
capability
of
our
people
to
achieve
them.
Ultimately,
our
operational
excellence
depends
on
the
men
and
women
of
the
Coast
Guard.
We
cannot
improve
readiness
and
maintain
good
stewardship
simply
by
building
better
ships,
airplanes,
and
equipment.
We
can’t
do
these
things
without
retaining
the
quality,
depth
and
diversity
of
our
people.
Together,
we
must
be
willing
and
able
to
stand
strong,
though
days
ahead
might
be
very
hard—and
I
assure
you,
we
will
stand
strong.
Our
chiefs,
our
officers,
and
our
civilian
leadership
will
be
essential
to
the
sustained
growth
in
depth
and
numbers
that
we
must
achieve
in
the
next
few
years.
They
are
all
necessary
to
help
every
one
of
our
members,
but
especially
our
junior
members,
achieve
the
professionalism
our
Service
requires.
For
example,
we
are
paying
keen
attention
to
crew
endurance
management
to
ensure
the
safety
of
our
people,
while
meeting
the
demands
of
a
huge
increase
in
operational
tempo.
To
do
that,
we
have
developed
state-of-the-art
techniques
for
assessing
crew
endurance
risks;
we
have
instituted
new
crew
endurance
management
principles
into
our
operational
doctrines;
and
we
have
established
crew
endurance
management
training
at
the
Leadership
Development
Center
for
all
prospective
command
cadre.
This
year,
we
increased
tuition
assistance
by
28
percent,
to
bring
our
program
into
parity
with
the
Department
of
Defense.
We
are
also
using
technology
to
develop
the
skills
of
our
people
to
the
“point
of
use”
in
new
and
unprecedented
ways,
such
as
the
E-Learning
Initiative,
SOCCOAST
and
SMARTFORCE.
The
Joint
Ratings
Review
is
nearly
complete,
changing
the
ratings
and
advancement
standards
for
more
than
a
third
of
our
petty
officers,
to
bring
them
in
alignment
with
the
needs
of
the
future.
There
is
a
whole
host
of
other
changes
that
I
could
talk
about
if
we
had
all
day,
such
as
the
new
Operational
Dress
Uniform,
the
Enlisted
Professional
Military
Education
Program,
changes
in
age
and
training
policies
for
selected
reserve
recruiting
programs,
changes
to
the
Gliding
Flexible
Work
Schedule,
and
service-wide
leave
carryover
policies
to
make
sure
our
people
have
the
opportunity
to
rest
and
recover
from
the
demands
of
the
workplace.
All
of
these
changes,
and
more,
are
designed
to
improve
the
quality
of
work
and
life
for
our
people.
There
will
be
more
coming.
Readiness…People…Stewardship.
Each
of
these
is
essential
to
our
operational
excellence…and
none
of
them
is
independent
of
the
others.
They
are
intricately
intertwined.
Most
of
us
are
familiar
with
the
wide
use
of
rope—or
line,
as
we
call
it
in
our
service.
These
three
elements—readiness,
people
and
stewardship—are
like
three
strands
twisted
together
to
form
a
line,
such
as
a
mooring
line,
used
to
secure
a
boat
or
a
ship
to
the
pier.
The
boatswains
among
us
will
know
that
three-stranded
synthetic
line
is
very
resistant
to
abrasion,
and
although
it
may
stretch
a
lot
under
load,
it
quickly
returns
to
its
proper
length
and
shape
when
the
load
is
released.
The
more
stretch
the
line
has,
the
better
it
can
absorb
impact.
Every
once
in
a
while,
especially
after
the
line
has
been
used
under
heavy
load,
it
is
a
real
good
idea
to
inspect
each
of
the
strands
carefully
along
the
entire
length
of
the
line
to
make
sure
it
hasn’t
weakened
or
deteriorated,
and
it
is
ready
for
the
next
big
strain.
We
have
all
been
under
a
great
deal
of
stress
and
strain
lately.
I
know
how
hard
everyone
in
the
Coast
Guard
is
working,
whether
active
duty,
reserve,
auxiliary,
or
civilian.
We
must
continue
to
pay
close
attention
to
the
three
strands
of
Readiness,
People,
and
Stewardship
to
make
sure
that
we
have
the
strength
and
flexibility
that
we
need
for
the
future.
This
is
our
time.
I
wish
I
could
tell
you
exactly
what
tomorrow
will
bring.
If
the
past
year
is
any
indication,
then
we
have
many
more
changes
in
store.
We
have
many
initiatives
on
the
table,
and
others
to
follow.
We
have
much
to
do
to
implement
MTSA
and
the
security
amendments
to
SOLAS
and
the
ISPS
Codes
designed
to
ensure
better
information
sharing,
better
security
plans,
and
more
effective
means
of
inspection
and
control
of
commercial
vessels.
There
is
much
yet
to
do
to
build
out
our
homeland
security
capabilities
and
capacity,
to
integrate
as
a
true
team
player
with
the
new
department,
to
develop
mission
standards
of
performance,
and
to
increase
our
7
by
24
presence
in
our
ports
and
waterways.
What
is
at
stake
here
is
not
only
our
ability
to
meet
security
demands,
but
to
sustain
operational
excellence
across
all
our
missions.
We
must
tend
to
our
fisheries
and
other
law
enforcement
missions,
including
counter-drugs
and
migrant
interdiction,
to
ensure
that
our
nation’s
borders
and
resources
are
fully
protected
against
potential
violation—not
just
against
terrorism.
We
must
realize
our
strategies
and
goals
for
MDA,
if
we
are
to
provide
the
maritime
security
that
our
nation
requires.
As
part
of
that
effort,
we
must
make
absolutely
certain
that
our
Deepwater
and
Rescue
21
programs
stay
on
track,
and
that
we
vigorously
pursue
the
goal
of
modernizing
and
re-capitalizing
our
aging
fleets.
We
should
view
all
these
challenges
as
glowing
opportunities…especially
the
opportunity
to
grow
and
manage
our
workforce
in
a
smart
way.
We
must
do
so
by
keeping
the
training,
professional
development,
education,
and
well
being
of
our
workforce
as
the
highest
priority.
The
“CG
committed
to
our
people
and
our
people
committed
to
the
Coast
Guard”
--
the
most
important
phrase
in
my
“Direction”.
We
must
keep
our
quality
advantage
by
investing
in
our
people.
We
have
two
examples
of
how
that
investment
has
paid
off
with
us
today
…
BMC
Terry
Lathrop
of
STA
St.
Clair
Shores,
the
winner
of
the
McShan
inspirational
leadership
award
and
LCDR
James
Elliot
of
the
D7
marine
safety
staff,
the
winner
of
the
Witherspoon
inspirational
leadership
award.
Would
Chief
Latham
and
LCDR
Elliot
please
stand
so
we
can
recognize
you?
Congratulations!
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
this
IS
a
time
of
enormous
opportunities,
as
well
as
enormous
responsibility
and
change.
Our
men
and
women
…
active
duty,
reserves,
civilian
and
auxiliary
are
clearly
equal
to
the
task
at
hand.
This
is
our
time
...
We
have
much
to
contribute
to
both
the
safety
and
security
of
our
great
nation.
It’s
our
calling
…It’s
our
responsibility.
And
while
we
have
been
…
and
will
be
…
faced
with
transformational
change,
what
has
not
changed,
and
what
will
not
change,
either
in
this
time
or
in
the
future,
are
the
things
that
must
remain
constant—our
character
as
a
maritime,
multi-mission,
military
service,
and
our
core
values:
Honor,
Respect,
and
Devotion
to
Duty.
America
needs
a
Coast
Guard
that
will
not
change
its
ability
to
be
always
ready
for
anything—even
the
enormous
changes
that
we
have
seen
in
the
past
year.
Change
within
Continuity…that
is
the
key
to
remaining
Semper
Paratus!
And
Semper
Paratus
we
will
remain!
Thank
you
very
much.