ALCOAST 089/09
COMDTNOTE 16700
SUBJ:  COAST GUARD MARINE SAFETY FEEDER PORTS
A.  COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 021523Z OCT 08/ALCOAST 486/08
B.  COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC R171741Z NOV 08/ALCOAST 568/08
C.  COMCOGARD PERSCOM ARLINGTON VA R250057Z MAR 08/ ALCGOFF 037/08
1.  REFS A AND B PROVIDED UPDATES ON ACTIONS ACCOMPLISHED IN
IMPLEMENTING THE MARINE SAFETY ENHANCEMENT PLAN INCLUDING THE
ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEEDER PORTS IN REF A.  THIS ALCOAST PROVIDES
INFORMATION ON MARINE SAFETY FEEDER PORTS.
2.  A FEEDER PORT IS A SECTOR OR MARINE SAFETY UNIT (MSU) WITH A
DIVERSE WORKLOAD AND WITH SUFFICIENT VOLUME TO ALLOW FOR TRAINING
IN AT LEAST FOUR OF THE 17 MARINE INSPECTION (MI) AND PORT STATE
CONTROL EXAMINATION (PSCE) COMPETENCIES.  FEEDER PORTS WILL BE
STAFFED TO TRAIN AND THEN PROVIDE QUALIFIED INSPECTORS TO FILL MI
POSITIONS THROUGHOUT THE COAST GUARD.
3.  THE FOLLOWING UNITS ARE DESIGNATED FEEDER PORTS:
  A.  SECTOR BOSTON
  B.  SECTOR NEW YORK
  C.  SECTOR DELAWARE BAY
  D.  SECTOR HAMPTON ROADS
  E.  SECTOR JACKSONVILLE
  F.  SECTOR SAN JUAN
  G.  SECTOR MOBILE
  H.  SECTOR NEW ORLEANS
  I.  MSU HOUMA
  J.  MSU MORGAN CITY
  K.  SECTOR HOUSTON
  L.  MSU PORT ARTHUR
  M.  MSU GALVESTON
  N.  SECTOR CORPUS CHRISTI
  O.  SECTOR SAN FRANCISCO BAY
  P.  SECTOR LA/LB
  Q.  SECTOR SEATTLE
  R.  SECTOR HONOLULU
4.  A KEY COMPONENT OF THE FEEDER PORT CONCEPT IS THE USE OF AN
APPRENTICE-JOURNEYMAN-SENIOR MARINE INSPECTOR/TRAINING OFFICER OR
MASTER BILLET STRUCTURE AND CAREER PATH. APPRENTICE TRAINING WILL
BE EXPECTED TO EMPHASIZE TRAINING IN BOTH DOMESTIC VESSEL
INSPECTIONS AND FOREIGN VESSEL EXAMINATIONS.  THE SPECIFIC CRITERIA
FOR THESE LEVELS OF EXPERTISE FOR A BLENDED PROFESSIONAL WORKFORCE
OF MILITARY AND CIVILIAN MARINE INSPECTORS ARE CURRENTLY BEING
DEVELOPED AND WILL BE PROMULGATED AT A LATER DATE.
5.  WHILE THE CONCEPT OF A FEEDER PORT IS SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS
TRAINING PORT MODEL WHICH WAS DISESTABLISHED IN 2007, IT IS
CRITICALLY DIFFERENT IN THE SHEER MAGNITUDE OF DEDICATED APPRENTICE
AND JOURNEYMAN BILLETS AND THE COMMITMENT TO QUALIFICATIONS
EXPECTED OF EACH.
6.  TRAINING WILL CONTINUE TO BE CONDUCTED AT NON-FEEDER PORTS AS
IT IS BEING DONE TODAY. OUR LONG TERM GOAL IS THAT NON-FEEDER PORTS
WILL NOT HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TRAINING THOSE NEWLY ENTERING
THE MARINE INSPECTION FIELD.
7.  SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING AN APPRENTICE TOUR AT A FEEDER PORT
WILL BE A PRE-REQUISITE FOR BECOMING AN INVESTIGATING OFFICER (IO).
SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON IO TRAINING REQUIREMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED
AT A LATER DATE.
8.  TO SUPPORT THIS LEVEL OF COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING COMPETENCY,
FEEDER PORTS WILL RECEIVE ADDITIONAL BILLETS WHICH INCLUDE GS-13
CIVILIAN TRAINING OFFICER/SENIOR MARINE INSPECTORS(TO/SMI).  EIGHT
FEEDER PORTS RECEIVED TO/SMIS IN FY08, 3 MORE TO/SMIS WILL FOLLOW
IN FY09, AND THE REMAINING TO/SMIS POSITIONS HAVE BEEN REQUESTED
FOR FY10.  OUR LONG TERM GOAL OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS AS WE MOVE
FORWARD IN ESTABLISHING FEEDER PORTS AS EFFECTIVE TRAINING
ENVIRONMENTS IS TO ENSURE AN APPRENTICE IS ASSIGNED FOR EACH
JOURNEYMAN INSPECTOR BILLET.  THE NUMBER OF JOURNEYMEN, SMI/TOS,
MASTER INSPECTORS ASSIGNED TO A PORT WILL BE BASED ON THAT PORTS
WORKLOAD, IN ACCORDANCE WITH UPCOMING SECTOR STAFFING STANDARDS.
9.  THE VAST MAJORITY OF OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO APPRENTICE BILLETS
WILL BE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW THEIR INITIAL TOUR WITH A FOLLOW ON
ASSIGNMENT AS A MI OR IO PRIOR TO A STAFF ASSIGNMENT.  THIS
SIGNIFICANT COMMITMENT MARKS THE NEW VISION OF A PROFESSIONAL
INSPECTION CORPS AND IS CONSISTENT WITH THE MARINE SAFETY
ENHANCEMENT PLAN. ALTHOUGH JOURNEYMAN MIS AND IOS MAY BROADEN THEIR
EXPERIENCE BY PARTICIPATING IN OTHER ASSIGNMENTS, AND AS PREVIOUSLY
STATED IN REF E, PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TO APPRENTICE BILLETS MAY NOT
BE REASSIGNED TO OTHER PRIMARY DUTIES OUTSIDE THE INSPECTIONS
DIVISION BY THEIR COMMAND WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF CGPC-OPM.
THIS IS NOT MEANT TO RESTRICT APPRENTICES FROM PARTICIPATING IN
COLLATERALS SUCH AS CFC OR MORALE POSITIONS; RATHER, IT IS INTENDED
TO FOCUS THE INDIVIDUAL ON MARINE INSPECTOR QUALIFICATIONS
CONSISTENT WITH THE ASSIGNED BILLET.
10.  MISSION ACCOMPLISHMENT DICTATES THAT WE ADHERE TO THE
"BROADENED SPECIALIST" CONCEPT OUTLINED IN FLAG VOICE 312 TO ENSURE
PROPER FOCUS ON COMPETENCY ENHANCEMENT.
11.  APPRENTICE MIS WILL NOT BE PQS VERIFYING OFFICERS.
ONLY JOURNEYMAN MIS IN THEIR SECOND TOUR OR BEYOND, OR CIVILIAN
JOURNEYMAN INSPECTORS AND INVESTIGATORS ARE TO BE DESIGNATED BY THE
COMMAND AS PQS VERIFYING OFFICERS.
12.  BACKGROUND AND CLARIFICATIONS CAN BE RECEIVED FROM CAPT ERIC
CHRISTENSEN COMDT (CG-543) AND CDR BYRON BLACK COMDT (CG-7411).
13.  RADM WAYNE L. JUSTICE, ASSISTANT COMMANDANT FOR CAPABILITY,
AND RDML JAMES A. WATSON, DIRECTOR, PREVENTION POLICY, SEND.
14.  INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.