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iCommandant

Web Journal of Admiral Thad Allen

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Sector Ohio Valley Commander, CAPT Hung Nguyen, after receiving the Hamilton Award from the Commandat


CCG & CAPT Nguyen.JPG
Originally uploaded by uscgpress
Guardians,

Today we awarded the first prestigious Alexander Hamilton Award to Sector Ohio Valley. This award establishes a unit award for excellence to parallel our personal awards for leadership. Sector Commander, CAPT Hung Nguyen provides a guest post below.

ADM A

Achieving a More ?Agile, Change-centric and Thinking? Organization
CAPT Hung M. Nguyen, Commander, Sector Ohio Valley

During his tenure as Commandant, Admiral Thad Allen continually expresses his desire for the Coast Guard to be a more "agile, change-centric and thinking" organization. This is because we are operating in a very challenging environment, where the demand for our service is increasing but the budget picture is not as favorable as it has been during the last eight years. Additionally, a natural or man-made disaster could happen at anytime and the public has very little tolerance for failure.

To meet the Commandant's vision, in late 2007, Sector Ohio Valley began to implement the Coast Guard Management Framework, which is also known as the Commandant's Performance Excellence Criteria, to enhance our unity of effort, to focus our limited resources on the highest risks, and to promote continuous improvement. Since then, our collective efforts have resulted in significant readiness and performance improvement, more satisfied external stakeholders and better care for our workforce. As with other sectors, we still have many resource gaps and do not meet all of our performance targets. However, our highly effective integrated management system and culture of workforce empowerment have enabled us to anticipate change, make the timely adjustments, and achieve the desired results.

With our subordinate units' implementation of the Coast Guard Management Framework at their level and the availability of the new CG Portal's collaboration tools, we have achieved even greater vertical alignment and workforce empowerment. It is easier now for every member of the Sector to make the connection between their activities to their unit's goals, to share their perspectives on current issues, and to collaborate on improvement.

The "Brown Bag Leadership Book Club" of the CG Portal Sector Ohio Valley Place is a great example of our enhanced workforce empowerment. The purpose of this discussion forum is to promote leadership development for junior officers and senior petty officers. The books are selected by this group and its members share the responsibility for identifying leadership principles that they can employ to enhance their personal effectiveness and the Sector's organizational excellence. This approach is much more effective than the normal practice of a senior officer's recommending a professional reading list for subordinates. Oftentimes, this top-down approach results in very little response.

In his keynote speech at this year's Coast Guard Innovation Expo, Mr. Kerry Patterson, the author of "Influencer: the Power to Change Anything", suggested that, in order for an organization to be "agile, change-centric and thinking", its leaders must change the behaviors of the workforce. He recommended six change strategies (values, skills, support, teamwork, incentives, and environment). In winning this year's Alexander Hamilton Award for Excellence, we believe that our integrated management system and culture of workforce empowerment are in alignment with Mr. Patterson's recommendations, and it is our solution for sustaining organizational excellence.

Senior Executive Leadership Conference (SELC), Day Three: VADM Papp

Guardians,

We closed out our Senior Leadership Executive Conference this afternoon after closing ceremonies for the Innovation Expo.

We spent time today consolidating our work group activity and briefings regarding diversity, strategy and resources, cyber security, and command/ control/culture.

Your senior leaders rolled up their sleeves and worked tough implementation issues related to diversity as an operational imperative, understanding the complexity and challenges associated with cyber security, insuring we resource to our strategic goals, and the command and control issues related to our new bi-level maintenance model and attendant cultural changes.

ADM A

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

SELC Day Two: RADM Nimmich and Senior Exec Marty Rajk

Guardians,

Yesterday morning we opened the Innovation Expo with a keynote from organizational behavioral expert Kerry Patterson. He was very insightful and very amusing as he explained how we can influence behaviors and create effects to improve organizational performance.

Our Senior Leadership Executive Conference (SELC) continued yesterday as well with operational briefs from Atlantic Area Commands, US Southern Command (RADM Parker) and US Northern Command (RDML Parks).

We closed the day with a reception on the Innovation Expo floor with our innovators and industry partners. Look for posts from some of those folks.

ADM A

Coast Guard Exchange, Chesapeake, VA


IMG_0396.JPG
Originally uploaded by uscgpress
Guardians,

I took some time yesterday from the Innovation Expo to visit our newest facility in the Coast Guard Exchange System. The store is located in a former Circuit City building in a heavy shopping area in Chesapeake, VA (near Greenbriar Mall). A perfect location and our first Exchange located in such an area. The store is beautiful and expansive. Hats off to our CGES folks on the great decision to locate the store and the highly motivated team that is serving our military family. Check it out at www.cg-exchange.com.



ADM A

Monday, November 16, 2009

Senior Leadership Executive Conference, Day One: RADM Brice-O'Hara (DCO) and RADM Mary Landry (D8)

Guardians,

We finished a full and busy first day at the Senior Executive Leadership Conference. Today's focus was on field operations with presentations by commanders from Pacific Area, 11th District (California), 13th District (Pacific Northwest), 14th District (Hawaii and Pacific Rim), and 17th District (Alaska). We also heard presentations from the Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy, both JIATF South and West, the Deployable Operations Group (DOG), FORECOM, and the PACAREA Senior Reserve Officer. We are tweeting out these events as they happen.

We also had an in depth brief regarding cyber security (defense, exploitation, and attack) as well as an update on the standup of the Coast Guard Guard's Cyber Command led by the Deputy Commandant for Operations, RADM Brice-O'Hara.

I opened the conference with an overview of the current external environment, including the ongoing Fiscal Year 2011 budget process.

Tomorrow we will be opening the Innovation Expo at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. We will also continue with field briefings from the Atlantic Area commands and our flag officers assigned to Northern Command and Southern Command. In the afternoon our remaining senior leaders will lead and engage in interactive breakout sessions on diversity (VADM Currier), strategy (VADM Papp), Governance and Management: Command, Control, and Culture (VADM Breckenridge).

We just dodged a bullet on the weather at Virginia Beach after the Nor'easter that plowed through late last week and the weather is beautiful.

ADM A

Coast Guard Featured on ESPN

As part of its Veterans Day programming, ESPN featured several minutes of footage from the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, NJ. In case you did not see it, here is a compilation of several individual clips which were featured throughout the day on 11 November.

For those of you who haven't visited Cape May recently, you might be surprised at some of the new facilities and training programs. It is still inspiring to see the spirit of our new Guardians in action.

Senior Executive Leadership Conference and Innovation Exposition

Guardians,

Our Senior Executive Leadership Conference takes place this week in conjunction with the Innovation Exposition at Virginia Beach. I will posted and tweeting as I get the opportunity. Stay tuned

ADM A

Sunday, November 15, 2009

North American Marine Environment Protection Association

Guardians,
Over the last several years the Coast Guard has developed a close working relationship with NAMEPA, the North American Marine Environment Protection Association. I recently asked Carleen Lyden-Kluss, a co-founder to guest blog and her post is provided below. NAMEPA was a critical partner in our very successful World Maritime Day event in New York in October. You will enjoy the work of Kevin Lopez.

ADM A

Thank you for suggesting inclusion of information on NAMEPA in your blog. We greatly appreciate your attention to the organization, which is leading the effort to "Save our Seas".

To summarize:

NAMEPA (North American Marine Environment Protection Association) is a non-profit organization which was formed two years ago as a marine industry-led effort to "Save our Seas". Its mission is to educate seafarers, port communities and students on marine environment protection. Specifically, NAMEPA has the goal of informing maritime practitioners and the wider public and school communities about the critical importance of the world?s oceans to mankind and the maritime industry?s role and actions to preserve it.

Through its strategic alliances with port chaplains, industry, and marine interests, NAMEPA reaches seafarers and port communities in most ports in North America. Additionally, NAMEPA connects with children with the message of protecting the marine environment through its children?s drawing contest. This year's winner, Kevin Lopez, gave marine life a voice to protest man's negligence of the seas (see attached poster -- /NAMEPA%20Poster%20winner-Lopez.pdf.

NAMEPA has also created and distributed a Marine Debris Poster spotlighting the duration of our litter (also attached--/Marine%20Debris%20Poster-final.pdf). This message has been sent throughout North America, and been requested by organizations in Chile, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

NAMEPA is also engaged in convening industry events to explore strategies for improving our marine environment. Through National and World Maritime Day events, as well as response simulations, the message of improving our protection and practices is promoted. Most recently, NAMEPA worked in collaboration with the USCG and IMO to produce the 2009 World Maritime Day Parallel Event in New York City, where the topic was Climate Change. Other activities include wreck oil removal initiatives, emissions strategies, and collaboration with marine sanctuary and conservation efforts.

NAMEPA has over 80 industry members, and numerous strategic alliances with industry groups. It has become a voice for environmental vigilance and stewardship of our oceans, seas and rivers.

Thank you again for this opportunity. I look forward to seeing it on your blog!!

Best always,

Carleen Lyden-Kluss, Co-Founder and Executive Director

NAMEPA (North American Marine Environment Protection Association)

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Accepting the Admiral Of The Ocean Sea Award (AOTOS) from the United Seaman's Service in New York, 13 November 2009.

Guardians,

On Friday night in New York, the United States Coast Guard was awarded the Admiral Of The Ocean Sea (AOTOS) Award by the United Seamen?s Service at their 40th Annual Awards. I accepted the award on behalf of the men and women of the Coast Guard. Honored with us were Donald Kurz, Chairman and CEO of Keystone Shipping and Ronald Widdows, Group President and CEO of Neptune Shipping Company. Also honored were merchant mariners who distinguished themselves by bravery in the performance of their duty. These individuals included MAERSK ALABAMA Captain Richard Phillips and LIBERTY SUN Captain Don Gross, both of whom were involved in piracy cases involving United States flag vessels. Of interest, Don Gross is a retired Coast Guard Captain and graduate of the Coast Guard Academy Class of 1969.

For those of you who are not familiar with the USS, from their website, ?The mission of the United Seamen's Service is to promote the welfare of American seafarers and their dependents, seafarers of all nations, US government military and civilian personnel, and other persons engaged in the maritime industry.?

The Admiral of the Ocean Sea Award ?recognizes that the Western hemisphere owes its discovery to great seafarers and to the seafarers who transported the colonists, the privateers who helped win its freedom, and the people and ships that opened the world trade for our commerce. With 78 per cent of the world made up of bodies of water, this event is a continuing affirmation that this country will maintain its historic destiny with the great oceans, the ships that fly its flag, and the seafarers of all nations who serve in freedom.? The Coast Guard was recognized for our continued to efforts to promote access and fair treatment for seafarers.

I was honored to represent my fellow Guardians among these very deserving individuals.

ADM A

Visit to Station Eastport, Maine with Senator Collins

Guardians,

Our thanks to BMCS Jim Malcolm, XPO BM1 Terry Bailey and the crew Station Eastport for hosting us on Friday for a quick visit and All Hands. Station Eastport and Sector Northern New England are engaged in a fascinating prototype project to capture energy from the extreme tidal currents in the area (20 foot tidal range) to generate electrical power that is stored in batteries and used for various uses on the station.

ADM A
Last Modified 11/20/2009