As we approach the Fourth of July weekend in the midst of a very busy transfer season, I want to share some personal thoughts with you. In the last several months I have had very frank conversations at the end of my All Hands meetings about internalizing our Guardian Ethos so we can protect and respect our shipmates with the same dedication that we display to protect, defend and save the American public. Many of these meetings have included Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Skip Bowen and our Reserve Component Master Chief Petty Officer, Jeff Smith. This All Hands comes from the three of us.

Wherever I travel, I see Coast Guard men and women doing extraordinary things every day. Whether active duty, reservist, civilian, auxiliarist, or retiree, members of our Coast Guard family fully understand our obligation to serve the citizens of this Nation and ensure we meet our safety, security, and stewardship responsibilities in the maritime domain.

On and off duty, you selflessly put the welfare of others above that of yourself. You are the boarding team member watching the hands of the crew of a go-fast or self-propelled semi-submersible vessel and at the same time watching your teammate's back. You are the marine inspector assessing risk before entering a confined space. You are the air crew managing every situation as a team. You are the cutter and small boat crews conducting internal risk-assessments before executing a mission. You are the thousands in support roles who make these actions possible. Thank you for all that you do to serve our Nation and the public.

Today, I am asking you to consider your role as professional Guardians, whether it be in executing or supporting the mission, in a much broader sense. You are exceptional at viewing your duty to the maritime public through the lens of our Guardian Ethos. Now, I am asking you to turn that lens around and train it on the people you serve with on a daily basis. In the last two years we have saved countless lives, protected the environment, and insured the safety and security of our Nation. But at the same time we have shouldered the heavy burden of external scrutiny, self appraisal and accountability associated with operational MISHAPS, off duty accidents, and insensitive behaviors that demeaned ourselves and our shipmates.

While these incidents may not appear so, they are linked. They represent what may be a blind spot in our rear view mirror, or the contact lost in sea return on the radar, or the threat that is hiding in plain sight, or our own failure to recognize that we should step forward to prevent something bad from happening. It is a loss of situational awareness about our own shipmates. Collectively, these experiences remind us that we must be each other's Guardian. It should not take a command directive to prompt us to remind someone to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle. We should not sit idly by when a shipmate announces he or she is driving 24 hours straight to see their family or fiancée. Just as you would not disregard briefings and required checklists before executing operations, you must intervene before shipmates put themselves at risk on watch or on liberty. Likewise, we must respect the strength our Service gains from the diversity of our workforce. We should not treat our fellow Guardians any differently than we would treat those we are trying to rescue or save. We cannot afford the loss or injury of one single person. The effect on families and friends is devastating and everlasting. The effect on the Coast Guard erodes our capability, competency, and capacity to serve the Nation. We need each and every one of you. We must be Guardians of one another on and off duty.

You will see a number of ALCOASTs in the future that will focus and expand on some of the issues and specific problems and challenges I have noted. Please read them, internalize them and discuss them to make sure your shipmates understand your responsibilities to one another as well. In addition to living the Coast Guard core values of honor, respect and devotion to duty, I am asking you to include devotion to each other. That is being a Guardian.

As we celebrate our Nation's 232nd birthday, whether on duty or off, keep a weather eye toward your shipmates as you serve the public and your fellow Guardians.

Admiral Thad Allen sends.

A. As you celebrate Memorial Day, please take time to remember those that have gone before you, those that made the ultimate sacrifice protecting our freedom and what this nation stands for. Over a million American’s have sacrificed their lives to ensure the freedom and liberties we have today. Millions of others have served beside them and were lucky enough to return home, although many with permanent mental and physical scars. I ask that you remember them all.

B. To those of you who currently serve, I thank you. I am proud to work beside you in service to our country. Each of you has volunteered your time and effort to make a positive impact and protect the citizens of this great nation. Stand tall and wear your uniform with pride this Memorial Day and every day you have the privilege of wearing it.

2. Operation Paddlesmart

A. Efforts are well underway in this campaign to reduce the loss of life of our recreational paddlers. Supplies were mailed out this week to all Flotilla Commanders. Each Flotilla should have received a sample packet and supplies to build 50 packets to be distributed to paddlers and potential paddlers. Additional supplies are available through the Cape Cod Auxiliary Office.

B. I have been hearing great reports of outreach events. I have heard of numerous town proclamations, Safe Boating Week events, VE events, and media events, this is great news, keep it coming!!! But remember if the event is not captured on the OP Paddlesmart Reporting Form, we are not going to get credit for the great work you are doing. Be sure to report via the Op Paddlesmart report form and submit info to your IS officers to be captured by Auxdata. Anyone can complete this form, you can send it in as an individual, or collect info as a flotilla or division, JUST DO IT! If you have an interesting event be sure to send information up the chain of leadership and communication as well, your event may just get briefed to the Commandant! The point to remember is that if we don’t see it on paper, it didn’t happen, so be sure to take the final step and finish the paper work. A limited amount of reports have been submitted, but I know we have already done much more than we’ve reported so don’t forget the paperwork.

C. Some people have asked about minimum required equipment for paddle craft and stated there has been confusion on this when conducting outreach. A Federal Minimum Requirements list has been forwarded down the VE chain and will be posted on the Op Paddlesmart Section of our website under What’s New. Remember we have a great VE incentive program running this year, your paddle craft VSCs will count towards the incentive program. See our website for more details on the VSC incentive program.

D. Remember that we are targeting people that are relatively new to the sport of paddling and that we are not considered paddling experts as a general population (I know we have a few paddling experts in our ranks). Keep this in mind when dealing with clubs and groups that may have experienced paddlers; make sure we deliver the right message which is wear a life jacket, don’t go out alone, take a boating safety class... We are aiming at the life safety aspect of paddling and should not claim to be experts in the field of paddling.

E. We have permission from USPS to teach the new USPS Paddle Smart course, order information is posted on our website. This is a 2 hour seminar. The ACA has offered to allow us to purchase the ACA Smart Start for Paddlers at the ACA member price. Additional info on ordering this as well as Safety Sidekicks Let’s Go Paddling targeted to children is on our website.

F. Keep up the great effort; we are saving lives, 1 kayak at a time!

The concern was:

The misinformation was passed at a recent Coast Guard Auxiliary meeting, where it was stated that the US Coast Guard would be withdrawing approval of inflatable lifejackets for all boats capable of going 30mph or more. In addition, concerns have been raised over the proper maintenance of these lifejackets, as well as numerous reports of malfunctions. Once this Coast Guard ruling becomes official, boaters will no longer be able to wear these inflatables under any circumstance.

The clarification is:

The impending changes to authorized life jackets applies only to the USCG active duty, Reserves, and Auxiliary. It says that by 2009 all life jackets authorized for purchase and use by CG personnel must be dynamic strength tested to 50mph. The Auxiliary will be less affected since the regulation will only apply to Auxiliary personnel on facilities that have the capability to exceed 35mph. It has nothing to do with the boating public or other government agencies. This is strictly an in-house upping of standards to ensure our men and women are safe conducting increasingly dangerous missions utilizing more high speed assets than ever before.

Further more, the CG is not withdrawing approval for Inflatable Life Jackets. The CG is merely removing many types it had listed in the Rescue and Survival Systems Manual as approved for purchase and wear by CG personnel. It had about four inflatables listed and is now down to one. Again, it has nothing to do with the public.

Please ensure this is communicated as appropriate.

As I've traveled around the country the past few months, many of you have asked me during All Hands meetings about our plans for reorganizing and modernizing our mission support system. I know many of you are interested in knowing how the Coast Guard will change and when these changes will occur. This All Hands outlines decisions made at a recent Leadership Council meeting and reflects the planning guidance I provided last week to the Mission Support Planning and Integration Team (MSPAIT) as well as the first combined Atlantic and Pacific Area Cutter Commanding Officer Conference.

We intend to unify our entire support structure and business practices into a single mission support model for the Service. Currently, we have three levels of support for the majority of our equipment and platforms. The first is unit level support, accomplished by the field unit with the personnel assigned. The next level is intermediate maintenance. That is the support provided outside the field unit by an ISC, Sector, NESU, ESU, or MAT. The third and final level of maintenance is depot level maintenance for complex maintenance, repair, or construction. Examples of depot level support include the Aircraft Repair and Supply Center at Elizabeth City, the Coast Guard Yard, the Maintenance and Logistics Commands (MLCs), and the Command and Control Center (C2CEN) in Portsmouth, VA.

Under our new mission support organization, all support activities will transition to a bi-level structure. All support services that are not accomplished at the unit level will be coordinated and managed through service centers. We will, in effect, consolidate both intermediate and depot level maintenance or support similar to what we do now at ARSC for aviation. For example, ARSC Elizabeth City manages and coordinates all support above the air station for all aircraft maintenance, repair and supply. ARSC is also organized around product lines, which are our various aircraft, such as the HH-65C, HH-60J, or HC-130H/J.

The responsibility of these service centers will be to deliver maintenance service and support along product lines to field units and integrate those services across the Coast Guard. Service center leaders will report through Assistant Commandants to the new Deputy Commandant for Mission Support (DCMS). These centers will provide 24-hour customer service, one-stop technical support and assistance for all maintenance, logistics, and supply matters that go beyond the expertise of the unit. Some of these centers will oversee detachments in the field to ensure timely, on-site support where necessary.

Once we complete necessary environmental planning and other milestones, we will establish the following service centers (the primary locations and formal titles will be determined in the coming months):

1. ARSC Elizabeth City will become the aviation service center and will retain all of its current functions.

2. A surface forces service center will be established to consolidate the support currently provided by the CG Yard, Engineering Logistics Center, MLCs, NESUs and MATs. This center will unify support under a single organization for our surface forces. Like the aviation community, it will be organized along product lines, including patrol boats, small boats, MECs, HECs/NSCs, ATON vessels, and so forth.

3. In a similar manner, we will consolidate electronics and IT support under a C4IT service center. Included will be the C2CEN, the Telecommunication and Information Systems Command (TISCOM), MLCs, and the Operations Systems Center (OSC).

4. The shore infrastructure service center will consolidate support provided by our Facility Design and Construction Centers, Civil Engineering Units, and MLCs. This center will provide all depot and intermediate level support for our shore facilities, including our air and small boat stations, integrated support commands (bases), and industrial facilities.

5. A new personnel service center will unify all personnel and human resource support now provided by the Personnel Command, Personnel Service Center in Topeka, Recruiting Command, and some functions currently carried out by Headquarters, the MLCs, and ISCs, including services such as housing, MWR, CGES, educational services, health and safety, and work-life.

What does this mean for our operators and support personnel?

Service delivery will be more direct. It will ensure standardized maintenance processes, faster service delivery to the field, better configuration management, and increased accountability and transparency; all focused on mission execution. All maintenance and repair will be managed either at the unit or depot level according to the product line. This means that if a unit is doing repair work or routine maintenance on a particular piece of equipment, the mission support organization will define those responsibilities (unit or depot level), provide standard procedure cards, identify the necessary tools, and supply those parts retained in centralized inventory. Work that is beyond the scope or expertise of the unit, including equipment casualties, will be managed at the depot level through the product line manager at the service center. As I noted earlier, ARSC in Elizabeth City already performs this function for our air fleet.

For our operators, this means you will spend less time planning and coordinating maintenance and repair, and more time conducting operations. For support personnel, this means there will be fewer layers between you and the field units you support, which equates to more timely service and support.

Finally, where are we on these efforts?

We recently initiated two pilot programs to test this process for our small boat community, one at Sector Baltimore and the other at Sector San Francisco. We are learning a great deal from these pilot programs as we develop the bi-level support organization for our shore stations. We are taking similar steps to develop a bi-level support organization for each of our other product lines.

We have working group members from both the field and headquarters putting this together now to ensure we get it right. Their dedicated efforts are vital to our modernization. Their planning will inform our decisions to implement the final mission support organization, which will take some time to implement across the Coast Guard. You will see these initiatives taking shape in 2009, but not at any single point in time. They will be phased in and synchronized to ensure we re-align effectively. Some elements of the plan also require legislative change, which we are pursuing. At each step, we are looking at the impact the changes will have on each of you. I am committed to keeping you informed as we develop the details, make planning decisions, and forge ahead.

This mission support structure is just one part of our modernization. We have already transitioned to a single Assistant Commandant for Operations. We are also planning the transition to a single field CG Operations Command (CG OPCOM) and a CG Force Readiness Command (CG FORCECOM) in 2009 as well. I will provide updates on those efforts in the near future.

Each and every one of you plays a critical role in mission execution and mission support. We succeed as a Service because of your dedication. Thank you and stay safe.

Semper Paratus!

Admiral Thad Allen
Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard

2. Since the ALCOAST was issued, several questions have been asked about certain Auxiliary uniform matters. Having worked with the Coast Guard's Uniform Systems Manager (CG-1221A) and Auxiliary National leadership, the following guidance addresses these matters for Auxiliarists:

a. Prior Military Service Insignia. One of UB42's determinations was that Coast Guard personnel are not authorized to wear prior military service insignia if not earned while in the Coast Guard (i.e. - a prior service Army officer who now serves in the Coast Guard cannot wear his/her combat infantry badge on Coast Guard uniforms). This determination does not apply to Auxiliarists, therefore provisions in the Auxiliary Manual regarding Auxiliarists' wear of prior military service insignia other than Coast Guard still apply.

b. ODUs.

(1) Active duty personnel are authorized to use Velcro to fasten name tapes and "U.S. Coast Guard" tapes over their right and left breast pockets, respectively. This authorization is granted because of the likelihood and frequency of their involvement in direct law enforcement operations. It does not apply to Auxiliarists.

(2) Active duty personnel are required to wear sew-on rank insignia on their collars. Such a requirement could pose a considerable personal funding impact on some Auxiliarists who frequently encounter situations in which it is more appropriate to wear the Auxiliary membership insignia rather than elected/appointed office insignia (i.e. - necessitating multiple ODU tops that have Auxiliary office insignia and the Auxiliary membership insignia sewn-on). This potential impact must be balanced against the requirement to maintain a clean, professional uniform appearance at all times. Accordingly, Auxiliarists who frequently encounter situations in which it is more appropriate to wear the Auxiliary membership insignia rather than elected/appointed office insignia are authorized to use Velcro to fasten sew-on insignia to the collar as an option to actually sewing them to the collar. This authorization remains in effect through January 2009. A final determination of permanency or revocation of this authorization will be made in February 2009.

(3) Metal collar insignia are still authorized for Auxiliarists until sew-on standards are developed (this is not expected until the summer season, 2008). When sew-on standards are developed and stocks produced, then metal collar insignia will no longer be authorized for wear on Auxiliary ODU tops.

(4) The sew-on Auxiliary coxswain insignia is still the only qualification insignia authorized to be sewn on the ODU top (metal qualification insignia are not authorized for wear). Sew-on standards for other Auxiliary qualification insignia are being developed and will be authorized for wear when stocks are produced. Sew-on insignia from prior military service other than the Coast Guard are not authorized to be worn on Auxiliary ODUs (or any other Auxiliary uniform).

SUBJ: RESULTS OF UNIFORM BOARD NO. 42

A. UNIFORM REGULATIONS, COMDTINST M1020.6 (SERIES)

1. THIS ALCOAST REPORTS THE RESULTS FROM UNIFORM BOARD NO. 42. THE FOLLOWING CHANGES HAVE BEEN APPROVED AND ARE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:

A. CARDIGAN SWEATERS AND WOOLY-PULLYS ARE NO LONGER AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR WITH THE OPERATIONAL DRESS UNIFORM (ODU).

B. FEMALE MEMBERS HAIR SHALL BE WORN IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER: ALL PONYTAILS AND LONG HAIR, INCLUDING BRAIDS, MUST BE NEATLY AND INCONSPICUOUSLY FASTENED, PINNED OR SECURED TO THE HEAD AND MUST NOT FALL BELOW THE LOWER EDGE OF THE COLLAR. NO PORTION OF THE BULK OF THE HAIR AS MEASURED FROM THE SCALP WILL EXCEED TWO INCHES.

C. E-7 AND ABOVE ARE AUTHORIZED TO WEAR THE COAST GUARD BRIDGE COAT AS AN OPTIONAL ITEM.

D. THE REGULAR AUTHORIZED-SIZE TACLET, PSU, AND COMPANY COMMANDER INSIGNIA ARE: TACLET 2-3/8 INCHES X 1 INCH, PSU 2-5/16 INCHES X 15/16 INCHES, AND COMPANY COMMANDER 2 INCHES X 15/16 INCHES. THE LARGER LEGACY INSIGNIA WILL NO LONGER BE AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR AFTER 31 MARCH 2008.

2. THE FOLLOWING ITEM WILL UNDERGO FURTHER DEVELOPMENT: BLUE T- SHIRT WITH 3/4-INCH EMBROIDERED WHITE LETTERS ON LEFT BREAST AS OPTIONAL WEAR TO BE WORN WITH THE ODU WHEN TOP IS REMOVED.

3. THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WERE REVIEWED AND DISAPPROVED:

A. ADOPTION OF THE EIGHT-POINT COVER.

B. ELIMINATION OF THE COMBINATION COVER FOR E-6 AND BELOW.

C. WEAR OF THE GARRISON CAP WITH THE ODU.

D. WEAR OF PRIOR COMMANDING OFFICER AND/OR OFFICER IN CHARGE DEVICES ON THE ODU.

E. WEAR OF PRIOR SERVICE INSIGNIA NOT EARNED WHILE IN THE COAST GUARD.

F. WEAR OF TEMPORARY INSIGNIA ON ODU.

G. WEAR OF BALL CAPS OFF UNIT OR MILITARY INSTALLATION WHILE IN TROPICAL BLUE LONG UNIFORM; BALL CAP WEAR OPTIONS DETAILED ON PAGE 3-18 OF REF A ARE STILL APPLICABLE.

H. WEAR OF ANODIZED MEDALS.

I. CREATION OF AN INDEPENDENT-DUTY HEALTH SERVICES TECHNICIAN BADGE.

J. WEAR OF CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER SPECIALTY INSTEAD OF RANK ON THE FOUL WEATHER PARKA TAB.

K. CHANGE THE METHOD OF ODU SLEEVE ROLLING.

L. ELIMINATE THE COMBINATION COVER WITH ALL DINNER DRESS JACKET UNIFORMS.

M. GIG LINE MODIFICATIONS.

N. ADDING COAST GUARD RATE INSIGNIA ONTO THE SDB LAPEL.

O. WEAR OF NAME TAGS AND RIBBONS ON LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT AND TIE WITHOUT THE SDB JACKET.

P. WEAR OF AIR FORCE DRESS TROUSERS WITH THE SDB.

4. THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS ARE RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR HARD WORK AND PARTICIPATION ON THIS UNIFORM BOARD: CAPT MICHAEL COSENZA, COMMODORE HENRY PRATT, CDR LAURIE MOSIER, LCDR REED KOHBERGER, MR. CAROL BREWTON, MR. JOE DEBLASE, LT JENNIFER SINCLAIR, LT THOMAS STOKES, LT CHRIS PARRISH, LT MICHAEL BOWMAN, MR. WILLIAM BROADAWAY, CWO MICHAEL HILL, CWO TARVIN GREENE, MCPO WILLIAM JAMES, MCPO KEVIN ISHERWOOD, MCPO ANN TUBBS, AND CPO CRYSTAL SPARKS.

5. ALL MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO COMMANDANT (CG-1221), THRU THEIR CHAIN OF COMMAND AND THEIR PROGRAM MANAGER.

6. AREA AND DISTRICT COMMANDERS; COMMANDERS, MAINTENANCE AND LOGISTIC COMMANDS; SECTOR COMMANDERS; COMMANDING OFFICERS OF HEADQUARTERS UNITS; ASSISTANT COMMANDANTS FOR DIRECTORATES; CHIEF COUNSEL AND SPECIAL STAFF OFFICES AT HEADQUARTERS, PLEASE ENSURE THE WIDEST DISSEMINATION OF THIS ALCOAST.

7. THESE CHANGES WILL BE REFLECTED IN A FUTURE CHANGE TO REF (A).

8. FOR QUESTIONS CONTACT CWO GREENE AT (202) 474-5369 OR EMAIL TARVIN.T.GREENE (AT) USCG.MIL.

9. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.

10. RDML DANIEL A. NEPTUN, DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, SENDS.
BT
NNNN

Just over a week ago, USCGC BERTHOLF (WMS 750), the first National Security Class (NSC) cutter, got underway for the first time under her own power to complete machinery trials. All indications are that the trials went extremely well and BERTHOLF will meet or exceed our requirements upon commissioning next year. (Rear Adm. Blore, the Assistant Commandant for Acquisition, will issue an ALCOAST shortly that provides greater detail on the results of the machinery trials). Given this milestone in Coast Guard history, I thought this would be a good time to provide an update on the health of our vital Deepwater program.

First, a little history:

About a year ago, the Coast Guard's $24 billion Deepwater capital acquisition program to replace and modernize virtually our entire fleet of offshore cutters, boats, aircraft, and command and control systems over 25 years, came under intense public scrutiny. The DHS Inspector General, the Government Accountability Office, our Congressional overseers, and others voiced concern with significant challenges we faced in performance, cost and schedule. At the time, we committed to taking strong, decisive action to improve Coast Guard management and oversight of this vital modernization program.

Much of the criticism last year centered around eight 110-foot patrol boats among a fleet of 49 boats kept well beyond their planned service life in a failed attempt to lengthen them to get additional years of service. These efforts did not to live up to their promise, and we have since rescinded our acceptance. We will replace the remainder of our 110-foot patrol boats with a new fleet of 58 Fast Response Cutters (FRC), the first of which will begin to enter service in 2010. To speed project completion and increase competition in the market, we took the FRC project outside of the Deepwater contract last year and issued a request for proposals in record time. We are currently reviewing those proposals and look forward to announcing a new contract award this spring. In the interim, we have increased patrol days for some of the remaining patrol boats using the crews of the laid up cutters and are in the process of procuring four additional new 87-foot patrol boats.

Another area of significant concern focused on the fatigue life of our newest Deepwater cutter, the 418-foot National Security Cutter (NSC). In response to these concerns, we worked tirelessly with our own engineers, industry and our Navy counterparts to identify structural design modifications needed to help ensure a 30-year service life. We also undertook a significant re-structuring of the NSC project contract with industry last year. This has resulted in better conditions and cost control for the government while resolving numerous outstanding contractual issues that existed for more than two years.

We suspended work on our Vertical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VUAV) project due to our concerns with the technological maturity of the designs offered. We are studying several alternative technologies and continue to research the best way forward that will meet our surveillance and reconnaissance requirements, possibly in concert with other DHS efforts.

Here's where the program stands today:

Improvements we've made in the Deepwater program outlined above are the direct result of aggressive oversight and management reforms implemented in the past year to put the program back on track. We changed the way we are doing business overall by improving the organizations, policies and processes that govern how we acquire ships, aircraft and equipment. We call this strategy for business transformation our "Blueprint for Acquisition Reform."

In July, we reached another milestone when we stood up the consolidated Acquisition Directorate (CG-9), which is comprised of several legacy acquisition offices, including the Deepwater Program Office. The new directorate manages services and supports a $27 billion investment portfolio that includes more than 20 major acquisition projects, including the Rescue 21, the Nationwide Automated Identification System (NAIS), and our Response Boat - Medium projects. Our shared vision for the directorate sets a new course for our acquisition community. This will enable us to be more effective in how we apply our resources; in the way we direct our workforce to the highest priorities in contracting and program management; in acquisition workforce professional development; and in our standard acquisition policies & processes.

We are just beginning to see the fruits of our labor as a result of many of the acquisition program changes made in the past year. USCGC BERTHOLF recently completed machinery trials as one step leading to commissioning next year. USCGC WAESCHE (WMSL 751) is thirty percent complete and we will cut steel for the third ship, USCGC HAMILTON (WMSL 752), next year. We also took delivery of three new HC-144 Ocean Sentry maritime patrol aircraft and started construction on five more, upgraded our entire fleet of 95 HH-65C Dolphin helicopters with more powerful engines, and added new sensors and communication systems aboard 35 of our legacy Medium Endurance Cutters in the past year. Our Mission Effectiveness Project to sustain and refurbish our legacy fleet of 110-foot coastal patrol boats and both classes of medium endurance cutters is in on schedule and within budget. I had the opportunity to fly aboard the first MH-60T Jayhawk going through conversion at our Aircraft Repair and Supply Center in Elizabeth City, NC recently and was impressed with its significant improvements in state-of-the-art sensors, navigation and communications. This coming summer, the first of six newly missionized C130J Hercules long range surveillance aircraft will be operational. Moreover, we are seeing real results in the execution of our vital missions as a result of Deepwater, having removed more cocaine at sea (161 metric tons) than in any other year in our history of drug interdiction and set a new altitude record in the course of an HH-65C rescue in the state of Washington.

Undoubtedly, we will face additional challenges in the future as we struggle with simultaneously maintaining an obsolete fleet of ships and aircraft while we introduce a new fleet of more capable ships and aircraft into service. Yet, I am confident that the Deepwater program is back on course and optimistic that we will prevail in doing both to the best of our ability. Make no mistake about it. Deepwater is underway and making way.

Admiral Thad Allen