Article and Photo

Submissions: Articles should

be about 500 words long; however,

C4IT, engineering, logistics and environmental specific articles can be up

to 2,000 words -- all acronyms must

be spelled out when first used. To

have your article considered for publication, photo(s) must accompany

each article. Articles can be submitted by DHL or other carrier in hard

copy and/or in Microsoft Word on a

3.5 disk, CD, or e-mailed electronically. Please submit original photographs and graphics. All slides,

photos, graphics and illustrations

should be in color where possible.

Please include by-line when submitting article. Let us know if you want

your photos and graphics returned to

you. Submit inquiries, letters, articles, and photographs to:

Editor, U.S. Coast Guard Engineering,

Electronics and Logistics Quarterly

CG HQ

CG-4, JR9-1130

1900 Half St., SW

Washington, DC 20593-0001

Phone: 202-475-5767

FAX: 202-267-4245

E-mail: Kerry.L.Freese@uscg.mil

Submission deadlines are as follows:

Fall 2008 - 03 July 2008

Winter 2009 - 03 October 2008

Spring 2009 - 03 January 2009

Summer 2009 - 03 April 2009

The U.S. Coast Guard Engineering,

Electronics and Logistics Quarterly

is published quarterly by the

Assistant Commandant for

Engineering and Logistics. This

publication is unofficial and not

authority for action. Views and opinions expressed are not 

necessarily those of the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security

or the U.S. Coast Guard. We

encourage readers to submit articles and letters to the editor.

Authors are encouraged to submit

articles through the Program

Representative. The U.S. Coast

Guard Engineering, Electronics and

Logistics Quarterly Editor and the

Engineering and Logistics

Directorate Management Board

retain final approval authority for the

publication or non-publication of all

article submissions. We will make

every effort to publish all submissions. We also reserve the right to

edit submissions for length, accuracy and grammar. All letters to the

editor must be signed along with

current address and telephone

number.

Summer 2008

Vol. 12, No. 44

ISSN: 1931-4051

U. S. Coast Guard

Engineering,

Electronics and

Logistics Quarterly

COMDTPUB P5700.2

RADM Dale.G. Gabel

Assistant Commandant for

Engineering and Logistics

Mr. Kerry L. Freese

Managing Editor and

Publication Staff

You can visit us on the web at www.uscg.mil/hq/cg4/eelquarterly

On the Cover: USCG HQ Concept

Sketch (one version) for St.

Elizabeths, read about it on page 18.

All issues are available to Coast Guard personnel on

CG Central under “Magazine and Newsletter”
2 From the Assistant Commandant

4 Systems of Interest

6 Coast Guard Accepts Delivery of

First Missionized HC-130J Maritime

Patrol Aircraft

8 BERTHOLF Completes Latest

Milestone, Returns from Successful

Builders Trials

10 Coast Guard Takes Delivery of First

Two HC144A Missionized Pallets

12 The Long View: Coast Guard R&D

Program Boosts Acquisition of

‘Game Changing’ Technology

16 Books for Anthony Bowen;

Elementary School That Is

18 Is Prior Marine Safety Experience

Critical to Compete for MSSE?

20 Aligning DHS and Component

Headquarters Facilities to Enhance

Mission Performance

30 C2CEN Begins Fielding of Next

Generation DGPS

32 Remote Radio Activated Sound

Signal (RRASS)

34 Creating an SOA Environment for

COP with CWSS

38 Coast Guard Upgrades With the

Enhanced Mobile Incident

Command Post

44 Coast Guard Strengthens Foreign

Military Sales Program

48 What’s the Deal With MDE Parts?

10 18 38 44

Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 1

Back Cover: Remembering Earth Day:

Coast Guard Earth Day 2008 poster.
F

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2 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

The Coast Guard continues to aggressively pursue modernization efforts.

In a significant first step, the Asset Product Office (APO) has been

established in Baltimore and beginning this Summer, we will consolidate the disparate organizations that are supporting our standard boats into one entity, the

Standard Boat Product Line. The Product Line will consist of personnel already

working to support boats and who are currently located at the APO, Maintenance

and Logistics Commands, and Naval Engineering Support Units. There will be no

immediate transfer of personnel or change in lines of authority; however, all of

these organizations will work together and deliver a single support infrastructure

to provide maintenance and logistics for boats.

One of the foundational principles of a strong maintenance and logistics support

organization is configuration management. The primary purpose of configuration

management is to ensure the documentation used to describe our assets precisely matches the assets themselves. This information is critical in our understanding of how to support the assets. If configuration management data is accurate,

support organizations can make the decisions regarding how to best maintain

and provision the assets. This translates into better availability and operational

capability. For the Standard Boat Product Line to be successful, it will be vitally

important that unit commanders take a firm position supporting disciplined configuration management at their units.

While on-scene initiative is a Coast Guard hallmark, it can sometimes have an

adverse impact on long-term supportability. We frequently reward our personnel

when they succeed without requisite resources. The new Mission Support

Organization will take measures to increase support and decrease the need for

non-standard practices. As we look to the future, non-standard maintenance,

logistics and support practices should become the exception and not the rule.

Units may have to make a "field repair" to keep assets operational. However, our

robust Mission Support Organization will quickly replace the "field repair" with a

permanent repair when the asset is made available to do so.

In order to maintain asset configuration, it is imperative that units do their part.

Units must order only approved parts and must report installation to the product
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 3

Dale G. Gabel RADM, USCG

Assistant Commandant for

Engineering and Logistics

line. Product lines must also be responsible to their customer for configuration management to be

effective. Periodically, units will be evaluated by a Logistics Compliance Team. The team will spot

check assets to ensure Commanding Officers and Officers in Charge are maintaining the approved

configuration of their asset(s).

Maintaining strict configuration management does not mean we must stop innovating. In the new

Coast Guard business model, requests to deviate from the standard configuration will be made to

the asset Configuration Control Board (CCB). The CCB will normally be made up of Headquarters

level operations, engineering and safety personnel who will evaluate each request. The request will

also be evaluated for feasibility by the asset product line. The CCB will evaluate each request on

the basis of safety, operational necessity, logistics necessity and cost effectiveness. Upon evaluation, the CCB may authorize development, installation and evaluation of a prototype. The product

line will monitor or may even assist with each prototype. As prototypes move through the evaluation process, the product line may find that the prototype may benefit a small group of assets, or

the entire fleet, instead of a single asset.

I will no longer be overseeing the logistics transformation as the Chief Engineer. On 2 July 2008, I

will assume duties as Commander, First Coast Guard District, supporting logistic transformation

from a field commander's perspective. As we pursue a major cultural shift in how we manage and

maintain our assets and shore infrastructure, I am turning over the reins of the Coast Guard's Chief

Engineer to the extremely capable hands of Rear Admiral Tom Ostebo. As I depart, I would like to

thank each and every member of the Mission Support community. Your tireless efforts transforming

the Coast Guard will pay substantial dividends in the future. Thank you for making this tour of duty

enjoyable and very professionally rewarding.
4 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

U.S. Coast Guard "Engineer

of the Year" for 2008 (Yard)

"Fair Winds & Following

Seas" (Yard)

Commander John Slaughter (center) receives congratulations on his receipt of the

U.S. Coast Guard Engineer of the Year Award from Admiral Thad Allen (left),

Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, and Rear Admiral Dale Gabel (right),

Assistant Commandant for Engineering & Logistics, U.S. Coast Guard. The

Commander accepted his honors at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on

February 21, 2008. Commander Slaughter currently serves as Chief, Facilities

Management Division at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland. (Official

USCG photo by PA2 Daniel Bender)

The Coast Guard Barque EAGLE departed the Yard on February 2, 2008 for its

homeport in New London, Connecticut, after completing a sixteen week availability.

Yard tradesmen accomplished their work on America's 72 year old Tall Ship within

budget and on time. The scope of work included: removal and inspection of the tail

shaft that resulted in the installation of a new shaft; repair of the propeller; overhaul of

various sea valves; rudder repairs; anchor windlass overhaul; preservation of the

shaft alley that required removal of the ballast plus blasting and painting of the bilges;

shell plating repair and replacement; refurbishment of male berthing spaces, and new

deck and paint.

The Yard's core expertise in maintaining legacy cutters is a key strategic element of

the Coast Guard's ship repair capability, translating directly into "readiness" of the

Coast Guard fleet. (Photos courtesy of Bob Schwabik)

Systems of Interest
U.S. Coast Guard Observes

Earth Day (CG-4)

SUBJ: EARTH DAY OBSERVANCES IN THE COAST GUARD 

1. AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL EXECUTIVE FOR THE COAST GUARD, I INVITE

EVERYONE TO OBSERVE EARTH DAY 2008 BY SHOWING OUR STEWARDSHIP

FOR THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE PERFORM OUR MISSIONS.

2. EARTH DAY IS CELEBRATED ON 22 APRIL, AND IS AN IDEAL OPPORTUNITY

TO REINFORCE THE SPIRIT OF THE COMMANDANTS ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP COMMITMENT TO MAKE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP A CORE

COMPETENCY.

3. COAST GUARD UNITS AND COMMANDS SHOULD USE THIS OCCASION FOR

APPROPRIATE OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AND CELEBRATIONS. SUITABLE TALKING POINTS THAT MAY FIT INTO YOUR OUTREACH EFFORTS INCLUDE HOW

OUR MISSIONS HELP PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT.

4. MY COORDINATOR FOR EARTH DAY IS DR. KEN MALMBERG, (202)475-5691,

KEN.B.MALMBERG(AT)USCG.MIL.

5. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.

6. J.G. ORNER, DEPUTY ASSISTANT COMMANDANT FOR ENGINEERING AND

LOGISTICS, SENDS.

BT

Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 5
6 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Open Channels q u i c k h it s

NAVAIR U.S. Marine Corps test pilots began HC-130J functional and flight quality check flights in preparation for delivery to the Coast Guard. Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin.

Coast Guar Coast Guard Accepts Deliv ccepts Delivery of

First Missionized HC-13 st Missionized HC-130J

Maritime P Maritime Patrol Aircraft
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 7

Arlington, VA (March 4, 2008) – The Coast Guard accepted delivery of the first missionized HC130J long range surveillance maritime patrol aircraft. The aircraft’s new mission equipment and

sensor packages are designed to deliver enhanced search, detection and tracking capabilities

to perform maritime search and rescue, maritime law enforcement and homeland security missions.

“With the stroke of a pen, the most capable aircraft in the Coast Guard’s history is now in our

inventory,” said CAPT Matthew Sisson, Coast Guard Deepwater aviation program manager, as

he signed the acceptance papers on February 29.

Lockheed Martin is currently under contract to deliver three missionized HC-130Js through the

Deepwater Program and is on schedule to complete work this month [March]. A second contract is expected in the coming weeks to begin work on the fourth aircraft with follow-on contracts later this year to round out the Coast Guard inventory of six HC-130Js.

“Expectations run high as the fleet prepares to exploit the capabilities of the fully-missionized

HC-130J,” said CDR Tim Schang, HC-130J platform manager with the Coast Guard’s Office of

Aviation Forces.

The aircraft modifications include installation of a belly-mounted surface search radar, a nosemounted electro-optical infrared sensor, a flight deck mission operator station and a mission

integrated communication system. The mission system installed on the HC-130J is derived

from the same software series developed for the mission system pallet on board the HC-144A

maritime patrol aircraft concurrently in testing.

“The missionized HC-130J is ideal for multi-tasked operations,” said Rich Lockwood, vice president of Coast Guard Systems at Lockheed Martin. “In addition to its new command and control

and surveillance capability, the aircraft retains the full cargo carrying capability that has made

the Hercules the most versatile airlift platform worldwide for more than 50 years.”

CAPT Matthew Sisson, Coast Guard

Deepwater aviation program manager,

and Bruce Konya, Lockheed Martin

HC-130J program manager formally

transfer ownership of the first missionized aircraft.
8 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Open Channels q u i c k h it s

BERTHOLF Completes Latest

Milestone, Returns from Successful

Builders Trials

BERTHOLF began four days of Builder’s Trials

on February 8, 2008. Photo courtesy of

Northrop Grumman.

CDR Doug Schofield, Executive Officer

PMRO Gulf Coast, and Richard Schenk,

Northrop Grumman vice president for U.S.

Coast Guard programs, discuss testing on

the NSC’s bridge during trials.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 9

Pascagoula, Miss. (February 15, 2008) – The first National Security Cutter, BERTHOLF (WMSL 750),

returned after four days of builder’s trials in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship’s return to Northrop Grumman

Shipbuilding’s Pascagoula facility marks the latest milestone for the first NSC, which is nearing completion.

“BERTHOLF’s Builder’s Trials validated what we have believed for sometime,” said Richard Schenk,

Northrop Grumman vice president for U.S. Coast Guard programs. “The team has designed and built a

ship that has exceeded expectations with respect to performance and operability. We look forward to

completing BERTHOLF and delivering a vital asset to the Coast Guard.”

During the trials, extensive testing of propulsion, electrical, damage control and combat systems were

conducted. This culminated in the successful completion of a four-hour full power trial, standardization trials, as well as 57 mm gun and Close-in Weapon Systems (CIWS) testing.

“When you combine this extremely capable cutter with our high performing crew, you have a recipe for

legendary achievement,” said CAPT Kelly Hatfield, prospective executive officer, BERTHOLF. “We are

building the legend one step at a time. The latest step was taken during builders trials with the successful

first ever firing of the 57mm gun from a U.S. ship.”

BERTHOLF is the first of eight planned ships in the new class of highly capable, technologically advanced

multi-mission cutters being acquired under the Deepwater Program. Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding is

building the NSCs, while Lockheed Martin is building and integrating the command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities on board the cutters.

Over the four-day trial, the C4ISR systems tested the surface and air tracking radars as well as the communications and navigational systems.

“The C4ISR systems demonstrated multi-mission capabilities simultaneously several times during the trials,” said Brian Hillers, Lockheed Martin NSC C4ISR lead system engineer. “All systems performed very

well and we look forward to continued success as we approach acceptance trials and delivery.”

Among those on board the NSC during builder’s trials were 25 members of BERTHOLF’s prospective

crew. The majority of the crew arrived in the Pascagoula area last month [January] and is completing

familiarization training before taking delivery of the ship later this spring.

“I have served over 22 years on Coast Guard ships and this is the most pleasant, easy ride, technically

advanced, and modern ship I have ever been on,” said BMCS Bob Montague, BERTHOLF command

senior chief. “I can’t wait to sail her under Coast Guard command.”

Twenty-five members of the prospective Bertholf crew participated in the recent trials.
10 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Open Channels q u i c k h it s

Rosslyn, VA (March 17, 2008) – Recently, the Coast Guard formally accepted the

first two mission system pallets for their new HC-144A “Ocean Sentry” aircraft. The

acceptance follows the successful completion of Developmental Test and Evaluation

(DT&E) of the pallet and is a significant addition to the Coast Guard’s aviation fleet.

"We are extremely pleased to have completed this monumental milestone in the

introduction of the HC-144A aircraft to the Coast Guard," said CAPT Matthew

Sisson, Coast Guard Aviation Acquisition Program Manager. "We appreciate all of

the hard work and dedication of those responsible for this achievement. Being the

first Deepwater aviation asset to obtain certification of the on board classified network, the HC-144A has paved the way for future Coast Guard assets that pursue

similar certifications."

The mission system pallet was built by Lockheed Martin. The roll-on, roll-off suite of

electronic equipment enables the aircrew to compile data from the aircraft’s multiple

integrated sensors and transmit and receive both classified and unclassified information to other assets, including surface vessels, other aircraft, local law enforcement, and shore facilities.

“The delivery is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the entire team,” said Mike

McGuire, Lockheed Martin HC-144A program manager. “This is an extremely capable package and will make significant addition to the Coast Guard’s fleet.”

The HC-144A is a multi-role, medium-range transport and surveillance aircraft being

acquired through the Deepwater program. The aircraft has the ability to perform

multiple missions such as delivering search and rescue equipment far offshore, acting as an on-scene commander, evacuating disaster victims, detecting illegal activity

and transporting cargo on quick-loading pallets.

Coast Guard Takes Delivery of

First Two HC-144A Missionized

Pallets

Mike Fralen, Lockheed Martin aviation program manager,

and CAPT Matt Sisson, Coast Guard Deepwater aviation

program manager, formally transfer ownership of the

first HC-144A mission system pallet.

USCG photo by Petty Officer Thomas Blue.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 11

The two newest Deepwater assets met for the first time during

the National Security Cutter’s builder’s trials in February.

USCG photo by PAC Tom Sperduto.
12 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Open Channels

The Long View:

Coast Guard R&D Program Boosts

Acquisition of ‘Game Changing’

Technology

by Hunter C. Keeter, CG-925
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 13

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Research and Development Center’s future home. After 37

years at the University of Connecticut's Avery Campus, the Coast Guard's R&D

Center is moving to a renovated former U.S. Navy facility at Fort Trumbull, New

London, Conn. The R&D Center provides scientific analysis and technology prototyping in support of Coast Guard missions and acquisition programs. (USCG file photo) 

WASHINGTON - The Coast Guard's Research &

Development (R&D) program, an approximately $20 million enterprise, is making a real difference behind the

scenes providing the service with valuable insight on how

state-of-the-market technology can deliver big payoffs in

Coast Guard mission capability.

Since spring 2007, the R&D program -- which consists of

a headquarters office in Washington and the R&D

Center, a research and analysis facility in Groton, Conn -

- has been consolidated with the Coast Guard's

Acquisition Directorate (CG-9). The directorate manages

a $27 billion investment portfolio of more than 20 major

projects, many of which have benefited from R&D prototyping, analysis and engineering support.

Steven Cohen, Deputy Director for Research and

Development, said he was confident the R&D program's

new connection with Coast Guard Acquisition, coupled

with increased investment in R&D, will significantly

reduce the service's programmatic risks and improve

operational performance.

BIOMETRICS

A good example of the payoff that can be gained from

synergy between R&D and acquisition is the use of

mobile at-sea biometric technology (digital fingerprinting equipment) to collect data during illegal migrant interdiction operations.

In 2003, Coast Guard District Seven

recognized a mission challenge in

illegal migrant interdiction. The

Coast Guard tasked the

R&D program to study

the potential of fingerprinting to help stem the

flow of illegal migrants

through the Mona Pass

area from the

Dominican Republic

and Haiti. The hypothesis was that fingerprinting would speed the

identification of repeat

offenders and others

with criminal backgrounds, helping cutter

crews identify subjects

for arrest and prosecution by federal authorities.

"Before District Seven

had identified its need,

and before the Coast

Guard had set up a

proof of concept project,

the R&D program had

done more than a year

and a half of market

and requirements surveys into biometrics

technology," said

Donald Cundy,

Executive Director of

the R&D Center.

"Because of that pre-
14 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Open Channels

positioning we were able to go from a no-need-at-all posture to an articulated need and a workable system product in three months. Not only was the technology successful, it essentially completely changed the migrant

flow ... It became a 'game changer' and that is what you

are looking for when you make investments up front in

technology."

During the proof-of-concept phase of the project, which

began in November 2006, portable fingerprinting enabled

22 arrests of criminal aliens within 90 days. During the

preceding seven years the Coast Guard made virtually

no arrests of illegal migrants for repeat offenses or other

criminal activity.ii

Between fiscal years 2000-08, the Coast Guard interdicted 31,192 Haitian and Dominican migrants in the Mona

Pass area. The total includes more than 8,400 illegal

migrants interdicted since 2006 (the first year of mobile

at-sea biometric deployment). In fiscal year 2007 alone,

biometric technology helped reduce successful illegal

migrant landings from 5,552 in 2006 to 5,046 (a better

than 9 percent reduction), and helped detain more than

72 individuals for prosecution.iii

As of Feb. 22, 2008, the U.S. Attorney's office in San

Juan, Puerto Rico has begun 112 prosecutions for violations of U.S. immigration laws and related offenses based

in part on data obtained by the biometrics program.

DEPTH OF EXPERIENCE

Broadly, the R&D program's role in support of the acquisition community is to help program managers mitigate

risk. This can range from assessing emerging technologies to adapting commercially available technologies, or

technologies developed by other services, to meet the

Coast Guard's unique requirements.

"The R&D program is uniquely qualified for this role,"

said Cohen. "Our personnel at the Center have impressive depth of experience. They know the Coast Guard,

the mission and they have the knowledge -- the average

tenure at the Center is 20 years. Also, we can be relied

upon to represent the best interest of the Coast Guard;

an honest broker for acquisition managers, support managers and, of course, the sponsors and operators."

The service has a limited Acquisition, Construction and

Improvement (AC&I) budget-which funds all

modernization and recapitalization efforts. So

project managers must take low-risk approaches to buying the aircraft, ships, weapons and

electronic systems that they deliver to the operating force.

The R&D program supports low risk acquisition

strategies by helping project managers choose

the best solutions for their products, based on

proven technology and by leveraging existing

programs, from the DHS Directorate for

Science and Technology (CS&T) and from the

other military and naval services.

Cundy noted that the Coast Guard leverages

other military capabilities by working closely

with organizations such as the Office of Naval

Research, and the Naval Sea Systems

Command Warfare Centers -- the Navy's prototyping facilities for surface and undersea warfare technologies.

Another source of cooperation among S&T projects is through the Technical Support Working Group

(TSWG), an inter-agency organization studying technologies potentially applicable to the Coast Guard's missions.

For example, the TSWG is working on three-dimensional

underwater imaging technology that could provide clearer

pictures of murky port environments -- potentially useful

technology for defense, security and environmental protection applications.

Partnerships in the government and industry S&T community are important, but the Coast Guard has its own

valuable resource in the R&D Center, where a team of

scientists and engineers helps the service with crucial

pre-acquisition planning, such as supporting the sponsor

in requirements generation -- an increasingly important

role for the R&D program, Cohen noted.

"Once the requirements are articulated and funding has

been identified, we can spring into action in providing

acquisition project managers the analysis and prototyping Photo courtesy of USCG R&D Center.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 15

and support they need," Cundy said. "We provide for

the Coast Guard a similar function that the 'military

industrial complex' provides the Department of Defense.

For the Coast Guard's unique mission set, there really is

no 'military industrial complex' to support search & rescue, spill response and other core competencies. The

R&D Center has experience in those areas that cannot

easily be replicated in the commercial marketplace."

INVESTMENT APPROACH

The R&D program's investment approach has paid dividends in new technologies that enable Coast Guard

men and women to do their jobs more safely, effectively

and efficiently.

For example, the program created a differential Global

Positioning System (GPS) that allows Coast Guard buoy

tenders to efficiently service aids-to-navigation without

needing to use a horizontal sextant, and the difficulty of

sighting on known reference points and performing triangulation underway.

Another project that has benefited from the R&D

Program's support is the Nationwide Automatic

Identification System (NAIS). Building on a R&D program prototype developed in the 1990s, NAIS allows the

Coast Guard to collect safety and security data from

AIS-equipped vessels in United States territorial waters

and adjacent seas out to approximately 2,000 nautical

miles, and to share that data among Coast Guard units

and with partner agencies.

In fiscal year 2008-09 the R&D program is continuing its

analysis and evaluation of Unmanned Aerial Systems

(UAS) for the Acquisition Directorate. This R&D project

helps acquisition program managers determine the best

capability to fill the surveillance gap of Coast Guard

major cutters.

The service has been studying a number of UAS

designs -- including the Navy's Fire Scout -- to determine if these have the payload capacity to carry an integrated multi-mode radar and electro-optical/infrared sensor package. R&D's role is to study the

risks and costs of various UAS designs and

payload configurations, and provide technical support once the Coast Guard has

decided on a product for its UAS acquisition

project.

Other plans include supporting the

Heartland Waterway Vessel project, looking

at 'green' propulsion technologies and vessel designs to support future inland-river and

Great Lakes cutters.

The R&D program is investigating technologies and procedures associated with Coast

Guard operations in the Arctic and Antarctic.

The results of this analysis could inform

acquisition decisions that address the opening of the Northwest Passage and other

environmental changes.

Finally, R&D is developing a set of modeling

and simulation tools that support acquisition

decisions by reducing the cost of design,

development, testing and evaluation of new

aircraft, cutters and mission systems.

Meanwhile, the R&D Center is planning a

move in spring 2009, to a renovated facility in New

London, Conn. The facility is a former U.S. Navy

research building, constructed in the 1990s, and will

include two other offices, International Ice Patrol and the

Marine Safety Laboratory. R&D will lease two floors of

the building for project and office space.

Photo courtesy of USCG R&D Center.

i Approximate average investment of appropriations (enacted, projected and requested), fiscal years 2007-2009 

ii "Status and Way Ahead: Biometrics Proof of Concept," USCG memorandum, March 19, 2007 

iii USCG Posture Statement, 2008
16 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Open Channels

Books for Anthony Bowen; Books for Anthony Bowen;

Elementary School That Is Elementary School That Is
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 17

Washington, DC, January 22, 2008 -

The U.S. Coast Guard is known for

its service to the Nation through

search and rescue, law enforcement,

drug interdiction, and many other

missions; however, little may be

known of its members' activities in

local communities. In Washington,

DC, many Coast Guard

Headquarters members volunteer in

the "Everybody Wins When Adults

Read with Children Program" at local

elementary schools.

One school is the Anthony Bowen

Elementary School in Southwest DC,

just down the street from CG

Headquarters. Members of the

Office of Aeronautical Engineering

(CG-41), volunteer in the school's

reading program.

During the recent Aeronautical

Engineering Officers Conference

'07', a record setting donation of

$2,258 was collected from the aeronautical engineering community.

The money is raised to support a

charitable organization in the local

community. This year, they decided

to purchase and donate books to the

Anthony Bowen Elementary School.

On Tuesday morning, 22 January

2008, the Office of Aeronautical

Engineering delivered 411 books

and two book carts to the school.

During a brief presentation, CAPT

Joseph Baker, Chief, Aeronautical

Engineering, presented the books

and carts to Mrs. Almeta Hawkins,

Principal; and Ms. Aprille Frett,

Everybody Wins coordinator; on

behalf of the Coast Guard

Aeronautical Engineering community.

Overcome by emotion and finding it

difficult to speak, Ms. Frett thanked

everyone for their kind and generous

gift. As the group departed, two of

the children awaiting the arrival of

their tutors, couldn't wait to get their

hands on the newly donated material. All, in all, what seemed like a

small gesture for the school turned

into a heartwarming day for everyone involved.

Members of CG-41 prepare book carts for presentation and

donation to the Anthony Bowen School.

CAPT Joseph Baker (right) presents the books and carts to

Mrs. Almeta Hawkins (left) and Ms. Aprille Frett (center) as a

gift during a brief hand over ceremony.

An Anthony Bowen student eager to get

her hands on the newly donated books.
18 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

I could end this article with that one word but that would

be an unsatisfactory answer to a very critical question

many Coast Guard members are asking. I hope to shed

some light on my beliefs as the MSS Specialty Force

Manager and why I so emphatically say no to this question. First though, I would like to bring everyone up to

speed as to where we are currently at.

As many have seen by email, message board or in the

media, the Marine Safety inspections and investigations

program is currently suffering from a historic lack of

experience, training and customer relations with our

industry partners. There are many well-documented

reasons for this decline; a decline from days past when

we were clearly recognized as the world's leader in

marine safety. The Commandant has made it a high priority to right our marine safety ship and a massive effort

is currently underway to tackle ALL of the many challenges we face to regain this respect; a respect that can

only be earned by, first, recognizing what the true challenges are and, second, meeting these challenges head

on. One important challenge that has already been successfully met is the recent realignment of the Marine

Safety Specialist (MSS) into separate specialties: Marine

Safety Specialist Deck (MSSD) and Marine Safety

Specialist Engineering (MSSE).

The very day I reported in to my job, July 1, 2005, as

the first MSS Specialty Force Manager, the message

was released to the field with the results of the CWO

appointment board that had been held in April 2005.

This was the first board where enlisted members specifically had to compete for a marine safety specialty, MSS,

instead of their legacy specialties (BOSN, ENG, MAT

and WEPS) if they wanted to be in marine safety.

With the establishment of the MSS specialty in 2005, the process of

how we selected marine safety

Warrant Officers dramatically

changed. Prior to June 1, 2005, the enlisted ratings

competed for selection to their respective CWO specialties (BOSN, ENG, MAT, WEPS). Upon successful

selection for CWO some were given the choice of staying in their legacy program or taking an assignment in

Marine Safety. This assignment process and the numbers of people newly assigned each year to Marine

Safety were determined by the Marine Safety warrant

Assignment Officer (AO). The AO based this decision

each year on the approved retirement letters on file,

vacancies created by CWOs selected for Lieutenant,

CWOs going to OCS, etc. This process closely matched

the Marine Safety need by supplying the program with

the necessary legacy enlisted experience to replace that

that was leaving.

Beginning with selection year 2005 (appointments

beginning 1 June 2006) all of the enlisted feeder ratings

competed directly on the newly created MSS CWO eligibility list for Marine Safety vacancies. During the 2005

and 2006 appointment boards, the process of having

seven enlisted ratings compete for promotion to one

CWO specialty failed to provide the rating diversity necessary to maintain the requisite blend of engineering

and deck expertise. In short, engineers were not being

selected in adequate numbers to replace those lost

through retirement and/or CWO to LT causing a projected, complete inversion of deck and engineering experience of the specialty by 2009. The pre-MSS ratio was

65% engineering and 35% deck.

by Larry P. Steinmetz, MSSE4

CG-48, MSS/PSS Specialty Force Manager

Open Channels

Is Prior Marine Safety

Experience Critical

to Compete for

MSSE?

NO!
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 19

Long story, short, I convinced many within our program

that the way the MSS specialty was designed would have

long term disastrous effects in our ability to carry out our

marine safety inspections and investigations mission. I

routed a decision memo that eventually landed on the

Commandant's desk. I briefed him on my five-step proposal and he approved all aspects of the memo. The

most important proposal was to separate the MSS specialty into two different specialties: MSSD and MSSE.

Okay, I think we are all caught up now so back to the

question... "Is Prior Marine Safety Experience Critical to

Compete for MSSE"? As I have already answered; no it

is not! In fact, the definition found in the Personnel

Manual, Article 1.D.13.l, for a MSSE includes the following excerpt, "Prior enlisted experience in the marine safety program is not a prerequisite for selection to MSSE."

As the Force Manager for the MSS specialty, I would

rather have an engineer that had multiple tours underway

on Coast Guard cutters mixed in with shore duty assignments at units such as a small boat station. This type of

assignment history lays a very solid foundation for gaining technical engineering expertise as well as the interface with industry one finds while stationed at a small

boat unit. Experience and customer relations, two of our

problem areas right now, are gained with this assignment

history; NOT being assigned to a marine safety billet.

Oh, but "what about the marine safety ‘experience’ being

gained by an engineer assigned to a marine safety unit"

and how could that "not be anything but an asset when

making MSSE"? Short answer ... enlisted engineers in

marine safety billets, especially E-6 and below, are learning to be Marine Science Technicians (MSTs); not engineers. They are not honing their technical expertise in

machinery plants (diesel, gas, steam, etc.) or in hull

repairs (welding, NDT, fiberglass, wood, etc.). They are

not learning the challenges of keeping a plant running to

meet a critical mission; how to manage underway watches and routines when short-handed; the technical

aspects of machinery, electricity, hydraulics, good engineering practices, etc. Finally, an engineer straight out of

A school brings very little to our program but a brief

brush with what being an engineer means only to be followed for the next four years with what it REALLY means

to be an MST.

As a natural growth of being an MST, they gain a great

understanding of the marine safety program, how to

interpret and enforce the legal instruments governing

marine safety, and are in fact, THE marine safety enlisted

rating. They leverage this knowledge of the program further when they make MSSD. On the other hand, MSSEs

are expected to bring the technical engineering expertise

to the table; marine safety knowledge will follow in due

time.

Our program needs MSSEs that have a very solid engineering background. Learning how to apply these skills

to the marine safety program once becoming an MSSE is

no doubt challenging. However, the far greater challenge

than learning how to apply laws, regulations and international agreements to the job is to truly be an engineering

expert the day you put the boards on. The Marine Safety

program can teach you to be a Machinery Inspector (MI)

but, without the deck plate experience gained only from

sea duty and work in the small boat communities, it

defies the odds that we can teach you to be an expert.

Our subject matter experts (SMI) are not people who

merely earn a qual at the entry level; they are people

who bring their life experiences and Coast Guard technical training and expertise to the table. When they have

coupled this expertise with marine safety experience;

they truly become a much needed asset to marine safety

and the Coast Guard. This is what industry and

Congress have noted as lacking from our current program and what Admiral Allen and many others are dedicated to changing. As long as I am the MSS Specialty

Force Manager, I will fight to ensure that we step up to

the challenge, not meet lower expectations.

MSSE2 Harley Bates inspecting the boiler mud

drum on board the Paddle Wheeler American

Queen in New Orleans, LA. (Photo provided by

MSSE2 Harley Bates)
20 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Engineer’s Digest
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 21

Theongoing planning for construction of a new Coast Guard Headquarters at the St. Elizabeths West Campus, in

Southeast DC is a source of great interest for many of our shipmates in the National Capital Region (NCR).

While it is natural to consider this move from a Coast Guard centric lens, a broader view reveals that our new headquarters is an integral part of a strategic realignment of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) real estate portfolio

to enhance overall mission performance. This article provides an overview of the consolidation initiative and the planning for the St. Elizabeths development.

The Need for Consolidation

The DHS mission is to lead a unified national effort to secure America. This effort demands an integrated approach, yet

the Department's legacy facilities are dispersed in about forty locations and seventy buildings throughout the NCR.

Realigning our facilities to support mission performance is vital to the long-term success of the Department. Secretary

Chertoff noted the importance of this effort in his message accompanying the submission of the DHS NCR Housing

Master Plan to the Congress in October 2006:

"...Today, over 60 buildings housing DHS employees are scattered widely throughout the capital region.

This extreme dispersion imposes significant inefficiencies in daily operations, problems that are magnified

considerably at the most important moments -- when the Department must act as a nimble and integrated

team responding to significant natural disasters or terrorist threats. When DHS was created, it was appropriately built with dispatch. Now is the time to make a commitment to the Department's future by creating

the consolidated campus needed to support DHS operations and integration..."

Defining the Requirements

In the fall of 2005 working with the General Services Administration (GSA), the department began development of a

Program of Requirements (POR) to determine the current and future Headquarters real property needs in the

Washington metro area. Today, the department and component headquarters require over 7 million gross square feet

(GSF) of office space plus parking needs (dependent on location) in the NCR. This figure is estimated to grow to

approximately 8.5 million GSF in the next several years with maturing departmental organizations and new program

by Captain Chris Mills, P. E.

Program Manager

Consolidated DHS Headquarters at St. Elizabeths West Campus

Department of Homeland Security

1 Community...Supporting 1 Mission...Fulfilling 1 Vision...1 DHS
22 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Engineer’s Digest

needs. In addition, the department has already undergone two reorganizations in the first five years of operation with the Second Stage Review and the Post Katrina

Emergency Management Reform Act. Both of these

changes have had a significant impact on the real property portfolio within the NCR. Figure 1 is the current

DHS Organization Chart.

To effectively meet the challenges of constantly changing

threats against the homeland, there is a strategic imperative to unify the Department operationally, administratively, and culturally. Both our organizational structure and

our real estate portfolio must be adaptable and remove

physical barriers that impact our mission performance,

promoting unity of purpose and effort.

Given the magnitude of the portfolio and the lack of a site

within the NCR capable of housing the entire DHS need,

a careful analysis of the critical core mission execution

functions determined that a minimum critical mass of 4.5

million GSF of office space plus parking must be collocated on a secure campus. The housing plan for the

Consolidated DHS Headquarters at St. Elizabeths is

based on the guiding principle that the secure campus

must serve as the center of gravity for leadership, operations coordination, policy, and program management in

support of the department's strategic goals. The campus

focus is on those critical mission execution functions that

facilitate integrated decision making, communications,

synergy among components and effective operations

coordination.

Mission support activities that cannot be accommodated

at St. Elizabeths are planned to be consolidated down to

six to seven locations (plus St. Elizabeths), yielding a

more efficient and effective portfolio that supports functional integration. The Nebraska Avenue Complex, while

not suitable for the permanent Headquarters, will be

retained in the portfolio for certain mission support functions. Anticipated growth will be managed through the

Figure 1. Department of Homeland Security Organization Chart.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 23

off-campus housing while maintaining a stable 4.5 million

GSF occupancy for the critical core functions at the consolidated HQ campus.

Why St. Elizabeths?

DHS provided the minimum requirements including size,

timing and security needs for a consolidated headquarters

campus to GSA in the fall of 2005. As the federal government's real estate developer, GSA analyzed available federal properties within the NCR, which included thirteen

alternative locations. GSA concluded that St. Elizabeths

was the only site under the federal government's control

that has the location and capacity for high security features

to meet DHS's needs on a realistic timetable. The 176

acre campus terrain provides sufficient setbacks and natural buffer zones to meet the Interagency Security

Committee (ISC) requirements without costly hardening of

buildings that would be necessary in downtown locations.

As one of the few remaining large tracts of land within the

District, St. Elizabeths is a prime location, within 2.5 miles

of the U.S. Capitol and 3 miles from downtown/Federal

Triangle.

GSA was already in the early stages of preparing a Master

Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the

redevelopment of the St. Elizabeths West Campus and

incorporated the DHS requirements into the alternatives

under consideration. Although the President's Budget for

FY (Fiscal Year) 2006 had previously announced the relocation of CG Headquarters to St. Elizabeths, the DHS

decision to strategically realign the entire NCR headquarters portfolio has positioned the Coast Guard to serve in

the "lead ship" capacity to establish the campus Initial

Operating Capability (IOC) in the first phase of development. DHS Headquarters, the National Operations Center

(NOC) and FEMA will follow in phase 2, and the remaining

components in Phase 3.

St. Elizabeths West Campus Master Plan and

Environmental Impact Statement

The most challenging aspect of this development is the

designation of St. Elizabeths Hospital (both the East and

West Campus) as a National Historic Landmark (NHL).

The West Campus is a 176 acre federally owned parcel,

currently vacant and in the custody and control of GSA.

The buildings and the infrastructure on the campus are in

a severely deteriorated condition. However, GSA has

made significant progress in stabilizing the site since

acquisition in December 2004. The East Campus is owned

by the District of Columbia (DC) Department of Mental

Health, which still operates a mental health services hospital with a population of 300-400 patients. The two campuses are divided by Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. Figure 2

below provides an aerial view of the region.

St. Elizabeths East Campus

Suitland Parkway

Martin Luther King Jr. Ave

St. Elizabeths West Campus

Rt 295

Figure 2. Aerial View of St. Elizabeths West Campus Looking South.
24 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Engineer’s Digest

The NHL designation is a reflection of the historic significance of the hospital. St. Elizabeths was founded in

1852 as the first federal mental institution and admitted

its first patients in 1855. It was established for the moral

treatment of members of the Army, Navy and citizens of

District of Columbia. St. Elizabeths was at the forefront

of mental health treatment at the time, as the hospital

incorporated site selection, planning, building layout, circulation and the cultural landscape into the curative treatment process for mental illness.

The NHL status conveys additional requirements for the

redevelopment of the site under Section 110 of the

National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Most of the

buildings and the cultural landscapes, including the vegetation, circulations, spatial relationships, view sheds

(views into, out of and within the campus) are contributing resources to the landmark designation. GSA is

required to in part "...take all planning and actions that

may be necessary to minimize harm to the maximum

extent possible...." In carrying out this responsibility,

GSA has engaged in an extensive public outreach and

consultative process with stakeholders and interested

parties throughout the community.

GSA's Draft Master Plan reflects careful consideration of

the NHL status and integrates new development with the

remaining contributing resources in such a way that it

meets DHS program requirements while preserving and

protecting many of the tangible and intangible characteristics of the NHL. GSA identified two preferred alternatives as shown in Figures 3 and 4. These diagrams represent massing only and do not reflect actual design.

Both of the preferred alternatives would:

❏ Provide adaptive reuse of between 82-89% of contributing historic square footage to the NHL, including

the Center Building, which is considered the most historic and important building on the site.

❏ Concentrate new development around the outer edge

of the campus (including parking), thus retaining the

therapeutic walking nature of the campus. All new

development on the plateau would be limited in height

to retain the prominence of the Center Building.

Figure 3. Master Plan Preferred Alternative 3.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 25

❏ Preserve the NHL identified historic view sheds into,

out of and within the campus.

❏ Restore the historical prominence of the Center

Building in the campus layout as it would serve as the

Secretary's Headquarters Office.

❏ Provide a zone where activity is excluded to avoid

disturbing a protected species located just off the St.

Elizabeths property.

❏ Include remediation of contamination, as required,

from over 150 years of occupancy of the campus.

❏ Limit transportation impacts on Martin Luther King Jr.

Avenue and the surrounding residential communities

through the construction of a new campus access

road along the western boundary to provide easy

access to Route 295, Suitland Parkway and South

Capital Street.

❏ Coordinate occupancy phasing with regional transportation improvements already being planned and

implemented by the District Department of

Transportation and the Federal Highways

Administration.

❏ Support economic growth and redevelopment within

Ward 8 from 14,000 DHS employees and increased

demand for retail and commercial office space.

❏ Recognize the historic tradition of St. Elizabeths as a

secure campus for patient privacy/protection and

incorporate physical security requirements with great

sensitivity toward the visual impacts of security.

❏ Provide limited public access to portions of the facility

consistent with mission requirements and threat conditions.

❏ Provide a functional and effective campus for DHS

operations and integration.

The primary difference between the two preferred alternatives is the treatment of the area behind the Center

Building. Alternative 3 is a more efficient layout from an

operational perspective as it provides for office additions

to the rear of the Center Building to allow all of the key

headquarters functions to be located directly with the

Secretary's office. Alternative 4 is an attempt to preserve

the campus core to a greater extent by limiting the develFigure 4. Master Plan Preferred Alternative 4.
26 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Engineer’s Digest

opment behind the Center Building to necessary circulation additions only (no office space). The Center Building

is an extremely long and narrow building. As constructed

there is insufficient width to simultaneously provide private office space, open office space and public circulation space. The office space lost in alternative 4 is relocated to the lawn area to the northeast of the Center

Building.

Transportation is a critical aspect of the master planning

effort and all alternatives propose the development of a

new access road along the western edge of the property

connecting from Firth Sterling Avenue to Malcolm X

Avenue and Route 295. This access road would minimize impacts on the surrounding neighborhoods and provide employees with improved connections to commuting

arteries.

Both alternatives currently propose the USCG Main

Headquarters be located along the western ridge and

slope with panoramic views of the city. Shared services

such as the cafeteria, child care, etc. would be located in

fully renovated and adaptively reused historic structures

that are appropriate for the functions be housed. Some

of the historic buildings would also be used as administrative office space for various DHS activities. Figure 5

depicts one of the buildings proposed for adaptive reuse.

The Draft

Environmental

Impact

Statement

(DEIS) for the

project was

issued for public comment in

September

2007 and GSA

conducted a

public hearing

on the proposed development in

October of

2007.

Comments

received on

the DEIS and

consultations

with the planning agencies

and various

stakeholders

raised concerns regarding the impact of the proposed

development (4.5 million GSF of new and adaptive

reused space plus 1.8 million GSF of parking) on the

NHL status. There is also specific concern over the

amount of mass at the proposed location for the USCG

Headquarters. GSA is currently analyzing all of the

responses and will address them in the Final Master Plan

and Final EIS Record of Decision to be issued later this

year.

One of the recommendations made by the Consulting

Parties is to relocate some of the DHS program requirements to the St. Elizabeths East Campus. DHS and GSA

are working with the DC Office of Planning to examine

the feasibility of expanding into a portion of the East

Campus and still meet our program and time requirements.

Given the sensitivity of the campus, we recommended

that GSA use 3-dimensional (3-D) building information

models (BIM) as a tool to provide a more accurate and

realistic depiction of the impacts of new construction on

existing historic resources. Within the Coast Guard Civil

Engineering Program, we have the ability to utilize BIM

technology in the development of regional strategic

plans, sector command centers and building renovation

designs. Many industry leaders are now integrating 3-D

modeling, financial databases, and scheduling technologies into a 5-D (3-D plus time and financials) integrated

decision making tool to identify errors, omissions, and

building system conflict detection before they are experienced during construction. Even more important for a

site like St. Elizabeths, 5-D modeling and simulation can

identify the most effective layout for site logistics and

construction phasing to minimize the impacts on historic

resources and optimize construction efficiency, all before

the first spade is turned on the site.

Figure 5. M Building -- Potential uses include: Administrative office, GSA Facilities

Management; Barber Shop, Credit Union.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 27

GSA embraced this recommendation and BIM technology has become a critical tool to foster fact based dialogue among all the stakeholders to gain an understanding of the site and the impacts of development on landscapes, view sheds and spatial relationships. Figures 6

- 8 show as an example the use of this technology with

one of the concepts under consideration for the new

USCG Headquarters. The models allow you to virtually

walk or fly though the campus to experience how the

buildings work from all angles on or off the campus. No

final decision has been made on the location or design

of the USCG HQ within the campus. The concept below

is just one example of how the mass might be 

represented.

Figure 6. USCG HQ Concept Sketch demonstrating mass and scale compatibility on the plateau level with the

Center Building to the left.

Figure 7. USCG HQ Concept Sketch demonstrating how the building works within the landscape down the western slope to provide necessary mass without impacting scale on plateau or impacting views to the campus.
28 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Engineer’s Digest

Next Steps

GSA will be working throughout the remainder of the fiscal year (2008) to complete the Final Master Plan, EIS

and Record of Decision. To achieve these milestones,

GSA must first conclude consultations in accordance

with Sections 106 and 110 of the NHPA. Success is

defined by the execution of a Programmatic Agreement,

outlining the measures to be taken in the construction of

new facilities and the renovation of existing historic

resources to preserve and protect the National Historic

Landmark.

The Congress appropriated funds for the Coast Guard

Headquarters design ($24.9 million) in FY 2006 and provided GSA with funds for infrastructure and stabilization

efforts for the St. Elizabeths West Campus. The FY 2008

Consolidated Appropriations Act did not provide funding

for either GSA or DHS to begin construction of Phase 1

of the development. While the lack of FY 2008 funding is

disappointing, the delay does provide GSA with additional time to fully analyze the comments and concerns in

the DEIS and Draft Master Plan. The President requested funding to begin construction of the Consolidated

DHS Headquarters at St. Elizabeths in the FY 2009

Budget submitted to the Congress and Secretary

Chertoff reaffirmed the importance of this initiative to the

long term success of the Department. Estimated completion of the new USCG Headquarters is approximately

thirty six to forty two months after funds are appropriated

for the construction, assuming GSA's successful completion of the Master Plan, Environmental Impact Statement

and Programmatic Agreement as outlined above. Mr.

Donald Bathurst, Chief Administrative Officer for the

Department of Homeland Security summarized the criticality of this effort in testimony before the National

Capital Planning Commission on November 1, 2007:

"...It is important to understand that we are

not only master planning a site which as we

know is a national historic landmark, we are

also master planning how the Department of

Homeland Security will function to support the

national interest. We are not simply placing

square footage on a piece of property; we are

aligning our facilities to support the federal

government's most critical responsibility: the

protection of its citizens. That responsibility

demands facilities that support close cooperation, coordination communication and integration..."

The DHS Consolidated Headquarters Initiative is a very

challenging yet vital effort to align our facilities to support

the mission and to a fully integrate the Department operationally, logistically and culturally.

Figure 8. USCG HQ Concept Sketch demonstrating that a large mass can appear in scale on the plateau and

is disguised on the slope by working within the landscape and adding a green roof. No architecture has been

added to the exterior of the concept at this stage.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 29
30 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

C4IT

In February, 2008, C2CEN began

fielding a significant improvement

to the Differential Global

Positioning System. This will

extend the life of the system for

many years to come while also

providing a substantial increase in

performance, flexibility and supportability. The improvements are

centered on the major functional

components of the system: the

Reference Stations -- used to calculate and transmit pseudorange

corrections to properly equipped

users, and the Integrity Monitors,

whose function it is to check the

validity of the transmitted corrections, ensuring users can depend

on having the correct information.

The fielding of this new equipment

represents the culmination of nearly 5 years of engineering effort by

C2CEN personnel.

Early on, the U.S. Coast Guard

partnered with industry to develop

a software application that would

replace legacy hardware equipment and run in an open system

architecture environment. By

using high end, rack mount computers and configurable software

to perform the functions previously

done by the older hardware,

C2CEN was able to provide

greater flexibility for future

C2CEN

Begins

Fielding of

Next

Generation

DGPS

New equipment rack at Driver DGPS Site showing

computers, receivers, Ethernet switch.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 31

Legacy System showing serial-based communications and hardware-based reference

stations and integrity monitors.

New System. The reference stations and

integrity monitor computers are all the

same type, as well as the receivers.

enhancements to the system, more

robust support to the fielded system, and because the software is

the latest industry has to offer, the

best performance to date for DGPS.

Another major change during the

recapitalization effort was a move to

an Ethernet-based architecture.

This replaced the serial communications used before and provides

communications directly to each

piece of equipment at the

Broadcast Sites, directly impacting

system availability. Another benefit

of the Ethernet-based architecture

is upgradeability. In the future, as

new Satellite Navigation Systems

come on line, such as Galileo and

other new GPS signals, the USCG

will be poised for "plug and play"

receivers that manufacturers are

working on now, further enhancing

the performance of the system.

The new DGPS system architecture

allows the USCG to continue to

deliver and improve navigation and

positioning services to users in the

United States and its territories.

POC: Brent Carroll, steven.b.carroll@uscg.mil, 757-295-2245,

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/c2cen/DGPS

.html

System improvement and support

information can be found in

Engineering Change 04 and Field

Change 19 to DGPS.
32 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

C4IT

The1SG38-RRASS Remote RadioActivated Sound Signal Unit, hereafter

referred to as the RRASS, was designed to replace

the First District INTRAC boxes that were placed

into service by the Aids to Navigation Teams in that

district. The INTRAC was a nonstandard installation used to remotely turn on/off fog horns. In

2004, Electronics Support Unit (ESU) Boston

requested a replacement for the INTRAC that

would be standardized and supported by the Coast

Guard.

Requirements were defined; an Engineer Change

Request (ECR) placed on file; followed by the unit

design and then coding of the software for the

Signal Board Computer (SBC). Two prototype sites

were chosen to test the design as first conceived.

They were Brant Pt. Light to Nantucket Jetty Light

3 in November 2005 and Owls Head Light to

Rockland Jetty Light in April 2006. Tests were run

for about eight months. Several design enhancements were made. In August of 2006, a priority

request came from the Eleventh District to have a

RRASS system installed on Monterey Jetty Light 6

which was added to the prototype list. As word

spread, the RRASS, intended for only two Districts,

has now spread to over five Districts. The contract

to build these boxes was let in December 2007

with delivery beginning in the spring of 2008.

EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION

The purpose of the RRASS is to control the operation of various Short Range Aids to Navigation

(SRAN) navigational devices (e.g., Sound Signals,

Rotating Beacons, Lanterns, etc.) that are located

in remote or hard to get to locations. The RRASS

can be installed in any of the Lighthouse

Categories in order to operate the remote devices

for that particular configuration. Figure 1 is a block

diagram of the RRASS.

The RRASS unit consists of a Single Board

Computer (SBC) housed within a NEMA environRemote Radio Activated Sound

Signal (RRASS)

by Alan Davis and Dave Tanner, C2CEN

mental proof container along with a VHF Transceiver/Modem

operating at a frequency of 164.300 or 168.2875 Mhz, an

optional amplifier, an eight (8) position configuration dip

switch (CDS), a 3-pole double throw type selector switch, a

relay and a lightning arrestor. The lightning arrestor is

installed to protect the unit from a possible lightning strike to

the antenna. The setting of the CDS determines how the

RRASS unit is configured. The unit is designed to work with

RRASS Control

Site with VM100

Fog Detector,

USCG Station

Monterey, CA
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 33

most SRAN equipment. In SRAN configurations, one RRASS unit is

configured as a Control Unit (CU) and is connected to a controlling

device such as the VM100 Fog Detector. However, the controlling

device may be as simple as a toggle switch. A second unit is then

configured as a Receiving Unit (RU) and connected to a remote indicator such as a navigational light or sound signal (ex. FA-232). The

SBC within the CU monitors the operation of the controlling device,

VM100 Fog Detector, until there is a change in the condition being

monitored. The CU will then transmit this change to the RU to either

turn on or turn off the remote device. The SBC used in the RRASS is

also capable of monitoring other conditions such as a failure timeout,

manual test, or board failure and to initiate the required action

between the two units. Figure 2 shows the connection of the RRASS

unit in a typical SRAN configuration.

Figure 2. Typical RRASS Unit SRAN Configuration.

Figure 1. 1SG38-

RRASS Block Diagram.

One of the First

Prototype RRASS

Control/Remote Units.
34 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

C4IT

Creating an SOA(Service-Oriented Architecture)

Environment for COP(Common Operating Picture)

with CWSS(Web Services System) 

by LT Evangeline Gormley, C2CEN

The Command and Control Engineering Center (C2CEN) engineers are moving forward with the Coast

Guard's vision for Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). By manipulating new software and configuring

existing hardware, C2CEN engineers have designed the Common Operating Picture (COP) Web Services System

(CWSS) to embrace this vision and to improve resources for COP operators and users. CWSS provides an enterprise solution for tactical data management and data sharing in the unclassified environment. Its equipment suite

is a contributing component of the larger CG Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) COP system as it enhances the capabilities of the CG SBU COP by making it compatible within an SOA environment. The CWSS architecture implements and supports data services, which can be easily customized to meet enterprise SOA and keep pace with continually evolving command and control technologies. This architecture also provides the fundamental building blocks

for additional SOA based COP applications and services. Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of the CWSS architecture that is installed at the CG Operations Systems Center (OSC) in Martinsburg, West Virginia. It is supported by

contracted personnel at C2CEN as part of the CG SBU COP.

CWSS incorporates web services, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), application servers, and database storage for tactical command and control products. It currently manages tracks from Cellular Blue Force Tracking

(CBFT), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Air-Marine Operations Center (AMOC), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Vessel Management System (VMS) and the Inland Rivers Vessel Movement

Center (IRVMC). The core CWSS system provides a high performance database, web services, and track management with a real time connection to the CG SBU COP. CWSS database services are obtained via Oracle 10g,

web services via Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) and web application services via Apache Tomcat.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 35

Cellular Blue Force Tracking (CBFT)

One of the first products deployed on CWSS to provide

greater Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) of Coast

Guard Blue Forces was CBFT. With the use of enterprise

information services, CBFT augments the CG COP and

imparts a uniform data representation for Coast Guard

operational commanders and users. Blue Force assets

are monitored using a select commercial phone or handset with the installed cellular-based technology. Each cell

phone automatically reports and injects track data and

positions from the Blue Force asset into the CG SBU

COP. Operational commanders can use CBFT phones

as a means to improve situational awareness by easily

identifying and locating critical personnel and resources.

Also, CBFT allows blue force assets to view other blue

force assets.

Shortly after CBFT was deployed to the field, the release

of the product prompted the need to provide a method for

transporting tactical data from the Internet to the Coast

Guard Data Network (CGDN+) for delivery to CWSS.

C2CEN engineers brought this idea to fruition by developing External Data Collection Servers (EDCS). This set

of servers interacts with CWSS using Advanced

Encryption Standard (AES) encrypted messaging via

serialized Java objects. The EDCS essentially acts as

collection point for all external data sources outside the

Coast Guard firewall.

Web-Based COP (WebCOP)

The unclassified version of CG WebCOP is the second

subsystem being engineered and added to CWSS. This

CGDN+ version, WebCOP(U), provides COP applicable

web services and a commercial GIS system for managing and viewing COP data. WebCOP(U) uses the core

CWSS services for user account authentication and management, spatial services, and track management.

WebCOP(U) is intended for all users and operators that

require a tactical display for track and air data. It is

essentially a web-based version of the COP and displays

track data from CBFT, CBP AMOC, NOAA VMS, IRVMC

and Automatic Identification System (AIS).

WebCOP(U) provides a web-based client to display tactical data on existing standard workstations and will not

require any additional software installation. This CWSS

subsystem includes the addition of Geographic

Information System (GIS) services for tactical overlays

Figure 1. Simplified Drawing of CWSS Architecture.
36 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

C4IT

and track layers. Tactical overlays can be modified as

additional requirements are implemented from other data

sources. However, the overlays will initially contain local

base maps, event layers and NOAA VMS data to include

closed areas.

The WebCOP(U) architecture consumes services from

enterprise GIS (E-GIS) and unclassified data from the

Maritime Information Safety and Law Enforcement

(MISLE) database and the Ships Arrival Notification

System (SANS) database. Figure 2 is simply a screenshot of WebCOP(U) that shows a customized symbology

for surface tracks from data sources and feeds, i.e.,

IRVMC. Geographic regions can be selected from the

map overview in the left column or can be selected by

Sector, District or Area. Figure 3 shows the Hover Tips

box that is displayed when a contact is selected. The

Hover Tips box contains vessel specific information

pulled from MISLE, SANS, etc. Figure 4 is another

screenshot that shows the type of track data being displayed.

The WebCOP(U) subsystem is composed of three major

commercial off the shelf software components developed

by ESRI, Incorporated. These components include the

ArcGIS Server, ArcSDE technology and Tracking Server.

The ArcGIS Server provides SOA based components

and an application server to deliver COP data and services. The ArcSDE technology provides a database

access engine to spatial data that is accessible by the

ArcGIS Server and Tracking Server. Tracking Server collects and sends real-time spatial data from many data

sources and formats to GIS clients for a near real time

display.

As implicitly described by the architecture, WebCOP(U)

will essentially be a light weight viewer for users of COP

data to increase their MDA picture. The full production is

anticipated to be released to the field in June - July 2008.

Future Releases

C2CEN engineers are pioneering future developments in

CWSS to enhance COP and WebCOP(U). One of these

future products includes WebCOP(I). WebCOP(I) is an

Internet browser-based viewer of the SBU COP and is

scheduled to be released in late 2008. It will be available

to all Coast Guard operators and users, other government agencies, Department of Defense (DoD) and

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) port partners,

and select civil and law enforcement authorities without

the risk of inadvertent data disclosure. WebCOP(I) will

operate like a typical Internet browser and will require

minimal training for users and operators.

Summary

CWSS is creating an SOA environment for COP services. It provides an enterprise solution for tactical data

sharing and management in the unclassified environment

Figure 2. Screenshot

of WebCOP(U).
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 37

and is a move

towards centralized

legacy C2 systems.

This SOA environment for COP

users is a means

to eliminate the

duplication of data

between multiple

information technology and C2 systems.

For additional information on these

products and services, please contact:

LT Evangeline

Gormley,

Land-Based

Command Center -

Systems

Infrastructure

(Lc2.1) Project

Manager:

Evangeline.R.Gorm

ley@uscg.mil,

(757) 686-4271

Mr. Ryan Wheeler,

COP Project

Manager:

Ryan.D.Wheeler@

uscg.mil,

(757) 686-4274

Mr. Joe Wallace,

CWSS Project

Lead:

Joseph.P.Wallace

@uscg.mil,

(757) 686-4176

C2CEN Website:

http://cgweb.lant.us

cg.mil/c2cen/index.

htm.

Figure 3. Display of vessel specific data contained in Hover Tips box. Surface

contact becomes solid color when selected.

Figure 4. Left column shows the tracks that have been selected to be displayed (BFT, IRVMC, VMS, SCC, AIS).
38 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

C4IT

by LCDR Richard Sundland, CG-7612

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Dan Bender.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 39

Several recent large scale contingency response operations have highlighted the CoastGuard's need to modernize and enhance its mobile command, control, communications and

computer (C4) equipment. The office of C4 and Sensor Capability assembled a team to plan,

design and oversee the development of the Mobile Command Center (MCC) project. The MCC

system is comprised of four subsystems: the Enhanced Mobile Incident Command Post

(eMICP), Mobile Communications Vehicle (MCV), Portable Computer Store (PCS), and Portable

SIPRNet (PS). The MCC system is designed to deliver a scalable solution that will provide

remote, deployable, secure and non-secure self sustaining Command, Control,

Communications, Computers and Information Technology (C4&IT) and sheltering capability during contingency, continuity and surge operations. The MCC subsystems can be dispatched

independently or as a whole ranging from a simple augmentation of a computer network all the

way to a full scale response requiring a command post with network support, SIPRNet, and

short and long-range communications providing enhanced command, control, and situational

awareness in a remote location.

The modular vision of the MCC system will make it capable of meeting specific demands of

various Coast Guard Deployable Operations Group (DOG) units as well as shore based units.

The system shall include "mobile" assets and "portable" components. The mobile assets are

self-propelled or trailerable. The self propelled component, MCV, has a requirement to be

transportable by Coast Guard C-130J, while still being able to meet state and federal highway

regulations. The trailerable component, eMICP, meets all state and federal highway regulations

and does not require permits for interstate travel. The portable equipment will be hand carried

and plug-and-play compatible within these mobile assets. This article will focus on the eMICPs.

The first of the

Coast Guard's

new enhanced

Mobile Incident

Command Posts

(eMICP) is displayed outside

of Coast Guard

Headquarters in

Washington,

D.C., Nov. 26,

2007. The primary function

of the eMICP is

to provide sheltered work

space, voice

and data connectivity as well

as command

and control

capabilities on a

mobile platform.

U.S. Coast

Guard photo by

Dan Bender.
40 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

C4IT

The Enhanced Mobile Incident Command Posts will be used to support on-scene command and control functions as well

as provide a unified command space and a secure communications room. The eMICPs under the MCC project is a vast

upgrade in capabilities compared to the Mobile Incident Command Posts (MICP) which are used primarily for contingency

operations by the National Strike Force (NSF) teams. The eMICP provides more interoperability and combines all traditional radio and phone communications, network connectivity and administration features into one trailer, whereas the

NSF's MICP act as a command post with phone connections.

A 60 kW generator unit is mounted in the front of the trailer with a 120+ gallon diesel fuel tank and was tested at an 80%

load for 90+ hours. When not using the generator, the eMICP can connect to nearby 110 Volt shore power. The trailer

also has additional data connections for power, telephony and networks. There are three sections of the eMICP; the

radio room, conference and computer room, and a foyer/entrance area referred to as the "mud room." The conference

and computer room extend on both sides of the trailer by means of pop-outs and contain six workstations on each side.

The eMICP has full internal climate control features but does not have running water or a sanitary facility. Two 5 ton

HVAC units are mounted on the front of the trailer; one unit provides service for the radio room and the other for the conference and computer room.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 41

General eMICP Description and Capabilities:

Length: 53 feet 

Width: 102 inches 

Height: 13 feet 

Office space: 763 square feet 

Number of Conference Room stations or seats: 20 

Number of Secure work stations: 3

Side View of the eMICP

Rear View

Rear View with Sides Extended

U.S. COAST GUARD
42 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

C4IT

Radio Telephony

3 VHF circuits 8 concurrent incoming/outgoing calls

1 VHF/HUF/ 20 installed IP Phones

MILSATCOM circuit 5 spare IP Phones (expansion)

1 HF circuit 3 STEs (secure voice)

Interoperability 1 Conference Phone

SBU and CLASS nets 2 Fax machines (1 secure and 1 un-secure)

Network Structural

Satellite Internet (T1) 53 ft. trailer

Terrestrial (T1) Generator

CGDN+ Satellite TV

SIPRNet Security System

Printers Foyer/Mud Room

SBU VTC Conference Room

CLASS VTC Office Space (12 positions)

Secure Area

Safe

Admiral Thad Allen listens to a briefing on the capabilities of the first of the Coast Guard's new

enhanced Mobile Incident Command Posts (eMICP) outside of Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington,

D.C., Nov. 26, 2007. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Dan Bender.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 43

The eMICP will not only offer state-of-the-art conference and watch standing facilities, but will provide the most up-todate communications capabilities. The communications suite includes VHF, UHF, HF, Coast Guard Data Network

Plus, Military Satellite Communication, SIPRNet, Public Switched Telephone Network and an ACU-1000. The ACU1000 will enable communications (radio, phone, wireless and satellite) to interface with a wide range of federal, state

and local agencies.

The eMICP has the following specialized antenna systems:

❑ Self-elevating mast: A self-elevating mast to support line-of-site (LOS) radio communications and sensors. The

mast is built within the body of the trailer and does not protrude beyond the maximum trailer height when stowed.

❑ Two Self-aligning satellite dishes: One dedicated for two-way data communications and the other for voice communications. The satellite dishes are built within the body of the trailer and do not protrude beyond the maximum

trailer height when stowed.

❑ Low-profile satellite antenna: A low-profile satellite TV antenna capable of receiving DBS (Direct TV, et al) and

Government Educational Training Network (GETN) broadcasts.

Program's Timeline:

The detail design of the eMICP was approved in November 2006 and the first of three eMICP's was delivered in

November 2007. TISCOM completed the installation of secure equipment along with extensive testing and evaluation

of the Classified and Unclassified communications and delivered the eMICP to Communications Area Master Station

Atlantic in February 2008. The second eMICP is scheduled to be delivered in late 2008 and the third in 2009. The

Portable Computer Store was completed in June 2005, three Portable SIPRNets were delivered in July 2007, and the

Mobile Communications Vehicle is under development and scheduled to be delivered in November 2008.

Conclusion:

The MCC is a system of systems that provides the tools necessary to deliver a scalable response to contingency,

continuity and surge operations. The eMICP is one subsystem of the MCC system that provides a command post

with radio, computer network and telephone communications enhancing command, control and situational awareness.

The siprnet satellite connection that allows for secure

communications, part of the

Coast Guard's new enhanced

Mobile Incident Command Post

(eMICP), is displayed outside

of Coast Guard Headquarters

in Washington, D.C., Nov. 26.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Dan

Bender.
44 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Logistics

WASHINGTON - Building upon solid past performance transferring retired cutters and a variety of

small boats to allied nations, the Acquisition Directorate is building an even stronger Foreign Military

Sales (FMS) program -- to better support government security assistance objectives and bolsters

the presence of U.S. industry abroad.

The FMS and Excess Defense Articles (EDA) programs, resident in the Office of International

Acquisition (CG-922), are important elements of the Coast Guard's security assistance function.

The programs help achieve foreign policy and security goals through the sale and transfer to friendly

governments U.S. platforms (ships and aircraft) and mission equipment.

The Coast Guard

views FMS activity

as 'cost-neutral' (foreign customers pay

only the actual costs

incurred, and excess

funds are returned to

the FMS customer).

However, sales of

platforms, equipment

and services may

benefit the Coast

Guard by helping to

drive down unit costs

for ships and aircraft

still in production.

The FMS/EDA programs also benefit

the U.S. economy by

supporting production lines and jobs in

industry.

Coast Guard FMS

accounts for approximately $21.5 million

annually.

NICHE MARKET

While a relatively

small concern compared with the FMS

programs of the

Department of

Defense, the Coast

Guard is building its

enterprise into what

Assistant

Commandant for

Acquisition, Rear

Adm. Gary T. Blore,

called a "niche market" for technologies

that fulfill a unique

set of mission

requirements.

Coast Guard Strengthens

Foreign Military Sales Program

by Hunter C. Keeter, CG-925

Ex-Coast Guard Cutter GENTIAN at anchor off Port-au-Prince, Haiti. On Oct. 15, 2007, the

government approved the transfer of GENTIAN to the Armada Nacional de Colombia as part

of the Coast Guard's security assistance program. (USCG photo by PA3 Cindy Marshall) 
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 45

"There are only two or three navies in the world like the U.S. Navy; all

others are more like the Coast Guard," Blore said during an interview.

"So many foreign navies have an affinity with us because they tend to

be less focused on global reach

and more focused on the mission

set that is like our own-maritime

border security, law enforcement,

search and rescue, environmental

protection and national defense."

In the beginning the programs

focused on transfer of used Coast

Guard cutters and small boats.

Since 1997, the Coast Guard has

transferred more than 116 decommissioned vessels to 26 nations

through EDA. The service has sold

more than 91 new construction vessels to 12 nations through FMS.

The programs also provide training,

logistics and technical support to

the platforms' new host nations.

The goal, according officials from

the Acquisition Directorate, is to

create a manageable program that

is large enough to support Coast

Guard and national policy objectives, while also providing a boost

to American industry.

"FMS is finding its stride as more of a Coast Guard-unique element of

selling U.S.-made products," Rear Adm. Blore said. "I think within the

next two or three years, the niche market that we are building in Coast

Guard FMS is going to develop branches and really expand its portfolio

into a well-run unique division of our acquisition business. ... We are

going to sell some new products that we have brought online, and that

will help us in unit cost and it is going to be good for U.S. industry.

Meanwhile, we can continue to sell small boats and used Coast Guard

cutters as well."

EXPANDING CATALOGUE

The Coast Guard's FMS catalogue of products is expanding. As new

assets arrive -- such as the HC-144A Ocean Sentry Maritime Patrol

Aircraft and its mission system pallet, or the upgraded sensor suite

aboard the HC-130J Hercules Long Range Surveillance aircraft -- the

Coast Guard is planning ways of marketing these products as well.

The Coast Guard also has enjoyed significant improvement to its

search and rescue capabilities with the aircraft-mounted Direction

Finder 430 system, which began saving lives almost as soon as it was

approved for operational use. The DF-430 system may soon be on

offer for FMS.

Meanwhile, utility boat sales have proven to be a major FMS success

for the Coast Guard. The service is selling a variety of types of small

boats, which are being used in innovative ways by many customers,

OVERVIEW OF RECENT FMS

CASES 

Early 2008-Submitted for

Department of Defense approval:

potential sale of 11 Defender-class

and 19 Arch Angel-class response

boats to the Republic of Chile.

Nov. 8, 2007-In support of the

Cooperative Strategy for 21st

Century Seapower, sold to the

Iraqi Navy 26 Fast Response

Boats, spare parts, tools, training

and other support valued at a total

of $8.3 million.

Oct. 15, 2007-Transferred to the

Armada Nacional de Colombia the

180-foot ex-buoy tender Gentian

valued at $2.7 million, plus

$890,000 for navigation and communications equipment.

Response Boat-Medium (RB-M), U.S. Coast Guard

photo by Marinette Marine Corporation.
46 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Logistics

including the naval and maritime law enforcement forces of partners such as Nigeria and

Iraq.

The Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) project is

slated to begin Operational Test and Evaluation

(OT&E) at Coast Guard Station Little Creek, Va.

These utility boats will replace the service's fleet

of 41-foot and other non-standard boats, and,

once testing is completed, will provide a very

capable platform for marketing through the FMS

program.

Completing OT&E is an important step, not only

because it marks an important transitional

phase in an acquisition project -- certifying that

the product is operationally suitable and effective -- but also because completing OT&E is an

important signal to potential customers that the

platform or system is ready for sale.

"We only sell what the admiral buys; so this year

we have to get through OT&E for the National

Security Cutter, the Maritime Patrol Aircraft, the

HC-130J and the RB-M," said Joseph Shea,

who works for the Office of International

Acquisitions. "We are ... talking with international partners about their requirements and

how our products could fulfill some of those."

TWO-WAY STREET

Many allied navies have duties that include maritime border patrol, illegal migrant interdiction,

fisheries protection, piracy and other missions

that are closely analogous to those of the U.S.

Coast Guard.

Mission commonality helps to inform a potential

overseas customer base for Coast Guard products, while at the same time providing a venue

for the U.S. Coast Guard to benefit from cooperation and learn some helpful lessons of its own.

"This represents a huge opportunity to bring all

the ocean-centric nations together and speak to

them about how they are applying technology to

the law enforcement, maritime security and

national defense missions set," Blore said.

For example, Blore recently visited Australia

where he met with that nation's acquisition officials and discussed common requirements for

technologies to support naval and federal law

enforcement requirements.

"Because we have a lot of commonality, we can

really learn from one other," Blore said. "The

FOREIGN MILITARY SALES/EXCESS DEFENSE ARTICLES CATALOGUE 

25-foot Defender-class Response Boat-Small (RB-S) 

33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement (SPC-LE) 

42-foot Arch Angel-class Fast Response Boat 

Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) 

Cutter Boat-Over the Horizon (CB-OTH) 

Trailerable Aids to Navigation Boat (TANB) 

National Security Cutter (NSC) 

HC-144A Ocean Sentry Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) 

HC-130J mission systems 

Fast Response Cutter-B-class (FRC-B) 

Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) 

Medium and High Endurance Cutters 
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 47

Australians showed us some of the innovative things they are doing with their navy patrol boats.

Up on the bridge, for example, they have the captain, a conning officer and the engineer all sitting next to each other. That's not the way we run patrol boats in the U.S. Coast Guard but it is

very interesting to see how the Australians do it and how that concept of operation is reflected in

the design of the platforms."

Geography also provides some advantages for allies, enabling real-world testing of interesting

hardware that would be problematic in some U.S. locations. For example, Australia's maritime

border is less densely populated than the coastline of the United States, allowing more unrestricted airspace for testing Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs), such as the RQ-1 Predator robot

aircraft.

Internationally, General Atomics markets a variant of its Predator called the 'Mariner.' In

September 2006, the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) tested

Mariner during a 29-day exercise emulating operations against illegal fishing, smuggling and illegal immigration.

During the exercise the Royal

Australian Air

Force flew the

Mariner for more

than 75 hours at

between 1,000

feet and 40,000

feet altitude. The

UAS shared

radar sensor

data with Royal

Australian Navy

patrol boats to

model operations

of the Joint

Offshore

Protection

Command.

Australia's naval

and federal law

enforcement

organizations

have experimented with the

Predator in maritime surveillance

mode. In the

United States,

such testing

might interfere

with the civil air

traffic control

system.

"We gain valuable insights into

how things worked for them," Blore said. "What worked well and what didn't work so well. The

Australians and other partners can test and evaluate technologies and we can learn from that,

and vice versa. That is a very important aspect of our relationship."

HC-144A Ocean Sentry, medium-range surveillance aircraft. USCG photo by PAC Sarah B. Foster.
WHEC

48 • Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly

Logistics

WHECs have been experiencing a larger than normal

amount of Main Diesel Engine (MDE) causalities spiralling into a full on Center Section Overhaul (CSO) within the last two years. This higher demand has severely

stretched the normal supply chain.

Let's start with some basic background of the WHEC

MDE. The manufacturer of the Model 38TD-8 1/8 is

Fairbanks Morse Engine (FME) based out of Beloit,

Wisconsin. Most of the Model 38 engines in industrial

service are back-up isosynchronous generators in a naturally aspirated configuration that include surface and

sub-surface naval ships and nuclear power plants. The

Coast Guard (CG) is rather unique in the use of the

Model 38 turbocharged version for main propulsion in

today's world. Even the World War II submarines used

the naturally aspirated version. The turbocharged model

in the WHEC experience larger usage compared to other

industrial applications. This corresponds to higher

engine hours and varying dynamic load states because

of the main propulsion configuration. Increased dynamic

operations correlate to different distinct logistical supply

demands that are exponentially greater.

Where do these parts come from? This is a much misunderstood concept. The ELC is not the sole source of

CG parts. The CG depends on the stock system, original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and other non-OEM

sources. The ELC only stocks parts unique to CG

equipment which are not stocked by any other government agency. It does not make financial sense for the

CG to dual manage parts that another agency manages.

The CG, as an organization, depends on other government stockpoints to meet its logistical needs for parts

support.

The two other primary government agency stockpoints

are the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) (Source of

Supply code (SOS) SMS), and the Naval Inventory

Control Point Surface/Subsurface (SOS N35). Outside

of the ELC, DLA handles the vast majority of our consumable parts needs with regard to Model 38TD-8 1/8

parts. ELC's core parts management are the engine

accessory pumps that are free-issue mandatory turn-in

repair items specific to CG use on the Model 38 engine.

Generally, when parts are not available in the stock system, type desk managers seek out parts procurement

from OEM (FME) before seeking out non-OEM sources.

With substantial vertical drive failures combined with

engine block lifts and engine realignment, that occurring

in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007, a more than normal demand on

the part supply system was experienced. This not only

drew down the stock system, but also severely depleted

the on-hand stock of FME. There are business reasons

why companies only keep a short list of parts on hand

ranging from cost of managing inventory to tax implications. A company's stocking levels are inherently beyond

the topic of this article. Due to the government not being

able to depend on private suppliers' stock levels, the

government maintains logistical stockpoints. Stockpoints

do not have the same profit motive as private industry,

but they still must cover the cost of logistical management. Their end goal is to maintain support for operations based on historical or known future demands.

CG members are very good about submitting requisiWhat's the Deal With MDE Parts?

by LT Chad Moore, MLCPAC(vr-2)

Coast Guard Cutter GALLATIN (WHEC 721). U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Photo.
Summer 2008 - EE&L Quarterly • 49

tions and seeking out vendor supported parts.

Seeking out vendors to meet our needs is a

great skill, but if the government’s stockpoints

do not know about these external demands,

then they do not have justification to stock the

managed parts.

So how does the CG communicate to DLA the

need to restock or raise inventory levels?

There are a few options to document this

demand. Traditional methods include submitting MILSTRIP requisitions to the stockpoints

based on the maintenance needs of the

requesting unit. Stockpoints will either fill this

order or place the request on backorder

against due-in stock. Units can also submit

fill/kill requisitions that require funding to be

placed against the order. This option ties up

limited funding and when the order is killed,

the financial staff must engage in the time consuming reconciliation process. In the meantime, the requisitioner must now seek out the

requested item commercially. In essence, this

requires double procurement. FEDLOG is a

rather static information tool as it gives primarily cost and SOS data. DLA recently launched

a program called DOD-EMALL

(www.emall.dla.mil). It provides a significantly

deeper look into stock availability, due-in information, order history, unfilled orders, and a

whole lot more other detailed logistical supply

data.

As a type desk manager, DOD-EMALL is a

powerful decision tool because it can

immensely influence my procurement decisions. For example, should a CASREP or

upcoming MDE CSO project be in progress, I

can check parts availability. If none of the

requested parts are available, then I can go

commercial without having to submit a fill/kill

requisition. I am now left in a dilemma

because I now have purchased outside the

stock system and the demand planners do not

have a documented demand to restock.

So how do I document demand for restocking?

The major reason why I am such a champion

about DOD-EMALL is that the CG can communicate demand to the demand planner at DLA

without having to submit a requisition.

Registered users can submit what is known as

a "DHA-Demand." A DHA-Demand communicates to a demand planner that there is

demand on a particular National Stock Number

(NSN) and a requisitioner has had to go outside the stock system to procure an item. This

information, along with other regular submitted

orders, will cause the stock managers to issue

procurement requests to the vendors for

restocking.

I highly recommend implementing the use of

DOD-EMALL throughout the CG when ordering DLA normally stocked items commercially.

Storekeeper staff should be normally checking

to see if materials being purchased commercially are regularly stocked items. Adding the

DHA-Demand submission step is an extra

task, but has long-term gains for driving

restock levels, reduce commercial purchases,

avoid extra reconciliations, and eliminate the

need for fill/kill requisitions which tie up limited

funding.

In October 2007, I learned about DHADemand submissions, and begun using this

process here at the (vr-2) type desk. Referring

to records of commonly ordered DLA parts for

the Model 38TD-8 1/8 engine, I have been diligent about my submission. Given procurement

lag time and the recent draw down at FME, the

stock system will not be backfilled right away.

However, for long-term purposes, I am seeing

active order placement based on my submissions. With the proper documenting of

demand this effort should aid our ability to

respond to CASREPS because of increased

stocking levels and reduced contract administration lead time.

Beyond the use of DOD-EMALL, recent efforts

here at the type desk include continuing to

work with ELC(011) and (026), collating the

WHEC engine hours to better predict future

part demands. I would expect shortly to see

some policy changes in the CSO procedures

given parts logistics support. We are trying to

develop a CSO consumable part kit that the

ELC can manage. This would be pre-staged

and include key consumable wear parts and

would relieve the cutter of having to qualify

parts for later usage. All parts in the kit would

be automatically used. Traditional mandatory

turn-in repairable items like the turbochargers,

blowers and accessory pumps, would still be

separately managed by the ELC. Individual

consumable parts would continue to be managed by traditional stock points, but kit creation

under one NSN is the goal.

For further information about implementing

DOD-EMALL and a current viewpoint

Fairbanks Morse Engine logistical supply support, I can be reached at

chad.a.moore@uscg.mil or 510-637-5825.
Coast Guard Headquarters

CG-4, JR9-1130

1900 Half St., SW

Washington, DC 20593-0001