Coast Guard Augments Army at Bagram Air Base

By Army Pfc. Christina N. Sinders

WASHINGTON (AFPS) – Long known to protect the waters surrounding the United States, the question asked each time someone sees them is, “What is the U.S. Coast Guard doing here?”

Chief Petty Officer Daniel Kinville and Petty Officer 2nd Class Lauren Kowalewski are part of an eight-person unit from the Coast Guard’s 1179th Deployment Support Brigade, and are the only two Coast Guard personnel in Afghanistan.

“Usually, everyone’s first reaction when they see us is shock,” said Kowalewski, a Pittsburgh native. “They can’t seem to figure out why we’re so far from the U.S. coast and why we’re in a landlocked country.”

The answer lies in the Coast Guard’s reputation for keen attention to detail with paperwork, packing, customs and hazardous-materials shipping and storage — their ability to continually ship containers across oceans without frustration issues. Based on this expertise, Army officials requested the Coast Guard’s help with redeploying and sealifting their gear.

The Coastie duo adds another flavor to the vast assortment of uniforms here, and for many soldiers, seeing a Bagram-based Coastie holds a silver lining, Kowalewski said.

“The soldiers get really excited when they see us,” she explained. “They know that once we get here and start customs services, [it] means they are getting closer to going home.”

Kinville and Kowalewski are serving nine-month deployments, and neither is performing duties typical to their Coast Guard specialty. As a prerequisite for their duties here, each had to go through extensive hazardous-materials handling and packing and shipping courses, followed by convoy travel and weapons training.

Still, the additional training and stepping out of normal roles expands a servicemember’s breadth of experience, said Kinville, a Yorktown, Va., native.

“We get the experience of working with the Navy, Air Force, Army and Marines. This is something totally different than what we do back in the states,” he said.

They were both startled when they heard a 155 mm Howitzer fire for the first time, and Kowalewski experienced her first helicopter ride.

“The chance to be here, [to] see the front lines with the soldiers [and to] experience their way of life in and around the different stages of deployment is really amazing,” Kinville said. “I’m proud to be able to support them and help where I can.”

(Army Pfc. Christina N. Sinders serves in the Combined Joint Task Force 101 Public Affairs Office.)

Guarding GITMO

by Jeffrey Pollinger, Coast Guard District 13 SEATTLE

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is the oldest U.S. Naval base located outside the continental United States. It’s also been the center of attention recently because enemy combatants have been detained there since the war on terror began.

But it was also home to Coast Guard Port Security Unit (PSU) 313 during a six-month deployment.

From December, 2007 to June, 2008, the Tacoma, Wash., based unit was in Guantanamo Bay providing anti-terrorism force protection at the base. PSU 313 carried out this mission by patrolling the bay and other waterways 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the deployment. Other missions included search and rescue and vessel escorts.

PSU 313 operated under the guidance of the Joint Task Force, which included all other branches of the military and other federal agencies.

“It was exciting to see the Coast Guard involved in a joint environment, working with a huge task force that includes more that 2,000 people from just about every federal agency you can think of,” said Cmdr. James Howatson, commanding officer of PSU 313.

Howatson, like most members of the 134 person unit, is a reservist. When he’s not serving with the Coast Guard he serves as the deputy police chief of the Tacoma Police Department.

The deployment to Guantanamo Bay is the unit’s third since being commissioned in 1998. In Feb 2003, PSU 313 was deployed to support Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, where they provided security for an Iraqi oil platform in Northern Iraq. PSU 313 has been previously called to service in Operation Desert Storm and in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

As in past deployments, PSU 313 had its own weapons, engineering, logistics, food service, communications and medical staff. Like other Coast Guard port security units, PSU 313 is self sustainable for 30 days.

Because enemy combatants are detained at the base, the security level is elevated. To provide security on the water, the unit used highly-maneuverable and armed open cabin 24-foot boats to respond and confront any potential threat.

“When you’ve got crew-served weapons onboard, they can address a target a lot quicker and a lot easier with the open view,” said Lt. Jeffrey Engel, the unit’s operations officer.

In addition to safeguarding the waterways, members of the unit were also responsible for escorting detainees and providing security during arraignments at the courthouse. The unit was chosen by the joint task force because of the unit’s law enforcement experience.

After training in courthouse and perimeter security, PSU 313 quickly led the way by establishing procedures for the handling of detainees.

For most of the members, guarding the detainees was an experience they will never forget.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Peter Clute was one member assigned to detainee operations. He was present in the courthouse when admitted 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and several other detainees appeared before the court.

“To be in the same room as the terrorist masterminds made me feel like we were really a part of history,” he said.

Although the sight of non-military boats near the base is rare, occasionally the PSU was called upon to assist distressed mariners.

In April, the master of a 23-foot sailboat called the Coast Guard for assistance because he was low on fuel, water and food and was having trouble operating the vessel in six-foot seas.

PSU 313 answered the call. After locating the vessel, crews boarded the vessel and escorted the boat and its two occupants safely to land. There, crews supplied them with rations and water while the Navy refueled the boat.

Before PSU 313 demobilized, each member that was involved in detainee operations received an Army Achievement Medal for their efforts.

PSU 313 had many roles and responsibilities while deployed at Guantanamo Bay and partner agencies agree - the unit accomplished the mission.

Lt. Col. William Wozniak, Commanding Officer of Military Police Battalion 525, which worked closely with PSU 313, sums up the success of the units’s deployment - “The whole unit was highly regarded and did a fantastic job. It was an honor and a privilege to have served with them,” he said.

Port Agencies to Respond to Terrorist Threat During Exercise

LOS ANGELES (D11 Public Affairs) - Harbor residents of Los Angeles and Long Beach will see increased law enforcement activity this Wednesday and Thursday as area emergency responders participate in a 2-day U.S. Coast Guard lead counterterrorism exercise. The exercise is designed to test the Area Maritime Security Plan that was mandated by the Maritime Security Transportation Act of 2002 (MTSA).

The exercise will take place in both the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and include simulated bombings that law enforcement and fire agencies will respond to in real-time. The U.S. Coast Guard, FBI, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police and Fire Departments, Long Beach Police and Fire Departments, Los Angeles Port Police, Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach along with maritime industry will be participating in the joint agency exercise. Port facilities will also be testing their own security plans in response to a Coast Guard ordered increase of the Maritime Security (MARSEC) level.

“This exercise is the culmination of a triennial exercise cycle that gives port agencies and maritime industry the opportunity to test interagency coordination, communications, and plans,” said Lt. j.g. Andrew Muñoz spokesman for Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach. “The lessons learned from this exercise will be used to update the Area Maritime Security Plan and agency response plans.”

The Area Maritime Security Committee meets quarterly and is lead by the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port and FBI. The committee is composed of representatives from federal, state, and local first responders, maritime industry, and organized labor. The purpose of the committee is to maintain the Area Maritime Security Plan and coordinate exercises to test the plan.

The exercise is scheduled to begin the morning of Wednesday, June 25 and go through the afternoon of Thursday, June 26.

PSU 309 Begins Operations in the Middle East

CAMP PATRIOT, Kuwait (CG Public Affairs) - An Ohio Coast Guard unit deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom has begun operations in the Middle East to protect high-value U.S. assets bringing supplies to troops setting the conditions for security and stability in Iraq.

More than 100 Coast Guardsmen from Port Security Unit 309, Port Clinton, Ohio, are working with sailors from the Navy Expeditionary Boat Detachments 211 and 411, Portsmouth, Va., to ensure ports in Kuwait are secure. This is the first time the crew of PSU 309 has been fully integrated with a Navy crew during an operation.

“(The integration) gives us a more robust ability to provide waterside protection at a much larger scale than you could with just one port security unit,” said Cmdr. Carl Leonard, commanding officer of PSU 309. “You’re able to serve as a force multiplier and handle multiple ports by combining the two units like this.”

A portion of PSU 309’s landside security team is also working with the U.S. Army to assist security forces in Kuwait ports.

PSUs provide waterborne and limited land-based protection for shipping and critical port facilities both and can deploy and establish operations rapidly after initial call-up. Each PSU has transportable boats equipped with dual outboard motors, and support equipment to ensure mobility and sustainability for up to 30 days.

There are more than 500 active duty and reserve Coast Guard members serving in Iraq and the Middle East including six patrol boats, several law enforcement detachments, marine safety personnel and support personnel.

Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau Participates in MEDCAP

PALAWAN, Philippines - The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Morgenthau, currently on a Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) operation in Southeast Asia, helped execute a number of community relations and medical events here.

Along with CARAT training that took place on land and aboard ship, Morgenthau sent six medically-trained crewmembers to give medical care to local people and their animals. Crewmembers, who also took part in the Medical Civil Action Program (MEDCAP), went to 19 different villages in Aborlan, Palawan.

The crewmembers were joined by 15 U.S. Navy sailors, two U.S. Army soldiers, one Philippine Air Force member, two Philippine Navy sailors and 20 local civilian volunteers. They were also joined by 20 Philippine Marines, who provided the medical personnel protection. In three days, the multi-agency team performed 2,300 medical procedures to include minor out-patient surgeries and circumcisions. They provided care to more than a 1,200 patients, and included dental and eye care, where they dispensed 596 pairs of reading glasses. There was also a veterinarian onscene who vaccinated mor than 150 animals and livestock.

MEDCAP is a medical support mission and is not a new concept for military operations, nor is it unique to the U.S. military. U.S. MEDCAP missions were established shortly after operations following World War II. During the Vietnam War, MEDCAP missions were directed toward providing medical care and supplies to local people who otherwise would not receive care. The main missions of MEDCAP are to provide high-quality, first-level medical and dental screening, provide integrated training opportunities for Allied medical units, provide opportunities for all military soldiers to better understand individual country assets and to serve as “presence patrol,” creating conditions favorable to encouraging displaced person returns and enhanced force protection for soldiers.

“Doing MEDCAP is one of the most rewarding experiences I can have in my lifetime,” said Chief Petty Officer Elfren Colinco, a health services technician for the cutter Morgenthau. “I get to make a positive difference in the life of infants, children, adults and the elderly. I feel this type of mission is one of the reasons most people join the Coast Guard and I get to do it in seven different countries,” he said.

Morgenthau crewmembers, the U.S. Navy and Philippine Navy, and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) provided more than 21 hours of community service. They delivered sewing machines and wheel chairs, sports equipment and they got the chance to interact with local children. They also repainted four of the Puerto Princesa Pilot Elementary School buildings during one of the projects.

“It’s a good feeling to see kids be so grateful and so excited over brand new basketballs,” said Seaman Gilbert Blancarte, a deck force member aboard the cutter Morgenthau. “It makes me feel like we made a positive difference in these children’s lives by bringing them things they usually don’t have the luxury of,” he said.

Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau Completes First Phase of CARAT

PALAWAN, Philippines - The law enforcement team aboard the Alameda-based Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau completed the first phase of the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) with the Philippine naval forces June 3.

Morgenthau crewmembers gave extensive, hands-on training for seven days here. They conducted training on land and aboard the ship with the U.S. Navy, Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard. The training involved law enforcement tactics, search and rescue missions, and damage control.

During the at-sea training phase the Morgenthau, U.S. Navy, Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard intermittently swapped crewmembers aboard the vessels to help strengthen the professional relationships built during the inport training phase. Training evolutions remained constant throughout the day and well into the night.

“Sending law enforcement teams aboard different vessels to simulate an actual boarding gave everyone the chance to interact, teach and learn new tactics,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Foucha, a boatswain’s mate aboard the Morgenthau. “There is always something new you learn when practicing with so many different branches, especially those overseas,” he said.

The Morgenthau will continue to conduct training in cooperation with U.S. Navy crewmembers and the host nation in the second phase of the CARAT deployment. The U.S. Coast Guard’s background in international maritime law enforcement and homeland security will be employed during each of the training sessions. Morgenthau crewmembers will continue to give each host nation training in shipboard damage control, maritime law enforcement and search and rescue.

During the next three months, Morgenthau crewmembers and U.S. Navy sailors will conduct the same training and relations with Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and Malaysia.

In an attempt to combat the global maritime terrorist threat, the 378-foot cutter is scheduled to participate in the Southeast Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism (SEA-CAT), a multi-lateral exercise that will involve the same six countries as CARAT. SEA-CAT will be conducted at the end of CARAT and will use the same U.S. assets as CARAT. SEA-CAT focuses on refining maritime security skills, which includes training related to boarding team tactics/techniques, small boat skills, boarding-at-sea and joint boarding capabilities.

Coast Guard Forces Southwest Asia Holds Change of Command

NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, Bahrain – The command of U.S. Coast Guard forces in the Middle East supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom was transferred today at 11 a.m in a ceremony in Bahrain.

Capt. Glenn F. Grahl of Miami has commanded Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia for more than a year, which consists of tactical control of six Coast Guard patrol boats, five U.S. Navy coastal patrol boats, a large support unit in Bahrain, a training teams in Umm Qasr, Iraq, and a Coast Guard forward operating base aboard Kuwait Naval Base. Capt. Bell held the title of commodore because of the numerous ships he had under his command.

Coast Guard units operating in the Persian Gulf play an integral role in maritime security operations in the Middle East and are helping to train numerous navies and coast guards in the Gulf Region. As part of their maritime security role, Coast Guard crews are tasked with protecting Iraq’s two oil platforms. These oil platforms are vital to ensuring security and stability in Iraq with more than 90-percent of Iraq’s gross national product generated by oil exports.

Capt. Grahl was be relieved by Capt. Matthew T. Bell, Jr., from Kodiak, Alaska. Capt. Bell is coming to Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia after a tour at Coast Guard Pacific Area as chief of Cutter Forces. Capt. Bell has held numerous operational positions during his 22 years of service in the Coast Guard including commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley in Kodiak.

For his superior performance while serving in the Middle East, Capt. Grahl received the Legion of Merit today. According to the award citation, “Capt. Grahl championed efforts to enhance inoperability among coalition and friendly forces, increasing the safety of the maritime domain by honing an elite, adaptable and agile naval fleet.”

Capt. Grahl will be returning home to take a position at U.S. Southern Command as a Coast Guard liaison officer.

How About “Lending a Hand” to Fight Terrorism?

LOS ANGELES, Calif. Most people can detect when something is “out of place” or when something “is just not right” especially when they are in their “own backyard.” It is this natural level of awareness when in familiar surroundings that is the premise behind the America’s Waterway Watch program. However for the program to really work the U.S. Coast Guard is asking that the public act on that natural level of awareness when they notice something “out of place” or when they notice something “is just not right” and call the National Response Center at 877- 24WATCH and report it. Of course in the case of immediate danger to life or property call 911 right away.

The America’s Waterway Watch program is a nationwide initiative similar to the well known and successful Neighborhood Watch program that asks community members to report suspicious activities to local law enforcement agencies. “The America’s Waterway Watch program just makes good sense” said Robert Nelson, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, “people who spend much of their time on or near the water, already know what is normal and what is not – just like they do when it comes to their own backyard, and they are well suited to notice suspicious activities, including activities possibly indicating threats to our nation’s homeland security.” America’s Waterway Watch is just one example of how the average person can “lend a hand” just by keeping their eyes and ears open to any suspicious activities – and reporting that suspicious activity to the National Response Center and local law enforcement.

“With the concern over the potential of terrorist using a small vessel as the delivery method to carry out an attack, the America’s Waterway Watch program has become even more relevant” said Coast Guard Lt. John Taylor, who serves as America’s Waterway Watch Assistant Program Manager. “Terrorists have demonstrated their ability to take command of a small vessel and use it to carry out their intent to do harm, for example, the USS Cole attack.” Additionally, small vessels could be used by terrorists to smuggle weapons or other terrorists into the U.S. In an effort to address the small vessel threat, a series of Small Vessel Security Summits have been held by the Coast Guard throughout the country. The next Small Vessel Security Summit is being held on June 7, 2008 at Massachusetts’s Maritime Academy. This meeting will engage small vessel stakeholders in the Northeast region of the country.

For more information about the America’s Waterway Watch program visit www.americaswaterwaywatch.org. A video public service announcement is available for download at http://www.americaswaterwaywatch.org/Flash_ppt/AWW_2006_2.wmv.

As the uniformed, civilian component of the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary has the primary responsibility for America’s Waterway Watch outreach to the recreational boating community. For more information about the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary visit www.cgaux.org.