CAPE MAY, N.J. – International military officers from 28 different countries will be visiting Coast Guard Training Center Cape May as part of the Coast Guard’s International Maritime Officer Course Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
The 40 maritime military officers are visiting Training Center Cape May as part of a tour of numerous military installations on the east coast including four of the five U.S. armed service academies. However, Training Center Cape May is the only enlisted military basic training center the international officers will be visiting.
“The staff of Training Center Cape May is excited to foster relationships and share ideas with this culturally diverse and experienced group,” said Capt. Bill Kelly, commanding officer of Training Center Cape May. “Anytime we can improve or build relationships with our international partners we seize the opportunity.
The current International Maritime Officers Course has 40 students from countries like Djibouti, Suriname, Bulgaria, Iraq, and India just to name a few. The purpose of the course is to provide professional military education by providing an in-depth overview of the Coast Guard’s organization, planning and management missions, while providing American cultural experiences aimed at developing long-lasting international bonds.
The students also focus on numerous Coast Guard-specific areas of study including maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, marine safety prevention and response, international rule of law, port security, crisis management and military leadership. The course was established in 1995, but this is the largest number of students in the course’s history. This is also the first year a student from Iraq has participated in the course as well.
“We hope that the students in the International Maritime Officers Course will be able to take some of our best practices in the enlisted training process and apply them in their own training programs,” said Kelly.
The students will get to experience a few of the training evolutions that Coast Guard recruits must successfully complete in order to become Coast Guardsmen including a weapons simulator and firefighting training. The students will also visit several operational Coast Guard units here at Training Center Cape May including the Cutter Dependable, Station Cape May and Cutter Mako.
