Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/149372
Arctic Region Challenges Arctic Shield 2012 Logistics, statistics, and lessons learned. byCDRFRANK MCCONNELL U.S. Coast Guard 17th District Arctic Operations Coordinator The Arctc Ocean is the new maritme fronter. Each year during the summer and fall, the ice recedes and exposes open water in the Arctc Ocean, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, and the northern portons of the Bering Sea. This creates new areas of navigaton and increases the need for a U.S. Coast Guard presence. In fact, the Coast Guard's 17th District (D17) operatonal theater roughly doubles in size during the summer and fall seasons. Asadirectresponsetoincreasingmaritimeactivity, whichhasalsonearlydoubledintheseregionsof theArcticduringthepast10years,theCoastGuard beganseasonalassetandpersonneldeploymentsto theArcticin2008,cumulatinginArctic Shield 2012 (AS12), athree-prongedoperationinAlaska'scoastal Arcticdomainthatfocusedoncommunityoutreach, operations,andcapabilitiesassessments. Community Outreach Thisoutreacheffortwasverysimilartoaprevious D17ArcticoperationcalledArctic Crossroads. During AS12, communityoutreachincludedamorerobust and better funded effort for education and health servicesthaninpastyears.Italsofocusedon supportingtheunder-servedArcticcommunities,specifcallyBarrow,Nome,Kotzebue,and itsoutlyingnativevillages. Educationoutreachincludedwater,ice,andice rescuesafetyawareness,andcommercialfshing vesselsafetytraining.Healthservicessupport included medical and dental screenings and veterinarysupport rimarilyforworkingdog —p populations. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf crewmembers Petty Offcer Alex Luna, Chief Warrant Offcer Danny Kilburger, LTJG Nicole Bredariol, and Petty Offcer Jesse Kassbaum teach students at Alak School in Wainwright, Alaska, about boating safety and how to properly wear life vests. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Offcer Timothy Tamargo. 30 Proceedings Summer 2013 This outreach to Alaskan natives and Arctic municipalandtribalgovernmentshasstrengthened partnerships in the region. Additional outreachtopotential stakeholders, including Greenpeaceandsubsistencehuntingorganizations,focusedonsafetyoflifeatsea.Alltold, www.uscg.mil/proceedings