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Needed Infrastructure AS12 operations suggest that the USCGneedsenhancedinfrastructure ontheNorthSlopeofAlaska(more suitablehangarspace,antenna/communicationsbackbone,andappropriateberthing),andincreasedmarine safetyfacilityinspectorsandinvestigators for the Arctic region. As a result, D17 leadership is currentlyworkingwiththeDepartment of Defense and federal, state, and local governments to share the cost of creatingdedicatedinfrastructurein theArctic.Thesediscussionsarein thebeginningstagesandhavefnancialandresourcelimitations—making the timeline for developing these partnershipsunknown. It is a tight ft just to house the two MH-60s in the Barrow, Alaska hangar, but it's the only game in town. U.S. Coast Guard photo by CDR Frank McConnell. Looking Ahead TheCoastGuardhadmanysuccessesduringArctic Shield 2012 including:thefrstdeploymentofanational securitycuttertotheArctic,theUSCG ertholf; the B frstlong-termaviationdetachmentandcommuni- Alaska.Additionally,wealsolearnedalotaswell, suchaswhatittakestosurviveandoperateinthe Arcticregion.Today,wehaveabetterunderstanding ofwhatitwilltaketooperateonalong-termbasisand theuniqueenvironmentalresponsibilities thatcomewithoperatingintheArctic. The Coast Guard has collected lessons learned from all units involved in AS12, whichareconsolidatedintoacomprehensive document for future USCG deployments.Thiswillensurethatwecancontinue toprovideasustainedandcredibleseasonal presence in the Arctic while meeting all nationalsecurityandservicegoalsforthe foreseeablefuture. This tent is the operations center for communicating with aircrews during fights. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Warrant Offcer Dana Warr. cationsdetachmentdeploymenttotheNorthSlope; andcompletingthousandsofhoursofoutreachto theunder-servedremotevillagesofnortherncoastal www.uscg.mil/proceedings About the author: CDR Frank McConnell has served in the U.S. Coast Guard on active duty and in the reserves for 33 years in many capacities, most notably as the Arctic operations coordinator for Arctic Shield 2012 and as a member of Operation Deep Freeze 1980. He has received the Meritorious Service Medal, the Coast Guard Commendation Medal, the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, and the Arctic and Antarctic Service Medals. Endnote: 1. ndangeredSpeciesActof1973.FoundonlineattheNationalOceanic E andAtmosphericAdministrationwebsitewww.nmfs.gov/pr/species/. Summer 2013 Proceedings 35