ALCOAST 194/08 COMDTNOTE 16732 SUBJ: MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATING OFFICER DOCTRINE A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 191735Z NOV 07/ALCOAST 541/07 B. MARINE SAFETY MANUAL VOLUME V, COMDTINST M16000.10A C. MARINE SAFETY MANUAL VOLUME I, COMDTINST M16000.6 D. COMCOGARD PERSCOM ARLINGTON VA 250057Z MAR 08/ALCGOFF 037/08 E. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 081630Z AUG 07/ALCOAST 387/07 1. REFERENCE A PROVIDED INITIAL GUIDANCE ON RESPONSE DOCTRINE FOLLOWING SIGNIFICANT INCIDENTS. THIS MESSAGE REITERATES AND EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF POLICIES CURRENTLY IN PLACE THAT STRIVE TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THE MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATIONS PROGRAM. IN SUPPORT OF THIS EFFORT, THIS MESSAGE ANNOUNCES THAT REFERENCE B HAS BEEN PROMULGATED THIS DATE AND WILL BE PUBLISHED SHORTLY. 2. THERE HAS BEEN AN OVERALL DECREASE IN THE EXPERIENCE OF COAST GUARD MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATING OFFICERS (IO). THIS IS DUE IN PART TO THE ASSIGNMENT OF NEWLY COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND OTHER OFFICERS THAT DO NOT MEET THE ESTABLISHED PREREQUISITES AND HAVE NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE AS INVESTIGATING OFFICERS AND TO THE INFORMAL, BUT ROUTINE, PRACTICE OF ROTATING THESE OFFICERS THROUGH SEVERAL "PROFESSIONAL GROWTH ASSIGNMENTS" DURING THEIR TOUR AT A SECTOR OR SUBORDINATE UNIT. 3. IN AN EFFORT TO STRENGTHEN THE MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATION PROGRAM, COMDT (CG-545) IS DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN THAT WILL ENSURE IO BILLETS ARE STAFFED WITH A CORPS OF WELL TRAINED, CERTIFIED AND EXPERIENCED MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATING OFFICERS. UNTIL THE PLAN IS FULLY COMPLETED AND IMPLEMENTED THERE ARE SEVERAL STEPS THAT SECTOR COMMANDERS AND MSU COMMANDING OFFICERS MUST TAKE TO ENSURE THAT THE OVERSIGHT AND COMPLETION OF MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATIONS IS DONE BY CERTIFIED MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATORS. 4. I CANNOT OVERSTRESS THAT PROPER TRAINING IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF ENSURING OUR PERSONNEL ARE PREPARED AND MOTIVATED TO DO THE JOB. CORE COMPETENCIES, PREREQUISITES FOR BECOMING A MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATOR AND COMPLETING EACH STEP IN THE TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION PROCESS, MUST BE UPHELD. 5. COMDT (CG-545) IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINING MISSION ESSENTIAL TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATORS IN ORDER TO MEET COAST GUARD AND PROGRAM OPERATIONAL COMMITMENTS. ONLY COMDT (CG-545) MAY GRANT A WAIVER TO ANY CERTIFICATION OR MINIMUM STANDARD FOR TRAINING. UPDATED PERFORMANCE QUALIFICATION STANDARDS WERE ANNOUNCED IN REFERENCE E. COAST GUARD COMMANDS SHALL ENSURE THAT ALL PERSONNEL REQUESTING AND ASSIGNED TO TRAINING MEET ALL COURSE PREREQUISITES. 6. IN ACCORDANCE WITH POLICY IN REFERENCES B AND C, PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TO AN OPERATIONAL BILLET AS A MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATOR SHOULD ALREADY BE FAMILIAR WITH MARINE SAFETY LAWS AND REGULATIONS THROUGH PRIOR TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS, GENERALLY, AS A MARINE INSPECTOR PRIOR TO BEING ASSIGNED TO MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATION DUTIES. TO FACILITATE THIS REQUIREMENT DURING AY 2009 ASSIGNMENT SEASON AND BEYOND, I HAVE DIRECTED COMDT (CG-545) TO WORK WITH THE APPROPRIATE HEADQUARTERS OFFICES AND PERSONNEL COMMAND TO ENSURE THAT ALL INVESTIGATING OFFICER BILLETS ARE PROPERLY CODED TO INDICATE THE PREREQUISITE QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR PERSONNEL TO BE ASSIGNED AND TO FACILITATE THE EFFORTS BY PERSONNEL COMMAND TO FILL THE BILLETS WITH APPROPRIATE CERTIFIED PERSONNEL. 7. THE MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATIONS PROGRAM IS CONSIDERED AN ADVANCED LEVEL OF THE COAST GUARD MARINE SAFETY COMMUNITY. ACCORDINGLY, QUICK INTERNAL ROTATION THROUGH AN INVESTIGATING OFFICER BILLET IS INAPPROPRIATE. PERSONNEL ASSIGNED ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE HAD PRELIMINARY TOURS RENDERING SUCH TICKET-PUNCHING UNNECESSARY. AS WITH SHORT TOURS, ACTIVE DUTY MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATORS MAY OCCASIONALLY BE SELECTED FOR REASSIGNMENT WITHIN A UNIT. SUCH REASSIGNMENTS ARE BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE COMMAND AND ARE OFTEN REQUIRED TO FILL CRITICAL POSITIONS WITHIN THE COAST GUARD. BECAUSE OF THE ENORMOUS INVESTMENT OF TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED TO CERTIFY AS A MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATOR AND TO GAIN TECHNICAL COMPETENCE, INTERNAL ROTATIONS AND SHORT TOURS ARE HIGHLY DISCOURAGED AND SHOULD BE MADE ONLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH REFERENCE D. 8. IN ORDER TO BECOME CERTIFIED AS A MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATOR, THE IO MUST COMPLETE PQS AND SIT BEFORE A QUALIFICATION BOARD CONSISTING OF PERSONNEL THAT ARE CERTIFIED IN THAT SPECIALTY. TO BE CONSIDERED CERTIFIED AS A MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATOR THE IO MUST BE ASSIGNED TO AN OPERATIONAL BILLET AS A MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATOR, BE DESIGNATED IN WRITING AS AN IO BY THE COGNIZANT OCMI, HAVE ATTENDED THE BASIC INVESTIGATING OFFICER COURSE (IOC) AT TRACEN YORKTOWN AND HAVE COMPLETED THE MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATOR (FO) QUALIFICATION. UNTIL THE IO HAS COMPLETED THEIR CERTIFICATION, THEY SHALL, AT ALL TIMES, BE UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A CERTIFIED MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATOR AND SHALL NOT BE AUTHORIZED TO CONDUCT AN INDEPENDENT MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATION. PERSONNEL MUST COMPLETE THE PQS ANNOUNCED IN REFERENCE E. LOCAL QUALIFICATIONS ARE NOT AUTHORIZED. IN ORDER TO ALLOW PROPER IDENTIFICATION OF CERTIFIED PERSONNEL, UNITS SHOULD ENSURE THEY KEEP THE TMT DATA BASE UP TO DATE WITH IO AND OTHER CERTIFICATIONS. 9. IF YOUR UNIT LACKS THE APPROPRIATE CERTIFIED PERSONNEL TO CONDUCT A MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATION, THEN YOU SHALL SEEK ASSISTANCE OUTSIDE OF YOUR UNIT. COMDT (CG-545) IS CONDUCTING A STUDY OF THE STATUS OF IO QUALIFICATIONS, INCLUDING PERSONNEL CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO IO BILLETS AND THOSE WITH IO CERTIFICATIONS NOT ASSIGNED TO IO BILLETS. ON APRIL 18, COMDT (CG-545) REQUESTED DATA FROM ALL UNITS DOCUMENTING CERTIFICATION AND BILLET INFORMATION ON ALL INVESTIGATING OFFICERS. IF, IN THE PROCESS OF COMPLETING THE DATA CALL, A UNIT WITH A SHORTFALL OF CERTIFIED MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATORS IDENTIFIES A CERTIFIED MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATOR NOT CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO AN IO BILLET, THE UNIT SHOULD CONSIDER FOLLOWING THE GUIDANCE OF REFERENCE D TO INTERNALLY ROTATE THAT CERTIFIED PERSON INTO AN IO BILLET, OR AS AN ALTERNATIVE, IDENTIFY THEM AS A RESOURCE TO SUPERVISE ALL MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATIONS UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE UNIT IS ASSIGNED CERTIFIED PERSONNEL. IF A UNIT HAS NO CERTIFIED MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATORS, COMDT (CG-545) WILL WORK TO IDENTIFY AVAILABLE RESOURCES TO ASSIST. 10. RDML BRIAN SALERNO, ASSISTANT COMMANDANT FOR MARINE SAFETY, SECURITY AND STEWARDSHIP, SENDS. 11. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.