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Good Afternoon Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the Committee. It is a pleasure to appear before you today to discuss piracy on the high seas.

Counter-piracy operations are primarily a maritime law enforcement activity that the Coast Guard is trained and equipped to support. We are the competent authority for the U.S. government on more than 30 bilateral agreements with foreign partners. These agreements underpin a wide range of Coast Guard operations including counter-drug, migrant interdiction, fisheries enforcement, and Proliferation Security Initiative missions. The Coast Guard understands the domestic and international legal frameworks and the associated boarding and enforcement requirements necessary to ensure the successful negotiation and implementation of agreements to facilitate counter-piracy operations on the water and the delivery of legal consequences to the pirates ashore. The Coast Guard’s international training teams and deployable law enforcement detachments offer tailored maritime law enforcement training that can be easily integrated in regional capacity building initiatives, and which is tied directly to at-sea operations. Domestically the Coast Guard works with and regulates the U.S. merchant fleet to reduce its vulnerability to acts of piracy.

Maritime piracy is a universal crime under international law because it places the lives of seafarers in jeopardy and affects the shared economic interests of all nations. In addition to placing the lives and safety of seafarers in jeopardy, a single piratical attack affects the interests of numerous countries, including the flag State of the vessel, various States of nationality of the seafarers taken hostage, regional coastal States, owners’ States, and cargo shipment and transshipment States. In the case of Somalia-based piracy, increasingly brazen attacks in 2.5 million square miles of ocean from land-based enclaves along an under-governed and economically devastated 2,300 mile coast pose a threat to global shipping. Eliminating piracy and other transnational threats requires stronger law enforcement capacity and rule of law in Somalia.

Beyond disrupting shipping activities, these threats come at a great economic and human cost. In 2008 there were 293 incidents of piracy against ships worldwide – an increase of 11 percent from the previous year. As of mid-April, 16 ships and almost 200 mariners were being held captive by pirates in the Horn of Africa region where piratical attacks have tripled in recent years. As piratical activities increase, so do insurance costs for vessels transiting in high risk areas. The alternatives, however, are not inexpensive either. According to Lloyd’s List, ships that elect to transit around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid piracy in the Horn of Africa will incur an additional $250,000 in fuel costs per trip and an additional seven to ten days of transit time. While these expenses are high, they may become sufficiently attractive to shipping companies to justify as the cost of doing business.

Small vessels are the vehicle of choice for pirates to conduct their attacks. These vessels are fast, readily available, relatively inexpensive, and blend in well with other small vessels commonly operating in the area. The Coast Guard recognizes the vulnerabilities these vessels present and therefore requires vessel operators to address tactical methods for avoiding small vessel attack in their Vessel Security Plan.

In addition to developing tactical plans to deter and respond to piracy, the Coast Guard uses its statutory authorities to address the piracy threat. This involves a two pronged approach that relies on both domestic and international law. Domestically, the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 provides the legal authority for the Coast Guard to regulate safety and security of cargo, ships, and most importantly seafarers. Under this authority, the Coast Guard developed regulations that require U.S. ship owners and operators to assess and plan for a wide range of security threats, including threats of piracy. This plan, known as a Vessel Security Plan, is received and approved by the Coast Guard.

When the Coast Guard determines that additional security measures are necessary to deal with a specific threat, it can issue a Maritime Security, or MARSEC, Directive. MARSEC Directives can be global or regional in scope. In April 2008, the Coast Guard issued MARSEC Directive 104-6 Rev. 1. This Directive provides direction to Company Security Officers of U.S. vessels that engage in international voyages to, or through, areas at risk for terrorism, piracy and armed robbery against ships. The Coast Guard, in consultation with industry, is currently increasing this designated high risk area to extend further offshore.

Title 18, Section 1651 of the U.S. Code also makes piracy a crime. Consistent with international law, any vessel engaged in piracy may be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States regardless of whether the vessel is foreign flagged. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is currently using this statute to prosecute a Somali pirate for his alleged participation in the recent attack upon the MAERSK ALABAMA. Operating at all times as a military service and maritime law enforcement agency, the Coast Guard has authority to conduct counter-piracy operations against any vessel engaged in piratical acts, including conducting boardings, searches, seizures and arrests.

In addition to being the subject of domestic legal regimes, piracy is a crime of universal jurisdiction under conventional and customary international law. Accordingly, every nation has the legal authority to establish jurisdiction and punish the offenders, regardless of nationality of the perpetrator or the victims, or of the vessels involved. This has been a basic tenet of customary international law for centuries, and is also enshrined in treaties such as the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas and the 1982 United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea. United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1846 and 1851, issued in December 2008, have provided Chapter VII authorities to certain states and international organizations, for which advance notification has been provided by the Somalia Transitional Federal Government to the UN Secretary-General, to enter Somali waters and territory to repress piracy.

Yet many nations do not have sufficient legal structures in place to adjudicate piratical acts and punish offenders. The Coast Guard has been actively engaged in supporting the development of legal frameworks to facilitate the prosecution of suspected pirates. This work included facilitating development of the U.S./Kenya Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the Djibouti Code [for regional cooperation], the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, and a number of International Maritime Organization initiatives.

Of course, legal authority alone does not ensure success. Victim states must have the political will to prosecute. Furthermore, combating the threat of piracy requires well-coordinated interagency and international use of the lawful authority in operations that account for the unique problems presented by the logistics and geography of the region, as well as the vast expanse of ocean on which pirate attacks have taken place. The coordinated application of legal authorities must also address the complex challenges of evidence collection and potential prosecutions under differing legal regimes, and the dangers to innocent seafarers and hostages inherent in any response actions intended to wrest control of a victim ship from pirates.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) continues to lead international efforts to combat the Somali-piracy threat. By delegation from the State Department, the Coast Guard provides the Head of the United States (U.S.) Delegation for IMO meetings and activities. The IMO has passed resolutions establishing a framework for international cooperation, updated counter-piracy guidance to industry, and, perhaps most importantly, promoted judicial consequence delivery mechanisms so that pirates, once caught, face meaningful and just punishment under the rule of law. United Nations (U.N.) Security Council Resolution 1851 specifically encourages nations to employ the operative provisions of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA) Convention, to which the United States is a Party. All of the States within a 1,000 nautical mile radius of the Gulf of Aden are signatories to the Suppression of Unlawful Acts (SUA) Convention, with the notable exceptions of Somalia, Eritrea, and Ethiopia.

In December 2008, the National Security Council released the National Strategy for Countering Piracy off the Horn of Africa: Partnership and Action Plan. The Plan lays out operational objectives for responding to the threat of piracy in three lines of action: (1) prevent pirate attacks by reducing the vulnerability of the maritime domain to piracy; (2) interrupt and terminate acts of piracy consistent with international law and the rights and responsibilities of coastal and flag States; and (3) ensure that those who commits acts of piracy are held accountable for their actions by facilitating prosecution of the suspected pirates in a just forum. Accomplishing the objectives of this Plan requires a coordinated government approach that integrates military, law enforcement, judicial, diplomatic, and commercial interests in and beyond the affected region.

Several elements are critical to the success of an effective and lawful consequence delivery plan: (1) ensuring that victim states exercise jurisdiction under the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA Convention); (2) supporting and encouraging the use of other applicable international instruments and customary international law; (3) securing agreements and arrangements with regional partners to formalize custody and prosecution arrangements for cases in which victim states cannot establish jurisdiction; and (4) enhancing capabilities of regional states to accept suspected pirates for prosecution, extradition, and incarceration in these limited cases. The Coast Guard is actively engaged with the White House and other agencies in ongoing efforts to support each of these elements.

The Coast Guard was instrumental in facilitating broad international support for using the SUA Convention as a mechanism for effective consequence delivery. Under international law, an act of piracy is defined as a criminal act of violence, detention, or depredation committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship in or over international waters against another ship or persons and property on board. The SUA Convention applies more broadly to acts of violence against ships regardless of the motive of the actor, but covers acts of piracy. It is designed to ensure appropriate action is taken against persons committing unlawful acts against ships, including, the seizure of ships by force; acts of violence against persons onboard ships; and the placing of devices on board a ship which are likely to destroy or damage it. Most importantly, though, the SUA Convention establishes a framework whereby masters of ships may deliver suspected offenders to a coastal State that is party to the SUA Convention. The coastal State is then obliged under the SUA Convention, with few exceptions, to accept custody and either extradite the suspected offender or submit the case to their competent authorities for the purpose of prosecution.

In support of the United States’ objectives, the Coast Guard is contributing to ongoing efforts to secure arrangements with regional partners to facilitate the expeditious investigation, prosecution and, as appropriate, punishment of apprehended pirates. On January 16, 2009, the United States, and the Government of Kenya completed a MOU concerning the conditions of transfer of suspected pirates, armed robbers, and seized property in the western Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea. The United Kingdom and European Union have concluded similar MOUs with the Government of Kenya.

In March 2009, under the terms of this MOU, the Government of Kenya accepted custody of seven of the pirates after their alleged attack on the M/V POLARIS, a Marshall Islands flagged vessel. The pirates were apprehended by a joint Coast Guard and Navy vessel boarding search and seizure team embarked on the USS VELLA GULF. Kenya agreed to prosecute all seven pirates under its national criminal laws. The United States hopes to conclude similar arrangements with other countries in the region to ensure that no single country bears the burden of prosecution.

Additionally, in January 2009, the Coast Guard led the U.S. Delegation to observe final negotiations in Djibouti on regional cooperation to combat piracy.The meeting resulted in adoption of the Djibouti Code of Conduct, which provides a legal framework for the interdiction and prosecution of pirates. The Code also contains practical law enforcement measures, including a shiprider program to share scarce patrol resources and information sharing and operational coordination mechanisms. Nine of the twenty-one regional nations signed the agreement in Djibouti, allowing the Code to immediately enter into force. Each signatory intends to review its national legislation with a view towards ensuring there are laws in place to criminalize piracy, and adequate guidelines for the exercise of jurisdiction, conduct of investigations, and prosecution of alleged offenders.

With regard to our current forces in the Gulf of Aden region, the Coast Guard is operating off the Horn of Africa through two organizational structures. Coast Guard forces (patrol boats and boarding teams) are operating in support of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) based on a Request For Forces. CENTCOM has operational control of these forces and has directed they conduct operations with Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151). Second, Coast Guard Activities Europe is responsible for a number of marine safety and security functions across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

CENTCOM established Combined Task Force 151 to conduct counter-piracy operations in response to the growing threat in January 2009. CTF 151’s mission is to “Deter, disrupt, and suppress piracy in order to support UN Security Council resolutions, protect global maritime commerce, prevent future attacks, enhance maritime security, and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations.” The Task Force considers this mission to be law enforcement related. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETS) currently operate in support of CTF 151 since establishment. LEDETS augment Navy Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) teams near the Horn of Africa and provide training in maritime laws, boarding policies and procedures, evidence collection and preparation, and tactical procedures. It is important to note


that both the Coast Guard and Navy have independent authority to conduct counter-piracy operations against any vessel engaged in piratical acts, including conducting boardings, searches, and seizures.

The integration of Coast Guard boarding team personnel with Navy VBSS teams takes advantage of the unique competencies, capabilities, and authorities of our two services in a manner that offers a comprehensive boarding capability that is ready to address a broad spectrum of threats in the maritime domain. Coast Guard/Navy cooperation in counter-piracy operations is an example of how our two services are working together to ensure interoperability and readiness to operate as an effective force to address the international issue of piracy.

The second structure through which the Coast Guard is involved off Africa is through our office in Europe. Coast Guard Activities Europe is a 26 person unit located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It is responsible for marine safety and security functions in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Marine Inspectors from this office conduct incident investigations and inspect U.S. flagged merchant ships. Marine inspectors are critical in the event a U.S. flagged and Coast Guard certificated vessel intends to implement hardening techniques that improve the vessels ability to mitigate pirate attacks. The Coast Guard must ensure that the security techniques do not impede safety of life at sea, interfere with the use or deployment of safety equipment, or otherwise impose a detriment to maritime safety. Additionally, Activities Europe provides International Port Security Liaison Officers who work with the U.S. Embassy, foreign government officials, and port representatives to share information and enhance port security.

Following the MAERSK ALABAMA and LIBERTY SUN incidents, a team of U. S. Coast Guard personnel studied the incidents with interested parties, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Navy Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), vessel owners and operators, shipping agencies, and others acting on behalf of owners and operators. Our team also visited the vessels in Mombasa, Kenya to verify the material condition, status of safety equipment, effectiveness of the vessel security plan, and to conduct an incident investigation.

Counter-piracy forces must be informed and have as complete an operational picture as possible. As the piracy cases off Somalia have illustrated, there is a continuing need for maritime domain awareness - the ability to detect, classify,, and identify vessels at sea. We need greater awareness of maritime activities around the world, as well as along our coastlines, for both safety and security purposes. We also need better integration of systems and operations among maritime partners. Specifically, we need to continue to employ a layered approach to maritime domain awareness, using complementary systems to increase overall capability. We need to accelerate deployment of a net-centric tactical system that implements Department enterprise standards for the sharing of situation data and services across multiple interagency domains and Coast Guard systems.

The Coast Guard currently uses correlation technology that is continuously evaluating data received from multiple sources including, but certainly not limited to, position reports, radar tracks, Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) positions, and other external and internally collected data feeds, to correlate and best detect, classify and identify vessels at sea. The correlation capability in the Coast Guard’s Common Operational Picture provides a comprehensive display of tracks which is a vital piece of the Coast Guard’s maritime domain awareness capability, a capability that is shared with the Navy and other homeland and national security partners.

The Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and implement a long-range automated vessel tracking system, so MTSA provides the Coast Guard with authority to implement the IMO’s LRIT system. The United States has successfully completed testing on and is receiving position data from 153 US flag ships with LRIT. Approximately 600 U.S. flag ships fall under the LRIT regulation and will be tracked by the end of Current Year (CY) 09. The quicker vessels are equipped with this secure means of position reporting, the quicker this capability will be available to enhance maritime domain awareness in areas like the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa.

Maritime threats, including piracy and the use of small vessels to conduct attacks can be mitigated through greater maritime domain awareness. Coordination among U.S. government agencies and with our international partners is exceptionally important in our anti-piracy efforts. The United States’ Maritime Operational Threat Response (MOTR) process was established to address the full spectrum of 21st Century maritime security and defense threats to, or directed against, the United States and its interests globally. The MOTR Plan establishes an integrated network of national-level maritime command centers to achieve coordinated, unified, timely, and effective planning and mission accomplishment by the U.S. Government, and to ensure a coordinated response consistent with desired national outcomes. The Plan sets forth lead and supporting Federal agency roles and responsibilities for MOTR based on existing law; desired U.S. Government outcome; greatest potential magnitude of the threat; the response capabilities required; asset availability; and authority to act. The MOTR Plan also directs clear operational coordination requirements and sets forth protocols for interagency coordination, consultation, and assessment throughout MOTR execution.

The national interagency successfully employed the MOTR Plan nearly in over 600 maritime cases since 2005. These cases include drug interdiction, migrant interdiction, fisheries violations, violence at sea, bomb threats, radiation/nuclear alarm resolution, piracy, and complex multi-disciplinary events.

During the recent MAERSK ALABAMA piracy case, the Coast Guard participated in interagency coordination via the Maritime Operational Threat Response (MOTR) process and was the lead agency responsible for industry outreach. The post incident debriefs with Maersk and our MOTR partners indicate that the MOTR process worked very well.

To strengthen international coordination as called for by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1851 and to fulfill a key objective of the national counter-piracy Plan, the United States created an international Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia to coordinate international counter-piracy efforts. The participants agreed to establish four working groups to address the following focus areas: (1) activities related to military and operational coordination and information sharing; (2) judicial aspects of piracy (chaired by Denmark); (3) measures to strengthen shipping self-awareness and other capabilities (chaired by the United States Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration); and (4) improvement of diplomatic and public information efforts on all aspects of piracy (chaired by Egypt).

In addition to co-chairing a working group, the Coast Guard has participated in plenary sessions of the Contact Group, and all of the Working Groups. Through this mechanism, we have worked in concert with the shipping industry to develop preventative measures that reduce their vulnerability to attack. There are numerous examples of these measures succeeding in thwarting piratical attacks in the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa region. While we are still examining the attacks on the U.S. vessels MAERSK ALABAMA and LIBERTY SUN, I can tell you that the preventative measures they took before the events in accordance with their vessel security plans and industry best practices contributed greatly to a successful resolution in both cases.

The threats that piracy poses to the United States, our international partners, and the industry and seafarers who make their living on the last global commons are multi-faceted. The response to these threats requires a broad array of legal authorities, operational capabilities, skills and competencies, and the support and expertise of numerous U.S. Government, international, and commercial entities. The Coast Guard has a unique role to play, and remains committed to working with our military, government, and industry partners to bring these criminals to justice and forge long-term solutions for regional maritime safety and security.

Thank you for the opportunity to address you today and for your attention. I look forward to your questions.

Airboat crew from Sault Ste Marie, Mich. by Petty Officer 3rd Class Annie Berlin

On the sixth day of rescue operations multi-agency airboat and helicopter crews have rescued a total of 92 people from a span of about 30 miles of rising floodwaters in Fargo, N.D.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeremy Sergey, a coxswain from Coast Guard Station Sault Ste Marie, Mich., traveled 850 miles to join the response, which involves rescue crews from the Cass County Sheriff’s Department, the Fish and Wildlife Service, Customs and Border Protection and Valley Water Rescue.

At age 21, Sergey is the youngest person at his station. Here in Fargo, he and his two crewmembers, Petty Officers 3rd Class Dan Fraley and Danny McDorman have been working around the clock to help people that have been affected by the dangerous waters.

The crew’s travel around in 18-foot Special Purpose Craft-Air, a fan propelled vessel designed to be able to operate in a minimum of six inches of water. Though it was designed to travel on ice, it’s flat bottom and large fan enable it to transit from land to water without stopping.

“Once we get on scene, we usually see people waving red flags and waving their arms; anything they have to do to get our attention,” said Sergey. “When the weather is bad it can get challenging.”

There is a first time for everything by Petty Officer 3rd Class Renee Aiello 

There is a first time for everything. For Air Station Traverse City, Mich., pilot Lt. j.g. Aaron Antrim, this is his first deployment with the Coast Guard. Antrim is a veteran Marine Corps combat pilot, with 10-years of experience, spending three 7-month tours in Iraq. He made the decision to lateral over to the Coast Guard because he wanted the opportunity to work homeland security missions.

Antrim had been in the Coast Guard a mere 6-months when he was called to assist in the 2009 midwest flood response. He and his crew arrived in Grand Forks, N.D., on Friday, March 27, 2009, uncertain as what to expect.

“I was expecting it to be complete chaos, but it was not. The residents are very well organized, which makes our job very easy,” said Antrim.

Antrim, a West Mansfield, Ohio, native, is eager to get out and help with the response in any way possible. Antrim has completed two area familiarization flights since arriving in Fargo and spends the remainder of the day studying maps to get better acquainted with the local area.

“You sort of loose track of time while in a response like this. All the days just melt together, but we focus on the mission and accomplish the tasks at hand,” said Antrim.

While Antrim is here responding in the frigid North Dakota temperatures, his wife of 10-years, Rachel, keeps the home fires burning. She manages their three children, Asher, age 6, Levi age 4 and Eden age 2, and maintains a sense of normalcy while Antrim is deployed.

I have a very strong wife. You figure I’m gone all the time, and we’re raising three kids. We don’t give enough credit to how important the spouses are in supporting the military member. In a way they are just as much responsible for mission success as we are because they help support it,” said Antrim.

Airboat crew from Marblehead, Ohio by Petty Officer 2nd Class William Colclough

From the shores of Put in Bay, Ohio to the prairie land of eastern North Dakota, Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Nicholas Hupp and his Station Marblehead posse trekked for a little more than 1,000 miles to a staging area at the Cass County Highway Department in West Fargo, N.D. Monday, March 23, 2009. The four Guardians arrived at their destination to assist a community dealing with a rising river, but they initially discovered a landscape as quirky as it is quiet with nary a coffee shop as far as the eye can see.

“We got here Tuesday night; it sure is different than on the lake [Lake Erie].” Said Hupp.
Hupp, a native of Williamston, W. Va., holds the reins of a 20-foot Special Purpose Craft-Air and the life of himself, crew and/or passengers . The blond-haired, blue-eyed West Virginian drives the 450 horses with his left hand and right foot. Unlike typical small boats, an airboat features a rudder shifter on the port side as opposed to a helm and an accelerator on the starboard for the right foot.

“It’s not everyday you drive over someone’s front yard or back through the side of the house and playground sets,” said Hupp.

The 20-foot Air Ranger vessels require a minimum water depth of six inches to operate effectively. Vigorous backward-and-forward shifting of the rudder controller are often required to thrust the airboat stuck on a muddy road or in a slushy street, which Hupp and his fellow Guardians and Fish and Wildlife Service coxswains encounter on the Red River and various flooded neighborhoods.

“You gotta watch where you stop the boat; the slushy ice sticks to the bottom of the hull,” said Hupp.   “We’ve encountered icing, trees, going between houses, a whole lot of maneuvering, washouts and low-lying power lines.”

On one particular sortie, Hupp and his crew rescued two people and their dog in a town north of Oxbow, N.D. With one hour before darkness would paint the sky pitch black, the crew darted to the location of the family. Now, they had to deal with worsening conditions and a transit through the darkness.  They delivered the three safely to dryer ground.

Interview with Lt. David Ober, pilot of HH-6575, by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Blackwell

Q: What has brought the U.S. Coast Guard to Fargo, North Dakota?
A: The Coast Guard Air Station in Traverse City was tasked by our district to help support the flood relief efforts in response to the Red River floods.

Q: What kind of operations have you been participating in since you arrived in Fargo?
A: Our first flight was area familiarization where we took up a FEMA representative and we also took Army Corps of Engineers representatives to survey some of the area and the pre-flooding and to watch the relief efforts that were already being made.

Q: Can you tell me about some of the rescues you have participated in since you have been here?
A: After our first flight we were tasked to fly south of the Fargo area to assist six people who were stranded. They were no longer able to leave their homes and boats were unable to arrive on scene to rescue them, so we were able to hoist them into the helicopter and take them to safety.

Q: How many people have you rescued today (March 26, 2009)?
A: Today we hoisted 15 people to safety. We conducted three different sorties, search and rescue evolutions, out of here and in the Fargo area I would say it was all within a ten mile radius and pretty much focused centrally around the southern Fargo area. We picked up four people in our first sortie – two adults, an 8-year-old girl and then a 78-year-old man. In our second sortie we picked up 11 people and brought them to safety.

Q: As the pilot, what is it like while you are in the air during this type of situation?
A: The conditions are very similar to Air Station Traverse City. The temperature and the snow accumulation that they have had here, especially with periods of reduced visibility due to snow showers, are very familiar to my crew. Now, being familiar with the area and working with the air-traffic controllers here, we have been able to successfully carry out the Coast Guard’s mission here.

Q: How long do you expect the Coast Guard to carry out these operations in North Dakota?
A: That is an excellent question. I don’t have an answer for that because I have been keeping up with the media as far as how the river is rising and I am not sure when it is going to crest out completely. We will definitely be here until the safety of the residents of North Dakota is ensured.

Interview with Lt. Brendan Evans, co-pilot of HH-6575, by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Blackwell

Q: Have you ever seen anything like this before?
A: Except for on the news, I’ve never seen anything like this before.

Q: As the co-pilot, what is it like being in the air while you pull people out of harm’s way?
A: It’s exciting. There is a lot going on, but I am mostly concerned with doing my job correctly. Upholding the Coast Guard standards and procedures and doing it safely is my priority. As the co-pilot, I’m the safety pilot.

Interview with Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher Wheeler, rescue swimmer of HH-6575, by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Blackwell

Q: Can you explain the process of rescuing someone from the air?
A: Usually a position comes from someone on scene or someone close to being on scene so we can actually mark a geographic location. Once we establish a visual contact, we go into the rescue check. We see what the best option for the rescue would be. We look for trees, power lines, overhangs, eves, any structure that might hinder the hoist cable or pose a danger during the rescue. We try to find the widest open space whether it be the courtyard, the roof, the porch, and then I’ll initially go down on the cable and make sure the people are put in a safe place while I tell them the procedure for getting loaded into the helicopter and the order in which a number of people will go up – of course women and children go up first and one at a time. Once the basket is on deck we place them inside, tell them to keep their appendages in the basket and keep their head down when they are hoisted into to helicopter. Once they are in the helicopter, the flight mechanic, Kevin, makes sure they are safe inside the helo.  The crew here is awesome.

Q: Other than being exhausted, how do you feel at the end of the day – after rescuing so many people?
A: I definitely feel a sense of accomplishment. It’s nice to actually be able to use the tools we’ve been given to conduct a rescue of this proportion and do it successfully, so I am pretty satisfied.

Interview with Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin Davis, flight mechanic of HH-6575, by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Blackwell

Q: Have you ever seen anything like this before?
A: Not like this. I’m used to localized flooding, being from Ohio, but nothing of this magnitude.

Q: At the end of the day, how do you feel about the work you’ve done?
A: I feel good about it. I’m just doing my job. My job here is to help people and get them out of distress. I feel real good about it.

View video of the crew of HH-6575 rescuing six people on CGVI or YouTube.

Yesterday I spent nearly a whole day warming up inside a North Dakota family’s house. The married couple invited us inside their home, made us coffee and offered us homemade venison jerky. Myself, two reporters and a photographer from the department of transportation huddled inside while we waited for the river to explode.

An ice jam, nearly a mile across, clogged a section of the Missouri River in turn flooding the low-lying communities in the area. Demolition crews and the North Dakota National Guard braved the extreme cold and wind chill for more than five hours drilling holes in the ice and wiring up explosives. I wanted to bring them some hot coffee and then I remembered the half-mile of car sized ice chunks, tree logs and other dangerous things I would have to survive to make the trek. “I have never seen it like this for 33-years,” said Bob and Cheryl, the wonderful people that invited us into their home. I asked if he would ever think about considering another residence, as the demolition crews placed the last fire in the hole, and he laughed. As I found out, Bob had nearly built his entire house. He loved Fort Lincoln, with or without the Missouri River rising on his back door.

We all watched with impatience for this bomb to go off. Hours went by surprisingly fast though with good conversation and the stories we shared, every so often peeking out over the ice with binoculars to get a better look. There were warnings from the police department of a large boom that could break the windows in Bob and Cheryl’s house so we all went out side. Better idea right? Ice chunks exploded across two football fields with a large boom, helicopters circled and I helped Bob lift his snow blower into his pickup. We all hoped and prayed the ice jam and flooding would stop, and people could go back to their homes.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Erik Swanson
Eleventh District Public Affairs

View the video at CGVI or YouTube.

Just after midnight March 24, 1989, the super tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska’s Prince William Sound releasing 11 million gallons of heavy crude oil. Twenty years later the effects of the largest oil spill in U.S. history are still being felt. The toxic muck still clings to the Alaskan coast. Wildlife populations are still recovering. Law suits still drag on. Yet not all of the effects have been negative.

Earlier this month a tanker off the coast of Galveston, Texas, struck underwater debris in an eerily similar situation, but this time not a drop of oil was spilled. The sturdy double-hulled design of the SKS Satilla was one of the mandates born from the Valdez disaster. Due to the design, only the ballast tanks were breached according to Rear Adm. Sally Brice-O’Hara, Coast Guard deputy commandant for operations, who was stationed in Alaska during the Valdez ordeal.

"With a single skin, the results would have eclipsed the Exxon Valdez spill," she said.

The double-hull requirement was part of the Oil Protection Act of 1990, legislation that drastically altered how the government responds to oil spills but also how agencies work together during any emergency.

At the time, organizational differences between different federal, state and local agencies prevented a fully coordinated response. Each group had its own structure, methods and terminology. The OPA helped diminish these barriers in several ways. The law provided for the creation of the Incident Command System to provide a uniform command structure with roles that could be filled by anyone from any agency.

The unified command concept was a milestone in disaster response.

“The Incident Command System is an invaluable tool when you bring together a lot of people from different agencies with different organizational cultures,” said Admiral Thad Allen, who headed the response to Hurricane Katrina. “It removes just about any question about who should be doing what during a disaster.”

The law also implemented and funded joint training exercises to familiarize participants with the system.

“The Coast Guard is constantly running training exercises with our partners,” said Allen. “Not only does it offer a chance to practice ICS concepts, it also offers the chance to get to know the people you'll be working with when something does happen.”

The scenarios are carefully selected to simulate a plausible threat to the location of each exercise. OPA required the formation of local area committees to tailor plans for these local contingencies, further building the relationships that are crucial for cohesive response in any situation. When U.S. Airways Flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River in January, each of these principles was tested.

"All of the agencies who responded to the U.S. Airways crash here in New York are on our area committee,” said Capt. Robert O’Brien, who was in charge of the rescue effort. “We sit down together every week, planning for situations like this. We all know our roles and capabilities so when something extraordinary happens we can act as a unit."

The Exxon Valdez disaster forced the government to rethink oil spills. Legislation was passed that ensured cleanups were funded and responsible parties were held accountable. But the lessons of the spill have had much broader consequences that improved how all disasters are handled. From Katrina, to Flight 1549, and to whatever disaster may come next, the effects of Exxon Valdez will be felt for generations and not just in Alaska.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Bender
Headquarters (CG-0922)