Meet our Summer Intern and Guest Contributor

Hello everyone!!

My name is 1/c Ryan Cassidy and I'm a cadet from the US Coast Guard Academy. You may be wondering why a cadet is posting on the iCommandant blog, and frankly, I'm a little surprised by it too. During the four summers at the Coast Guard Academy, cadets spend portions of their summers at operational units to receive exposure to the "real" Coast Guard. Heading into their senior year, cadets have the opportunity to participate in internships ranging from training dolphins, to working with the DIA, to training and deploying with a TACLET team. I was fortunate enough to receive an internship working in the Commandant's office to better understand the use of social media and technology as part of the Coast Guard's broader modernization into a change-centric, learning organization.

So, over the next few weeks I will be reporting regularly on activities of the Commandant and his staff and will hopefully be able to provide a different perspective on Coast Guard modernization. I know the Corps of Cadets at the Academy has heard of modernization, and you may have too, but what does this really mean? Over the next few weeks, I will be able to observe Coast Guard senior leadership as well as Headquarters activities and conversations and gain a better understanding of modernization. By the end of my internship, I hope to be able to explain what modernization means for the work horses of the Coast Guard, our non-rates and petty officers as well as the implications modernization will have on someone like a cadet who will be joining the real Coast Guard in just under a year. After all, it's the future generations of petty officers and officers who will be on the front lines, driving the boats, making the busts, doing the inspections and we all should understand how we fit in.

Now, I hate listening to myself talk and I definitely don't like talking to myself, so if you have a question about what is happening at the top, please comment to any of the posts and I will do my very best to answer your questions. Also, any feedback on the posts would be greatly appreciated. Well, until next time, thank you for reading and Semper Paratus!

-1/c Cassidy

iCommandant Note: We have recently been taking the pulse of our modernization efforts to date, and we have a lot of reason to be encouraged that we are on the right track. The need and logic for modernization has been validated by two third-party reports by the GAO and NAPA. However, these reports have also provided some specific areas of emphasis that we must focus on for continued successful implementation.

One specific observation is that we have done a good job communicating with the Coast Guard team on the need, or "Cause for Action," for modernization, but that more work needs to be done to help the field-level units and deck plate workforce understand what modernization means to them and their future in the Coast Guard. These guest posts by Mr. Cassidy are one effort to try to do that. By providing him with the opportunity to study, observe and assess our modernization effort at the strategic level, we hope that he, as a soon-to-be Junior Officer and future leader in our service, will help us communicate the benefits of modernization in more clear and relevant terms.

To really be of value in this he will need your help. Your questions and comments will help fuel his critical thinking and focus his research and consideration on those areas of greatest interest in the field. We hope you enjoy reading his posts and over the next month we will each come to understand a little better just what modernization means for our service.