A Cadet's Perspective on Modernization -- Wrap Up

(From our Cadet Intern, 1/c Ryan Cassidy. Read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four)

Alright, so for the past few weeks I have been writing about modernization and what it is, but what I really haven't done yet is talk about what the younger members of the Coast Guard will get out of modernization. So far I have talked about the organizational changes taking place now and those to come and a few of the new systems we will be using to make the Coast Guard more effective. I would like to use this post as a way to talk about where I see modernization going and how I think I will interact with it the most. By no means are these thoughts an expert's opinion about what modernization will do, but rather the thoughts of a Cadet who is excited about the future of the Coast Guard. Having said this, I invite everyone reading to give your thoughts about modernization and what you think it will do for you.

After writing this series of posts, I have learned quite a bit about modernization for myself and have gained a better understanding of what it is and what it will mean to me. One of the main benefits I can see from modernization is better organization and communication. Before modernization it seemed that every task required a different point of contact to complete it. In order to schedule training, a call had to be made to a training team and to get supplies for law enforcement operations, we had to call someone else. It looked like we had to go to a different person every time we needed something and it just seemed that the Coast Guard was spread out all over the place. Now, under modernization, there are the four commands and everything we need falls into one of the four commands. Although we may have to go to different places to get what we need, there will be a better defined and understandable structure that will make finding the right support and direction easier.

In my last post I talked about CG-LIMS which I think will be an ever growing tool in the Coast Guard. Although it is not implemented yet, I can see myself interacting with it nearly every day in the future. I think it is a powerful management tool and on top of saving the Coast Guard money and conserving resources, I believe we will see better lead time on parts and quicker response for maintenance. In the short assignments I have had as a cadet, I have noticed the pains that go along with some of the maintenance and often thought there had to be a better way. With an information system such as CG-LIMS, I think we are going down the right path to making maintenance an efficient and adaptive process.

Lastly, with modernization in full swing, I envision a more connected Coast Guard, standardized across the board. Previously under PACAREA and LANTAREA commands, we almost had two separate Coast Guards protecting the country; one on the West Coast and one on the East Coast. Each had its own way of conducting training, managing its work forces and providing supplies and maintenance for units. Because of this, a Guardian going from small boat station LA/LB in California to station Boston might have to re-learn the systems on a new 25 because it is configured differently from the same vessel in California. Likewise, an XPO would have to understand a different set of support commands and compliance requirements. By restructuring how units interact with the support structure and force readiness requirements of the Coast Guard, we can hopefully standardize all of our operations and business practices to make interoperability that much easier.

Thank you for reading, and as I said earlier, these are just some of the benefits I see coming out of modernization. If you have any others, please comment and bring to light some of the added benefits (and maybe challenges) of repositioning the Coast Guard.

1/c Ryan Cassidy

"Cadet Disclaimer: These posts are my attempt to try to make Modernization more relevant and understandable to the junior workforce. These are the thoughts of a simple cadet and should not be taken as those of the Commandant. I still have some time to go before I could do that."