Blore News

Stonington, Conn. – The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that its Annual Pacific Northwest Awards Dinner in tribute to the United States Coast Guard will take place on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. Honoring the heroic efforts performed in the Pacific Northwest over the past year and recognizing the service of those who enforce maritime law…

Northwest region military personnel and guests celebrated the commissioning of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Sea Fox (WPB 87374) at the Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport pier Sept. 18. Rear Adm. Gary Blore, commander, 13th Coast Guard District, presided over the commissioning ceremony. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles Bowen provided the keynote speech accompanied by his wife, Janet, the ship's official sponsor. By tradition, the sponsor is a civilian woman with close ties to the service. She is invited to bestow good luck and divine protection over the ship and all that sail aboard. The sponsor also gives part of her own personality to the ship and becomes a permanent member of the crew.

The U.S. Coast Guard took final acceptance of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf, the first of the Legend class National Security Cutter fleet, at the cutter's homeport of Alameda, Calif., Friday, May 8. Bertholf's final acceptance is part of the Coast Guard's deliberative acquisition process and represents the moment when the Coast Guard acknowledges that the cutter is ready to transition from an acquisition project to the operations and sustainment phases of the cutter's service life.

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. hosted a celebration of success ceremony on May 1, commemorating the completion of the 87 ft Marine Protector-class Coastal Patrol Boat (CPB) project. The event featured the USCGC Sea Fox (WPB 87374). S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.), Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.); Coast Guard Assistant Commandant for Acquisition Rear Adm. Gary T. Blore; Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. CEO and Chairman of the Board Donald “Boysie” Bollinger; Bollinger Executive Vice President, New Construction, Chris Bollinger; and 42-year Bollinger employee L.J. Adams, Facility Foreman, addressed the crowd.

On March 24, Congressman Elijah E. “The first hearing I convened during my tenure as the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation two years ago examined the mismanagement of the Coast Guard’s $24 billion Deepwater program intended to modernize the service’s surface and air assets. As confirmed at this morning’s hearing, the Coast Guard has taken significant steps since 2007 to improve the oversight and management of its acquisition programs and to position itself to effectively manage contractors and protect taxpayers’ investments in Coast Guard assets. “I was very pleased to learn of the agreement…

On Jan. 12, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a bid protest decision that upheld the U.S. Coast Guard’s award of the Sentinel-class Patrol Boat to Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. GAO provides a forum for bidders and offerors seeking federal government contracts who believe that a contract has been, or is about to be, awarded improperly or illegally or that they have been unfairly denied a contract or an opportunity to compete for a contract. Marinette Marine Corporation filed a protest with GAO on October 7…

The U.S. Coast Guard's Acquisition Directorate announced the award of a contract to Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp. to deliver the core Nationwide Automatic Identification System data exchange capability. Under the contract, valued at about $12m, Northrop Grumman will provide the necessary shore-side communications, network and processing capability to ensure the effective exchange of Automatic Identification System information between AIS-equipped vessels, aircraft, aids to navigation and shore stations within all major U.S. ports, waterways and coastal zones as well as from AIS-equipped vessels bound for the U.S. The core data exchange capability consists of all the system components and functionality…

The Coast Guard's first Legend-class National Security Cutter, Bertholf, returned to its homeport here Sunday marking the completion of the cutter's first operational patrol. Bertholf's crew conducted a shakedown of the ship's systems and carried out flight operations, small-boat operations and weapons testing. A primary goal of the patrol was to complete flight tests – known as dynamic interface testing – to determine the limits of wind and sea conditions in which a helicopter can land safely upon Bertholf's flight deck.

On Nov. 6, 2008, Rear Admiral Gary T. Blore, Assistant Commandant for Acquisition & Chief Acquisition Officer, commented on the status of U.S. “On October 28 we posted a fact sheet (updated on November 4) that explained that DHS had rescinded acquisition [milestone] decision authority from the Coast Guard as recommended by the GAO and required in a recent legislation. I want to further explain this issue, as it may not be clear that this basically codified existing acquisition management practices. We are exercising our major* acquisition processes -- appropriately -- the same way we did before, and after, this law. However, since we had previously adopted the guidance as a ‘best practice…

The U.S. Coast Guard formally accepted and introduced its new Response Boat-Medium and Rescue 21 advanced communications system during a ceremony held Monday at Coast Guard Sector Key West, here. The Response Boat - Medium is a new small-boat platform that offers increased speed and maneuverability over the service's aging 41-foot response boats, which it will eventually replace.·Enhanced maritime capabilities and technological advances such as water-jet propulsion, armrest integrated steering and trim controls, self-righting capability and improved crew accommodations all represent significant upgrades over the legacy 41-foot response boat platform.·· The first two Response Boats - Medium were delivered to Coast Guard Stations Little Creek…

Rear Adm. Ronald J. Rábago relieved Rear Adm. Gary T. Blore today as the program executive officer of the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest recapitalization and modernization initiative, the $24 billion, 25-year Deepwater program. Blore is slated to become the next assistant commandant for acquisition and chief acquisition officer of the Coast Guard. The shift in leadership at the acquisition directorate and Deepwater is the result of organizational changes ordered last year by Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard. “We are making significant and necessary changes to the entire Deepwater program,” said Rábago. The Deepwater program will soon combine with all other elements of the Coast Guard acquisition enterprise, to form a new acquisition directorate.

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Gary T. Northrop Grumman's facility in Pascagoula, Miss. James Anton, executive vice president of Integrated Coast Guard Systems, left, and Royce Winbush, general ship superintendent, right, escorted Rear Adm. Blore through various areas of the new ship. Bertholf, a 418-foot Legend-class cutter, is part of the Integrated Deepwater System, a critical multi-year, multi-billion dollar program to modernize and replace the Coast Guard's aging ships and aircraft, and improve command-and-control and logistics systems. Lockheed Martin, is handling the Deepwater contract. Cutters as part of the Deepwater program. mast background. christened this fall.

Rear Adm. Gary Blore took over as head of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Deepwater program April 17, becoming the second officer to lead the service’s ambitious recapitalization program. Blore relieved Rear Adm. Patrick Stillman, who ran the program since its inception in 2001. Blore, an aviator, piloted helicopters and jets after graduating from the Coast Guard Academy in 1975. At service headquarters in Washington, he was chief of the Coast Guard’s aviation forces from 2000 to 2002, when he became responsible for the service’s budget office. He was promoted to flag rank in 2004 and, as a special assistant to the president, was senior director for border and transportation security under the Department of Homeland Security.