Deployable Operations Group News

Bremerton, Wash. based boatbuilder SAFE Boats International announced that retired Vice Admiral William “Dean” Lee and Tom Norton have joined its board of directors.Vice Admiral Lee served in the U. S. Coast Guard for more than 36-years, most recently serving as the Commander, Atlantic Area (LANTAREA), responsible for all Coast Guard operations from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf. During his service to the Nation, he served in numerous command and staff positions specializing in search and rescue and small boat operations.

Captain Jeffrey P. Novotny is Commanding Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center in Martinsburg, WV. He is responsible for all activities related to professional credentialing, training and assessments of the nation’s 215,000 merchant mariners. He graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. Prior to commanding the NMC, he was the Deputy Commander at the Coast Guard’s Deployable Operations Group. His duties included the oversight and responsibility for all personnel…

ADM Robert J. Subcommittee. capabilities. For more than 220 years, the U.S. Coast Guard has safeguarded the nation’s maritime interests and natural resources on our rivers and ports, in the coastal regions, on the high seas, and around the world. The Coast Guard saves those in peril and protects the nation’s maritime border, marine transportation system, natural resources, and the environment. Coast Guard men and women – active duty, reserve, civilian and auxiliarists alike – deliver premier service to the public. military force of maritime professionals whose broad legal authorities, assets, geographic diversity, and expansive partnerships provide a persistent presence in the inland waters, ports, coastal regions, and far offshore areas of operations.

1917- An Executive Order extended the jurisdiction of the Lighthouse Service to the non-contiguous territory of the American Virgin Islands. 1942-The Herald-Tribune of July 20, 1942, carried the following story: "A new Coast Guard regiment, made up of tough, hand-picked men, all heavily armed and with the headquarters company mounting machine guns in speedy jeep cars, has been organized for extra protection of the Port of New York, it was announced yesterday. Regimental offices of the commando-like outfit, led by Captain Francis V. Lowden, will be in the Barge Office at the Battery. There will be five battalion headquarters -- one each in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey, and a floating one set up a harbor patrol craft.

A Miami-based U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment operating as part of Combined Task Force 151 in the Gulf of Aden assisted in the apprehension of 16 suspected pirates in a 24 hour period. The eight-person LEDET 405 team is conducting counter-piracy operations aboard USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) and USS Mahan (DDG 72) as part of a multinational task force in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. "Our role is to augment and train U.S. Navy visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) teams," said Lt.j.g. Greg Ponzi, officer in charge of LEDET 405. On Feb.

U.S. Coast Guard units operating in the Houston - Galveston area of responsibility have as of 4 p.m. Tuesday processed 51 reports of pollution and repaired or replaced 40 percent of critical aids to navigation damaged or missing in the wake of Hurricane Ike.Of the 51 pollution reports, 15 incidents require active cleanup, 14 require passive action and 22 require no further action by the Coast Guard. The reports cover a range of incidents including the discharge of petroleum products from storage tanks that have been damaged and/or are submerged in flood waters, the discharge of fuel from submerged machinery and sunken or damaged vessels in marinas, and natural gas leaks. A pipeline in , leaking natural gas from a valve currently under six feet of water.

The U.S. Coast Guard will stand-up the Deployable Operations Group during an establishment ceremony 7 p.m. Friday at Fort Lesley J. McNair. The Deployable Operations Group aligns all Coast Guard deployable, specialized forces under a single, unified command headed by a Rear Adm. Thomas F. Atkin. The command will provide organized, equipped, and trained forces to Coast Guard and interagency operational and tactical commanders. Deployable specialized forces are comprised of approximately 3,000 Coast Guard personnel from 12 Maritime Safety and Security Teams, the Maritime Security Response Team, two Tactical Law Enforcement Teams, eight Port Security Units, three National Strike Teams and the National Strike Force Coordination Center.