Arctic Shield News

A man with a broken arm was medevaced from the Chinese research vessel Xue Long, 15 nautical miles from Nome, Alaska, Saturday morning. A smallboat crew from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley embarked the man and transferred him to the Alex Haley for further transfer to Nome. Coast Guard District 17 command center watchstanders received a relay notification from a Coast Guard liaison to China who reported a Chinese national aboard the Xue Long suffered a broken arm while conducting research in the Arctic Ocean.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that they will honor the men and women who serve on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sycamorefor outstanding service to the 17th District and our nation. The Alaska Awards Dinner will be held at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorageon Wednesday, August 10, 2016. Admiral Paul F. Zukunft, commandant of the Coast Guard will deliver keynote remarks and RADM Michael McAllister, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District will also address attendees. Alaska's Senator Lisa Murkoswki and Congressman Donald Young will also be in attendance. Special guest will be the renowned Iditarod Musher, AliyZirkle.

On October 30, 2015, at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, the heads of eight agencies fulfilling the functions of Coast Guard of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States signed a Joint Statement formally establishing the Arctic Coast Guard Forum (ACGF). The ACGF is an independent, informal, operationally-driven organization. It is not bound by treaty, but will work in cooperation with the Arctic Council to foster safe, secure, and environmentally responsible maritime activity in the Arctic region.

Senior leaders from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) signed a Fleet Plan and Officer Exchange memorandum of understanding Wednesday at a ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Charles Michel, deputy commandant for operations, and NOAA Vice Adm. Michael Devany, deputy under secretary for operations, were the signing officials for the joint letter of promulgation. The Coast Guard and NOAA have collaborated for more than 200 years.

A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter medevaced a crewmember suffering from a head injury from the South Korean research icebreaker Araon 250 miles north of Barrow, Wednesday. Watch a video of the rescue here. The helicopter crew, forward deployed to Barrow in anticipation of the forward operating location opening on Thursday, safely hoisted the 43-year-old male from the Araon and transported him to emergency medical personnel in Barrow. Coast Guard 17th District command center watchstanders received the medevac request from the crew of the Araon Tuesday afternoon.

For a second year, members of the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, based in New London, Connecticut, make their way to the large ice floes of the Arctic Ocean to conduct research and test new equipment and technologies with the aim of expanding our knowledge and enhancing our ability to respond to potential hazards and emergencies brought on by increased vessel traffic through the region. It’s a mission as big and as important as the Arctic itself and one they couldn’t do alone. When RDC members depart for the Arctic, they do so aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy, a 420-foot icebreaker homeported in Seattle, Wash., that serves as a perfect platform for conducting Arctic research.

A team of scientists from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Research and Development Center (RDC) will depart from Seward, Alaska, for a technology evaluation in the Arctic aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy Aug. 8, the Coast Guard announced. According to the USCG, the RDC is leading a multiagency team to support Arctic Shield 2014, a 17th Coast Guard District initiative. The purpose of their month-long evaluation is to improve USCG capabilities in the Arctic region, specifically in the areas of boat operations, communications, navigational safety and oil spill response.

A team of scientists from the Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) is to depart shortly from Seward, Alaska, for a technology evaluation in the Arctic aboard the Cutter 'Healy informs USCG. The RDC is leading a multi-agency team to support Arctic Shield 2014, a 17th Coast Guard District initiative. The purpose of their month-long evaluation is to improve Coast Guard capabilities in the Arctic region, specifically in the areas of boat operations, communications, navigational safety and oil spill response. “The RDC plays a key role in charting the service’s future efforts in the Arctic by evaluating new and emerging technologies for applicability to Coast Guard operations in a harsh and remote environment,” said Capt. Dennis Evans, commanding officer of the RDC.

At the July 23, 2014, hearing of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on “Implementing U.S. Policy in the Arctic” the committee chairman, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), opened the proceedings by holding up a graphic of the icebreaker fleets of the world—which depicts nearly 40 Russian icebreakers—and then commented on the “dismal state” of the U.S. icebreaker situation. The hearing background paper noted that the United States presently has only two working polar class icebreakers…

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Vice Adm. Peter Neffenger, the USCG’s Vice Commandant, presented the service’s 2014 Arctic priorities in support of the Coast Guard’s Arctic Strategy at an Arctic-shipping event sponsored by the Norwegian Embassy. The USCG’s Arctic Strategy is built around three strategic objectives: improve awareness, modernize governance and broaden partnerships in the Arctic region. “Where there are humans on the water, there is a demand for us to keep them safe and secure and ensure environmental responsibility,” said Neffenger.

On January 30, 2014, the White House released the Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for the Arctic Region. The purpose of the Implementation Plan is to put flesh on the bones of the May 10, 2013 National Strategy for the Arctic Region. The National Strategy had identified three lines of effort to address challenges posed by the changing Arctic environment. The Implementation Plan sets forth the methodology, process, and approach for executing the Strategy. Most importantly…

The U.S. Coast Guard completed Arctic Shield 2013 after a successful summer season of sustained operations and outreach efforts in the Arctic region Friday. Arctic Shield focused on Western Alaska and the Bering Strait and consisted of a three-pronged approach of operations, outreach and an assessment of the Coast Guard's capabilities in the Arctic. This regional operation aligns with the Coast Guard Arctic Strategy and its three key objectives: improving awareness, modernizing governance and broadening partnerships.

Members of the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, under the guidance of the Coast Guard’s recently released Arctic Strategy, worked with partner federal agencies and scientific organizations to successfully complete a simulated spilled oil response and recovery exercise aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy on the Arctic ice field Tuesday. The exercise involved air, surface and underwater assets to simulate the detection and recovery of oil from ice-strewn water. Assets…

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp has spent a week in Alaska, underscoring the importance of establishing and maintaining a range of Arctic partnerships. Despite snowfall in the North Slope of Alaska last week and cooler than average temperatures all summer, Arctic sea ice extent tracked well below average again this year. This ongoing transformation of the Arctic Ocean from a solid expanse of inaccessible ice fields into an emerging maritime frontier is attracting increased human activity in U.S. Arctic waters which demands an effective, capable U.S. Coast Guard presence.

The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) plans to test and evaluate oil spill detection and recovery technologies in the Arctic Ocean as part of Operation Arctic Shield 2013. A multi-agency team of engineers and scientists led by RDC researchers will conduct a series of demonstrations in September 2013 aboard Coast Guard Cutter Healy to test and evaluate capabilities of various unmanned aerial systems (UAS), an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to search for simulated oil spills.

The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) plans to test and evaluate oil spill detection and recovery technologies in the Arctic Ocean as part of Operation Arctic Shield 2013. A multi-agency team of engineers and scientists led by RDC researchers will conduct a series of demonstrations in September aboard Coast Guard Cutter Healy to test and evaluate capabilities of various unmanned aerial systems (UAS), an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to search for simulated oil spills.

With a stifling heat wave affecting most of the country last week, it’s hard to picture U.S. Coast Guard units focusing on our nation’s Arctic interests. But for a dedicated group of Coast Guard men and women, the Arctic is all that is on their mind. As the nation’s lead federal agency for ensuring maritime safety and security in the Arctic, the Coast Guard will perform its statutory missions to ensure the Arctic remains a safe, secure and environmentally protected region. After a successful Arctic Shield 2012 operation on the North Slope and Barrow…

The Coast Guard 17th District announced its Arctic Shield 2013 plans to protect the maritime community in the Arctic and to strengthen their partnerships with federal, state, local, tribal and community members Wednesday. “We are committed to having a sustained presence in the region,” said Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, commander, Coast Guard 17th District. After a successful Arctic Shield 2012 operation on the North Slope and Barrow, this year, the Coast Guard will focus on Western Alaska and the Bering Strait to increase maritime domain awareness.

While it seems that half the world is monitoring the oil and gas exploration activities of Royal Dutch Shell (Shell Oil) on the United States outer continental shelf (OCS) in waters of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off the north coast of Alaska, another historic event is occurring in those same waters: Arctic Shield 2012. The US Coast Guard is assembling its largest ever effort in the Arctic during the period July through October 2012. The Coast Guard has been gradually expanding its presence in the Arctic over the past four years.

The Coast Guard opened its seasonal forward operating location in Barrow Monday in preparation for the anticipated increase of maritime activities in the Arctic. FOL Barrow is part of Arctic Shield 2012, which focuses on operations, outreach and an assessment of the Coast Guard's capabilities above the Arctic Circle. The FOL in Barrow consists of two Kodiak-based MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters with supporting air, ground and communications crews. "The Coast Guard crews will provide a vital forward deployed presence in the Arctic during the summer operational period," said Rear Adm.

Arctic resources and national security perspectives deliberated at the recemt Arctic Imperative Summit. Vice Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area, and Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, commander, Coast Guard 17th District, attended the 2012 Arctic Imperative Summit that was held in Anchorage and Girdwood Aug. 24-27, 2012. As the nation’s lead federal agency for ensuring maritime safety, security and stewardship in the Arctic, the Coast Guard is responsible for conducting its statutory missions in the Arctic to ensure it remains a safe, secure and environmentally sustainable region. The admirals discussed Arctic resources and national security perspectives for the region and highlighted the Coast Guard’s Arctic Shield 2012 operation which focuses on outreach…