Coast Guard opens forward operating location Kotzebue

Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Brad Pigage, U.S. Coast Guard District 17

Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Lauren Dean, U.S. Coast Guard District 17

Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters sit in an Alaska Army National Guard hangar in Kotzebue, Alaska, June 29, 2018. In support of Arctic Shield 2018 operations, two Jayhawk helicopters and crews are positioned in Kotzebue to effectively respond to maritime emergencies in the Bering Strait and Northern Slope.

JUNEAU, Alaska -- The Coast Guard opened forward operating location Kotzebue, Alaska, in support of Arctic Shield 2018 operations throughout the Arctic region Sunday.

As part of operation Arctic Shield 2018, Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak deployed two MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters and crews to Kotzebue to give the Coast Guard an opportunity to leverage existing infrastructure and strategically positions its crews to effectively respond to maritime emergencies in the Bering Strait and the Northern Slope.

In addition to FOL Kotzebue, the Coast Guard will have cutters Healy, Stratton and Douglas Munro engage in operations encompassing a variety of Coast Guard missions from Dutch Harbor through the Bering Strait and along the North Slope including the Northern Alaska Outer Continental Shelf.

Operation Arctic Guardian is a also a part of Arctic Shield, and it is an exercise that will conduct outreach with community responders in the Arctic by teaching basic oil spill response tactics and sub-area planning. Several Coast Guard personnel and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation will conduct Operation Arctic Guardian in Bethel.

"The Forward Operating Location in Kotzebue helps mitigate several of the major challenges when operating in the Arctic including the environment, vast distances and limited infrastructure," said Rear Adm. Matthew Bell, commander, Coast Guard 17th District. "Arctic Shield 2018 operations and activities will include performing multiple missions, leveraging partnerships and increasing maritime domain awareness to reduce risk and promote safe, secure and environmentally responsible maritime activity. "

Arctic Shield operations began in 2009 to support Coast Guard missions in response to increased maritime activity in the Arctic. Arctic Shield operations and activities include focusing on promoting national interests and sovereignty throughout the Arctic. 

Arctic Shield 2018 operations and activities will include performing multiple missions, leveraging partnerships and increasing maritime domain awareness to reduce risk and promote safe, secure and environmentally responsible maritime activity.

Arctic Shield 2018 focuses on understanding and responding to the risks to the sea, risks to those on the sea, and risks from those who might use the sea to do us harm. Increasing maritime domain awareness, building and strengthening partnerships with both national and international Arctic stakeholders, and having an active presence in the region will enhance the safety, security and stewardship of the nation’s Arctic waters.

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Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak holds change of command ceremony

Photos by Petty Officer 1st Class Charly Hengen
U.S. Coast Guard District 17

Rear Adm. Matthew T. Bell Jr., commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, gives remarks during Air Station Kodiak’s change of command ceremony at the air station’s Hangar 3 in Kodiak, Alaska, June 22, 2018. Capt. Mark Morin transferred command to Capt. Bryan Dailey during an official ceremony that represents formal transfer of authority and responsibility from one officer to another. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Charly Hengen.

Capt. Mark Morin transferred command of Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak to Capt. Bryan Dailey during a change of command ceremony Friday held at Coast Guard Base Kodiak, Alaska.

Dailey was previously assigned as the Chief of Response for the Eighth Coast Guard District headquartered in New Orleans, where he was responsible for overseeing search and rescue, marine environmental response and natural disaster response operations. His other previous assignments include Pacific Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force West in Honolulu and Coast Guard Station Barber Points in Honolulu.

“Angie and I feel honored and blessed to have the opportunity to serve with the Coast Guard in Kodiak again,” said Dailey. “There is no place we would rather be and we look forward to rejoining the Kodiak community and continuing the great work of the Coast Guard.”

Morin will assume the duties as Executive Assistant to the Assistant Commandant for Acquisition (CG-9) in Washington.

”My tour as the Commanding Officer of Air Station Kodiak has been the best assignment of my military career,” said Morin. “I will miss the people the most.”

The change of command ceremony marks a transfer of total responsibility and authority from one individual to another. It is a time-honored tradition conducted before the assembled crew, as well as honored guests and dignitaries to formally demonstrate the continuity of the authority within a command.

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Coast Guard, Troopers rescue man from swamped canoe near Nome, Alaska

Photo by U.S. Coast Guard District 17

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak aircrews assisted the Alaska State Troopers with the rescue of a 22-year-old man reported missing from a swamped canoe Saturday afternoon approximately 100 miles south of Nome.

An Alaska State Troopers ground search team vectored the location of the kayaker to an Air Station Kodiak Jayhawk helicopter crew. The aircrew brought the man to Stebbins Clinic for further medical care, where he reported minor scrapes and bruises.

Watchstanders at the 17th Coast Guard District command center received a request for agency assistance from the Alaska State Troopers to locate a kayaker unable to make it to shore in vicinity of Stebbins on South Norton Sound. The 17th District directed the launch of a HC-130 and MH-60 Jayhawk aircrews from Air Station Kodiak to commence a search for the kayaker after 3 a.m. Saturday. An Alaska State Troopers 206 Cessna aircrew discovered a swamped green canoe near Kuiak Slough, but the kayaker was not seen. A C-130 aircrew from the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center also assisted in the initial search to locate the man.

"Close coordination with our aircrews and partner agencies resulted in a safe and successful rescue of the man," said Petty Officer 1st Class Suzanne Bitinas, watchstander for the 17th District command center. "The man's decision to wear a personal flotation device increased his chances of survival and aided in the recovery efforts."

Weather on scene was reported as clear and calm.

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