Courtesy Photo | USCGC Wrangell (WPB 1332 ) is one of the Coast Guard assets maintained by U.S. Coast...... read more read more
Journalist 2nd Class Cassandra Thompson
MANAMA, Bahrain - U.S. Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), based in Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, received the American Society of Naval Engineers" (ASNE) Rear Admiral Lucas Plaque March 14.
According to Coast Guard ALCOAST message 148/06, PATFORSWA distinguished themselves from 11 other contestants through their "outstanding achievements and contributions to the Coast Guard Naval Engineering program." The Rear Admiral Lucas Plaque was established in 1994 and annually honors the top naval engineering unit in the Coast Guard.
ASNE, the sponsors of the award, is a group comprised of military and civilian professionals and students in the naval engineering field. PATFORSWA competed with nominees from both the government and private sector to win the Lucas Plaque.
"The PATFORSWA engineering department distinguished itself by providing unparalleled engineering support and customer service to the six [cutters] assigned to operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom," the awards board stated. "All divisions of the engineering department demonstrated incredible teamwork, forming a cohesive group that consistently delivered exceptional service to the [cutters]."
PATFORSWA maintains the six 110-foot Coast Guard cutters deployed to the region with a
shoreside maintenance facility in Bahrain. Capt. Daniel McClellan, the commander of PATFORSWA, said his command has contributed greatly to maritime security operations (MSO) in the 5th Fleet area of operation.
MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. MSO deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons, or other material.
According to a 2006 joint Navy and Coast Guard policy statement, the two branches have worked together on a variety of maritime security issues since December 2004, when President George Bush called for a "joint and interoperable maritime force" to combat "arms trafficking, weapons proliferation, illegal mass migration, smuggling, natural resource depletion, force protection, weapons of mass destruction and terrorism."
McClellan said the Coast Guard augments the U.S. Navy in the 5th Fleet by providing security in logistics ports in the region, and around Iraqi oil terminals in the Northern Arabian Gulf (NAG).
"Because of our "visit, board, search, seize" expertise, Coast Guard forces are training the Iraqi marines in maritime law enforcementâ?¦skills," McClellan explained.
"Capt. McClellan and his folks have been instrumental in getting U.S. Navy [patrol craft] up and running," said Cmdr. Heedong Choi, Destroyer Squadron 50 chief of staff. "We have incredible synergy to be able to get the PCs and [patrol boats] to the NAG to do MSO and protect strategic oil infrastructure. Without the Coast Guard, we would be hard pressed to do our [Iraqi oil platform] defense mission."
"This award is for protecting the national maritime interests of our country," added Choi. "Coast Guardsmen are true mariners and professionals. Every day I can learn something from them."
| Date Taken: | 04.05.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 04.05.2006 09:24 |
| Story ID: | 5955 |
| Location: | MANAMA, BH |
| Web Views: | 577 |
| Downloads: | 76 |
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