gdp's Comments

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : Open Discussion for the week of May 3, 2009

Tue, 5 May 2009 18:27:27 +0000

How about a discussion of dogs/mascots at units? I've heard of plenty of stations and PBs that had a dog around (usually the OinCs/COs) but not only seen one. It'd be interesting to hear peoples stories of success or failures at integrating dogs into operational units.

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : The Coast Guard Image: CG1703 Parade Spray

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:28:56 +0000

The base just doesn't look the same without STORIS and FIREBUSH in the background :( (gratuitous pot stirring) I know it is capable and a good platform and blah, blah, blah, but is it just me or is Alex Haley just an ugly ship? It looks like an oil rig got parked on top of a soviet style aircraft carrier.

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : Earl Markham

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:11:37 +0000

Great story. Thanks for sharing Daren!

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : SAR tools, CGMOES, and to find EPIRB? Delivering the Goods

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:49:55 +0000

No comment on the post, but kudos to whomever came up with "Delivering the Goods" as the newsletter of the acquisitions directorate.

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : New blog, 9/11 GI Bill Sign Up's, & ADM Allen on the Hill

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:48:31 +0000

I'd also add that in addition to Admiral Allen, the GAO also testified on our Deepwater project and their evaluation was fairly positive. The testimony is available on the House site here: http://appropriations.house.gov/Witness_testimony... The one downside they identified was that 16% of the appropriations staff remains unfilled. Not sure of the context for that statement. Is 16% really bad? Is it a minor issue and a normal gap for a staff of several hundred? Beats me.

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : New blog, 9/11 GI Bill Sign Up's, & ADM Allen on the Hill

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:34:39 +0000

Ryan, I saw that comment on the Commandant's blog. It isn't the point of your post, but I'm curious if you or anyone else feels like the DOG units are becoming overly compartmentalized within the service. "Semper DOG" is kind of liking saying "Semper DCO." I completely agree with the idea of grouping deployable units under a single administrative command. But sometimes it feels like these units are going off on their own direction as "homeland security" coast guard, while the rest of us keep doin' what we were pre-9/11. Brad

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : The Coast Guard Academy: Keep it or Dump it?

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:29:08 +0000

Got any numbers? Do you think that is because Academy grads are "better officers" or because the system rewards those officers who are more likely to think like their Academy superiors?

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : The Coast Guard Academy: Keep it or Dump it?

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:27:20 +0000

Really? You're correlating the physical number of officers at a given unit to the quality produced by a given accession source? Since you're at least a 3rd or 4th tour officer judging by your comments, at the latest you graduated in 2001 or 2002, which were the last years when EVERY academy graduate was forced to go to sea and OCS was left with the dregs. Also, please expand on how Academy officers are better able to "think like an officer." The point of Ricks' original piece was that Academy graduates and the incentives with the promotion system led to unhealthy levels of group think and poor institutional decision making. Perhaps this was the "thinking like an officer" that you are referring to?

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : Now Somalia wants its own Coast Guard... no, really

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:20:05 +0000

For better or worse, militaries have been a stabilizing force in many countries over the last half century, including much of latin america, thailand, pakistan, and the middle east. This might lead to episodes of corruption and dictatorship (pinochet in chile, pakistan, etc) but there may be an argument to providing international legitimacy to the one group in Somalia that has been a rallying point for a lawless land. The Awakening in Iraq is an excellent example of simply "paying off" a militia insurgency and attempting to turn them into a legitimate instrument of government. Perhaps some with experience could share some of the history of the U.S. Coast Guard's experience with creating the Haitian Coast Guard, an organization that was credited with being one of the only function aspect of government in the a country that, along with Somalia, is the epitome of a failed state.

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : No Cost-of-Living Raise for Three Years?

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:40:39 +0000

I'm with you on this one Chief. It's kind of like when Alaska residents complain that their permanent fund dividend wasn't as high as last year.

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : Spotlight on Leadership: Yes, that was all leadership

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:45:15 +0000

Thanks for sharing them Peter. I didn't contribute, but they were still thought provoking questions to consider. Brad

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : The Coast Guard Academy: Keep it or Dump it?

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:40:52 +0000

Sparky, I have no long term regrets with my decision either, but I think it is in line with Mr. Rick's comment that the services do not necessarily reward those officers who go outside their service and in some systemic ways actually discourage it. As for the analysis you mention, that would be awesome to see and probably worthy of its own blog entry and discussion. Let's see some numbers!

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : The Coast Guard Academy: Keep it or Dump it?

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:46:56 +0000

It's an op-ed not an article. Big difference.

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : The Coast Guard Academy: Keep it or Dump it?

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:44:53 +0000

i was counting ops research and computers in there as well.

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : The Coast Guard Academy: Keep it or Dump it?

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:44:56 +0000

Joe, I don't know it's the quality of our education so much as our ability to absorb landslides of cr@p at the same time? I feel like my graduate studies were made easier not by the critical thinking I was taught but by the worth ethic I was forced to develop, which, as a government major, was still probably not as rigorous as the engineers. The question of teaching critical thinking and general officer competencies may be separate from the technical training produced by the engineering department. 5(?) of CGA's 8 majors are engineering, but to what degree would that specific class time make someone better prepared for the skills most officers use from day to day?

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : The Coast Guard Academy: Keep it or Dump it?

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:36:58 +0000

That being said, I think as an organization, we can ALWAYS benefit from asking if we are doing our jobs as efficiently as possible and with the most benefit to American citizens. While that may not lead to the conclusion we need to shut down the Academy, it may lead to ideas that result in large amounts of change. As someone who both attended the Academy and attended post-graduate studies at a civilian institution (University of Washington - Seattle), I would agree with Ricks that our Academy leads to a degree of group think which is unhealthy. I think that our organization is diverse enough in it's own mission set that a greater emphasis within the Academy on those missions would lead to more well-rounded officers. Someone chime up if things have changed drastically in the last two years, but my impression is that CGA is still basically designed to spit out deck watch officers, despite the fact we probably have few afloat billets than at any time since we were the revenue cutter service. Secondly, I would also agree with Ricks that our organization does not reward experience outside of the service. I benefited enormously from my post graduate studies and I think the organization is better for giving me and others the opportunity. Yet I find myself career dead-ended unless i can find a way to short tour out of my mandatory staff tour to an operational tour. Sure I'll probably make O-4, but it's unlikely i'll ever be in a position to really have a meaningful impact. I'm interested to hear more about what people think and yes I realize I didn't mention the cost argument since I think previous posters asked all the right questions, to which none of us have direct knowledge of the answers. Brad

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : The Coast Guard Academy: Keep it or Dump it?

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:36:42 +0000

Good points raised all around. I recommended Ryan use the article as discussion, not as a short term-spending cut, but as a way of asking the question raised by Tom Ricks original op-ed and subsequent WaPo online discussion: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/disc... That main question being, assuming a greater cost, does the U.S. get a better officer from the Academies than from ROTC and OCS. Ricks (who some of you may no from his solid reporting on Iraq), posits that better leaders come from a system that exposes officers to a more diverse range of views than the traditional Academy to war college pipeline. A key differences between Ricks' piece and the CG's circumstance is that the CG does a lot to give responsibility to very junior personnel very early. I'm mainly thinking of the boat and cutter force communities here. We also have many components that place an emphasis on understanding outside stakeholders (LE, inspections, contingency planning, etc). Continued in next post...

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : The Coast Guard Academy: Keep it or Dump it?

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:32:02 +0000

No complaints here Chief, but that might be a result of my CGA-ingrained hatred of all things Kings Point. Honestly, I do support requiring some degree of tuition, even if it is kept federally funded/run, because there just isn't the need for US merchant mariners. Too many get a free pass for a full funded taxpayer education without any real commitment.

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : The Coast Guard Academy: Keep it or Dump it?

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:14:36 +0000

True, but the real question is what Congressional District would get such a monster of a base ;)

CGBlog.org :: An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog : The Coast Guards (short) New Medial Time Line

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:58:53 +0000

Admiral, First, thanks for taking the time to participate in the discussion (to which I am replying tardily). I agree that transparency and open communications are absolutely necessary and a worthy goal, even if the format is rather stifled. I also look forward to any training or policy which would give guidance to official CG blog posters on how to foment informative conversations. I greatly appreciate the CG's forward leaning stance on allowing participation in these types of discussions, but as Ryan mentioned, it is hard to have a discussion around the "press release" type blog. I'd also be interested to hear whether many of the official blogs are designed for external or internal service consumption and discussion. Many appear to be designed for internal consumption, and when combined with a message traffic type presentation, make it hard to reply with anything other than an "aye, aye." Again, thank you very much for sharing your views. v/r, LT Brad Soule