SOLOMON ISLANDS — The U.S. Coast Guard has responded to a request from the Solomon Islands to help patrol that country’s exclusive economic zone while maintenance was being conducted on the Royal Solomon Islands Police Vessel Taro.

The Fast Response Cutter Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) was dispatched on short notice to provide operational presence by conducting maritime surveillance to deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the northern Solomon Islands.

The 154-foot Myrtle Hazard was already deployed on an expeditionary patrol in support of Operation Blue Pacific, where the is cutter was protecting against IUU fishing in the EEZs of five different Pacific Island Countries and the high seas.

According to a Coast Guard statement, IUU fishing has replaced piracy as the leading global maritime security threat and has the potential to jeopardize the efforts of PICs to conserve fish stocks, an important renewable resource in the region. 

The Solomon Islands has a population of 652,000 people, and encompasses more than 900 islands.  The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal. It has an EEZ of more than 600,000 square miles.  Like its neighbors in Oceania, the country is reliant of fisheries for sustenance and income.

Myrtle Hazard’s mission followed coordination between the Coast Guard, the Solomon Islands’ commissioner of police, assistant commissioner of police, and the deputy commissioner for national security and operations.

The Coast Guard’s assistance is significant because the government of the Solomon Islands recently signed an agreement on policing cooperation with China and is reportedly in the process of concluding a security agreement that could allow an ongoing Chinese military and naval presence. Such an agreement has been characterized by some as “destabilizing” for the region.

According to the Washington Post, China is trying to formalize agreements with other Pacific island countries on policing, cybersecurity, maritime surveillance, fishing rights and the creation of a free-trade area.

“We need to respond to this because this is China seeking to increase its influence in the region of the world where Australia has been the security partner of choice since the Second World War,” said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Federated States of Micronesia President David Panuelo called the deal a “smokescreen” hiding a Chinese attempt to “acquire access and control of our region.”

“Through Operation Blue Pacific, the United States Coast Guard looks for opportunities to assist our regional partners with maritime governance and security,” said Capt. Craig O’Brien, chief of response of Coast Guard District 14. “Working closely with the Forum Fisheries Agency and the government of Solomon Islands, it was a privilege for the United States Coast Guard to assist the Solomon Islands while their police vessel was down for maintenance.”

With the controversy over China’s engagement with the Pacific nations, and the Solomon Islands in particular, the request from the Solomon Islands to the U.S. Coast Guard is especially meaningful.

MANAMA, Bahrain — A U.S. Coast Guard fast response cutter seized 310 kilograms of heroin worth an estimated U.S. street value of $11 million from a fishing vessel while conducting patrols in the Gulf of Oman, May 31, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs said June 2. 

USCGC Glen Harris (WPC 1144) was operating as part of Combined Task Force 150, one of four task forces under the Combined Maritime Forces. 

The fast response cutter arrived in the U.S. 5th Fleet region in January and operates from Bahrain where Combined Maritime Forces is headquartered with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet. 

Combined Maritime Forces is the largest multinational naval partnership in the world. The U.S.-led international naval force has 34 member nations, which have increased regional patrols to locate and disrupt unlawful maritime activity. 

WASHINGTON — Adm. Linda Fagan succeeded Adm. Karl Schultz on June 1 to become the 27th commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, the first woman to command the service and the first woman to lead any of the U.S. armed services. 

In ceremonies at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, President Joe Biden and Homeland Defense Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas spoke in praise of Shultz’s performance as commandant and of Fagan’s service that influenced her selection as commandant. 

Mayorkas noted that Fagan graduated from the sixth class of the Coast Guard Academy to accept women as cadets — the Class of ’85 — and was the only woman in the crew of the icebreaker USCGC Polar Star in her first assignment. 

“Today is a historic day for the U.S. armed forces and a historic day for the United States,” Mayorkas said. 

Biden spoke of Fagan’s “trail-blazing career,” noting that “there are no doors closed to women” and that Fagan’s daughter Aileen is now a Coast Guard lieutenant. He also noted that Fagan was one of only 16 women — 8% of her class — commissioned at the Coast Guard Academy, but now 40% of the 1,000 cadets at the academy are women.  

“Now we need to keep working to make sure Adm. Fagan may be the first but not the only person [to head a service],” Biden said. “We need to see more women in command at the highest levels of the Coast Guard and across every service in the armed forces.” 

In her first speech as commandant, Fagan praised Schultz for is leadership and dedication. 

“We are truly a more ready, responsive and relevant Coast Guard today as a result of your leadership,” she said of Schultz. “It has been a true honor to serve with you.” 

Fagan collectively thanked the hundreds of people who influenced and mentored her since she decided at age 16 to apply to the Coast Guard Academy, but she singled out one in particular, Adm. Owen Siler, the 15th commandant, who she said had the courage to integrate the Coast Guard Academy in the summer of 1975. 

“If it were not for Owen Siler’s courage, I do not believe I would not be standing here today,” Fagan said. “I want to thank him; I’m wearing his shoulder boards that he wore as 15th commandant.” 

Speaking of her command ahead, Fagan noted “the demand for Coast Guard missions has never been higher. … Today we will advance the Coast Guard America needs for tomorrow. Tomorrow looks different and so will we. We will be more adaptive and connected, generate sustained readiness, resilience and capabilities in new ways to enhance our nation’s maritime safety, security and prosperity.” 

Fagan said her highest priority as commandant will be to “transform our talent management system. We will deliver each of you tools, policy, training and support to succeed across all missions. We will empower you with reliable cutting-edge assets — cutters, boats, aircraft as well as data systems and shore facilities — that you need to remain the world’s best coast guard. We will unite people, assets, systems and data in new ways to be a more agile force.” 

LOCKPORT, La. — Bollinger Shipyards LLC has delivered the USCGC Douglas Denman to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Florida. This is the 175th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 49th Fast Response Cutter delivered under the current program.  

“I could not be more proud of the over 650 men and women of the Bollinger team that built the USCGC Douglas Denman,” said Bollinger President & CEO Ben Bordelon. “Pound for pound, the quality and capabilities of the FRC platform is unmatched and can be looked upon as a model government acquisition program. We look forward to continuing to support the U.S. Coast Guard for decades to come.” 

The USCGC Denman will travel to Alaska where it will be commissioned on September 28 in its new homeport of Ketchikan, in the 17th District of the Coast Guard. Once there, it will serve and safeguard the public, protect the environment and its resources, and defend the nation’s interests in the Alaskan maritime region. The 17th District encompasses over 3,853,500 square miles and over 47,300 miles of shoreline throughout Alaska and the Arctic. 

Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished themselves in the line of duty. 

Douglas Denman joined the Coast Guard at the age of 18. Showing promise as a boat driver, he was sent to New Orleans to train at Higgins Industries, builder of the U.S. military’s first operational landing craft. Denman was assigned to the Number 4 landing craft aboard the USS Colhoun as coxswain. After landing Marine Raiders at Tulagi Island in August 1942, the Colhoun patrolled, delivered provisions and war material to the Marine 1st Division on Guadalcanal Island. During patrols Japanese bombers attacked the Colhoun, with the bombers destroying Denman’s Higgins Boat. 

Denman received severe facial wounds as he was thrown up against a bulkhead. Denman remained onboard as he and a shipmate carried wounded comrades to the ship’s bow and floated them clear of the sinking ship. He and his shipmate gathered dozens of life jackets and threw them to victims struggling to stay afloat in the oily water. Denman managed to jump off the vessel before the ship slid below the surface. Denman saved many lives while risking his own. Denman survived along with 100 of Colhoun’s original crew of 150 officers and men. 

For his wounds and heroism in the face of great danger, Denman received the Silver Star and Purple Heart medals. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Northrop Grumman is integrating the control systems for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Cutters being built by the Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Florida.

The systems are being readied for installation in the four cutters when they are ready to receive the systems. The company is also looking beyond to other programs, including the Navy’s DDG(X) next-generation destroyer program  

Northrop Grumman is “the prime ship integrator for the OPC, amongst delivering many other capabilities to that platform, to include the navigation system, the bridge systems, the machinery control systems,” said Rudy Fernandez, director for Strategy and Business Development, Naval and Oceanic Systems, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, in an interview with Seapower. “So, we integrate all of that, plus other systems for the platform.” 

Northrop Grumman has had plenty of experience integrating systems on other warships, Fernandez said, including bridge and navigation system for the Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, including the WSN-7 and WSN-12 inertial navigation systems and the machinery control systems. 

“The new role for us is the system integrator role, which we really value in the partnership we have with ESG to be able to carry out that role in support of this very critical Coast Guard program,” he said.  

Northrop Grumman’s Maritime Systems and Integration Operating Unit is part of its Naval and Oceanic Systems Business Unit, which is part of the Maritime Land Systems and Sensors Division in Charlottesville, Virginia. The company competed for the OPC contract as part of the Eastern Shipbuilding Group team. 

Northrop Grumman built a land-based test facility and a test and integration facility in Charlottesville that is used to test equipment before it is shipped to ESG. 

“Working with ESG, we’ve also been able to build a mock-up of the [OPC’s] bridge and navigation center so that we could test all the equipment that we are delivering in a much more integrated fashion before it goes on the ship itself,” Fernandez said, noting that the facility is at one of ESG’s shipyards and is helping to reduce risk in the program.  

Fernandez said his company is involved in pursuing the contract for the second batch of OPCs, but he was not at liberty to discuss which builder it was teamed with, “but I can tell you we’re very anxious to see that award come through.” 

He said the down-select was expected “in the near term.” 

Northrop Grumman is looking at the Coast Guard’s Waterways Commerce Cutter program, but Fernandez was not free to provide any details of the company’s plans. The company also is looking at potential work of future contract awards for polar security cutters. Fernandez also said his company was “very attuned” to the Navy’s future DDG(X) program.  

“DDG(X) is an exciting opportunity for us … and we’ve interacted with our customer on several occasions already to understand better where they’re going,” he said, noting Northrop Grumman already delivers the power systems for the SPY-6 radar and SLQ-32 Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program. The effort is focused on the DDG(X)’s integrated power system.  

“We’ve already done a tremendous amount of risk reduction for that platform,” he said. “We’re making as a company tremendous investment in that area.” 

Fernandez also said his company is very interested in developing or adapting power systems and controls for the Navy’s future unmanned surface vessels.  

“That’s going to take a bit of ingenuity because automation and reliability have to come into play,” he said.  

TOKYO — The United States and Japan coast guards formally expanded cooperative agreements and established a new perpetual operation during a ceremony May 18 in Tokyo, the Coast Guard Pacific Area said in a release. 

Vice Adm. Michael McAllister, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, and Vice Adm. Yoshio Seguchi, Japan Coast Guard vice commandant for operations, represented their respective services during the historic document signing ceremony and celebration at Japan Coast Guard Headquarters. 

Although a memorandum of cooperation between the sea services has existed since 2010, strengthened relationships, increasing bilateral engagements and continued focus on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific necessitated expansion of the memorandum. 

The new operation’s name, Sapphire, is an acronym for Solid Alliance for Peace and Prosperity with Humanity and Integrity on the Rule of law-based Engagement, and it honors the gem regarded as an emblem of integrity and affection found throughout the Indo-Pacific. 

Operation Sapphire encompasses all the annual interactions between the Japan and U.S. coast guards, with the goal of increasing interactions over time. 

To formalize the expanded cooperation, annexes were added to the existing memorandum of cooperation outlining Operation Sapphire to include standard operating procedures for combined operations, training and capacity building, and information sharing. 

“We rely on our partners, allies, and like-minded nations to achieve our shared missions,” said McAllister. “As evidenced by this agreement, our relationship with the Japan Coast Guard is stronger than ever, and I am looking forward to many more decades of partnership and collaborative operations in the Indo-Pacific.” 

“We will conduct smooth cooperation in the fields of joint operation, capacity building and information sharing by this agreement,” said Seguchi. “Sapphire embodies the rule-of-law based engagement between the coast guards, and we will expand the principle of Free and Open Indo-Pacific to other nations.” 

WASHINGTON — Master Chief Jason M. Vanderhaden was relieved as Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard by Master Chief Heath B. Jones during a military change-of-watch ceremony May 19 at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, New Jersey.  

Vanderhaden also retired from the Coast Guard after 34 years of service to the nation directly following the ceremony and received the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal. 

“I’m grateful for the tremendous leadership of our senior enlisted leader corps and amazing Chief’s Mess, they are truly the backbone of our service,” said Vanderhaden. “It’s been an honor to serve as the 13th MCPOCG, and I look forward to observing the great work of our next leadership team. Together we are the world’s best Coast Guard. Semper Paratus!”  

Vanderhaden assumed the duties of the 13th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard on May 17, 2018. The MCPOCG is the highest senior enlisted member of the Coast Guard and the principal adviser to the Commandant on all enlisted personnel matters. 

Jones, now the service’s 14th MCPOCG, previously served as the Command Master Chief for the Deputy Commandant for Mission Support at Coast Guard Headquarters.  

The office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard was established by legislative action on August 27, 1969, to provide the Commandant with a personal adviser and assistant in matters affecting the enlisted members of the Coast Guard, both active and reserve, and their families. The normal tour of assignment is four years, which runs concurrently with the Commandant of the Coast Guard.

NEW LONDON, Conn. — The U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduated 252 new officers, along with nine international students, with keynote speaker Vice President Kamala Harris in attendance during the 141st Commencement Exercises May 18, the academy said May 18. 

The Class of 2022 consisted of 87 cadets from underrepresented minority groups, including the largest number of Asian American and Pacific Islanders to graduate in academy history.  

This year also marked the second highest number of cadets to commission into the Coast Guard in addition to 21 Cyber Systems graduates, the first to graduate from the newly instituted major to meet the needs of the service’s cybersecurity strategy of defending cyber space, enabling operations, and protecting infrastructure.  

The new officers will begin to serve as leaders in a variety of operational roles throughout the Coast Guard, mostly on cutters. 

Nine graduating international cadets from the countries of Cambodia, Iceland, Jordan, Mexico, Madagascar, Palau, Panama, Rwanda and the Ukraine will serve in their respective countries of origin. 

“We view our cadets as our eyes and ears and hands and hearts, wherever you serve,” said Harris. “You are doing the critical work — you will be doing the critical work to protect our country, to advance our interests, and to shape the trajectory of world affairs.” 

Founded in 1876, the Coast Guard Academy is one of the five U.S. service academies and is ranked among the nation’s most prestigious and selective institutions of higher learning. 

MANAMA, Bahrain — A U.S. Coast Guard fast response cutter seized illicit narcotics from a fishing vessel while conducting patrols in the Gulf of Oman, May 15, Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs said May 15. 

USCGC Glen Harris (WPC 1144) seized 182 kilograms of heroin, 182 kilograms of methamphetamine, 27 kilograms of amphetamine pills and 568 kilograms of hashish with a total estimated U.S. street value of $17 million. 

Glen Harris was operating as part of Combined Task Force 150, one of four task forces within the Combined Maritime Forces. The international naval force has increased regional patrols to locate and disrupt unlawful maritime activity. 

On May 12, USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) interdicted a separate fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman and seized methamphetamine and hashish worth $10,000, following the seizure of $4 million in heroin May 5 by United Kingdom frigate HMS Montrose (F 236).  

Combined Maritime Forces is the largest multinational naval partnership in the world. The organization includes 34 nations and is headquartered in Bahrain with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet. 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate confirmed Adm. Linda Fagan Wednesday to lead the Coast Guard as its next commandant, said Kara Noto of the Coast Guard’s MYCG staff. 

Fagan will be the first woman to lead a U.S. military service branch.   

Fagan has served as the service’s vice commandant since June 2021, when she became the first woman four-star admiral in Coast Guard history.  

The White House issued the following May 12 statement from President Joe Biden: 

“It is with deep pride that I congratulate Admiral Linda L. Fagan on her confirmation by the Senate as Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. Admiral Fagan is the Coast Guard’s first woman to hold the rank of four-star admiral. Today, she again makes history not only as the first woman to lead the Coast Guard—but also as the first woman Service Chief of any U.S. military service. Admiral Fagan’s leadership, experience, and integrity are second to none, and I know she will advance the Coast Guard’s mission to ensure our nation’s maritime safety and security.  

“My administration is committed to seeing more qualified women in senior leadership and command roles; making sure women can succeed and thrive throughout their military careers. Today, Admiral Fagan’s confirmation as Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard signals to women and girls across our nation they have a place in protecting their country at the highest level.” 

The Senate also confirmed five other significant roles:   

• Vice Commandant – Adm. Steven D. Poulin  
• Deputy Commandant for Operations – Rear Adm. Peter Gautier   
• Commander, District 14 – Rear Adm. Michael H. Day    
• Commander, Atlantic Area – Rear Adm. Kevin Lunday   
• Commander, Pacific Area – Rear Adm. Andrew J. Tiongson   

Previously announced senior leadership assignments include:  

• First District Commander – RADM J.W. Mauger  
• Fifth District Commander – RADM (Select) S.N. Gilreath  
• Seventh District Commander – RADM (Select) B.C. McPherson  
• Eighth District Commander – RADM (Select) R.V. Timme  
• Ninth District Commander – RADM M.J. Johnston  
• Eleventh District Commander – RADM (Select) A.M. Sugimoto  
• Thirteenth District Commander – RADM M.W. Bouboulis  
• Seventeenth District Commander – RADM N.A. Moore