iFORCECOM: Your Window To The FORCECOM World
iFORCECOM is the website of the United States Coast Guard Force Readiness Command, which is part of the Modernization Effort.
The Force Readiness Command (FORCECOM) is the Coast Guard's first command solely responsible for preparing forces to perform missions and execute them properly.
FORCECOM is charged with the current and future readiness of the Coast Guard's workforce -- Active Duty, Reserve, Auxiliary, Civilian and Contractor -- to ensure they will be ready when called to execute their missions.
iFORCECOM received the following post from Training Center Petaluma:
Training Center Petaluma hosted Women’s Leadership Forum in which several senior female Coast Guard members talked about their Coast Guard careers, and answered questions from the audience or submitted via e-mail on 26 Oct 2009. Questions posed to the panelists ranged from child care issues, women’s health care issues, to coping skills faced by women who might be the only female member at a unit.
This standing room only event brought students and staff members to hear a panel which included: VADM Jody Breckenridge, Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area; Master Chief Leilani Cale-Jones, District 14 Command Master Chief; Chief Warrant Officer DeAnna Melleby, Supervisor, Electronic System Support Detachment Petaluma; MSTCS Damara Oos, Chief Petty Officer Academy staff; FSC Angela Wilson, Food Service School staff; and OSC Charissa Ramp, OS “A” School instructor. The wide range of the panel members' specialties, along with their differing personal experiences gave a broad collection of perspectives and advice.
In addition, three very special guests were in attendance. Ms. Elfie Larkin, Ms. Morella Staggs, and Ms Barbara Eirls were honored for their service in the SPARS.
iFORCECOM received the following post and accompanying video from the Coast Guard Performance Technology Center at Training Center Yorktown:
Dr. Diane Gayeski, who is internationally recognized as a scholar/practitioner and futurist in human performance technology, delivered the keynote address at the ninth annual Human Performance Technology (HPT) workshop held in Williamsburg, VA during late Sept.
Dr. Gayeski’s presentation focused on the millennial generation or the “nexters” and provides a healthy balance of personal insight and professional rigor to form some opinions and approach strategies to actively engage the next generation of our global workforce. A brief video snippet of her presentation is here.
As CEO of Gayeski Analytics, Diane Gayeski, Ph.D. has led more than 350 projects with clients worldwide, helping them to assess and adopt new organizational communication and learning methods. She is currently serving as Interim Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies at Ithaca College, where she has been a full-time tenured faculty member in strategic communication for over 30 years. Among her teaching duties, she directs and facilitates online courses in the college's Professional Certificate in Performance Improvement Management, in partnership with International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI). She is also an adjunct graduate faculty member in Boise State University's program in instructional and performance technology.
Dr. Gayeski is the author of 14 books, a frequent speaker at conferences and executive briefings, and was honored by ISPI as their 2008 recipient of the Distinguished Professional Achievement Award.
To view the entire presentation, go to the Human Performance Technology (HPT) Workshop website.
Training Center Cape May will be the host for ESPN’s “1st and 10” Veterans’ Salute on 11 November. Coast Guard members will take part in the sports program and make up the audience. A set is to be built at the training center and part of the program will feature the base.
Seven Guardians are slated to take part in the show discussing sports with the hosts.
The show is scheduled to originate from several bases around the country. Service members will make up the audience at each location.
“1st and 10” is part of a two-hour sports talk and debate television program called First Take. It is broadcast on ESPN weekdays at 10:00 AM and noon ET, and a standalone program on ESPN2 at 2:30 PM each afternoon.
To see some of ESPN’s promos, click here.
The cutter section of the Readiness Dashboard is now available for a two-week test in CGBI following months of development that included collaboration between the FORCECOM Measurement Implementation Team (FORMIT), the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, the Performance Technology Center, CG-0954, OSC Martinsburg and the Aviation, Cutter and DOG communities.
At implementation, the cutter section of the Dashboard reports on PACAREA Mature Class cutters and WHEC 378s via the recently updated Mature Class and WHEC SORTS (Status of Readiness and Training System) decision aids with added dashboard data transmission functionality. The Performance Technology Center has completed work on the WMEC (270) and WMEC (210) decision aids, and is nearing completion of the WMSL SORTS decision aid.
In addition to cutters, the Readiness Dashboard will also monitor the readiness of FORCECOM aviation units and the Deployable Operations Group (DOG). Both the aviation and DOG sections are being finalized and will be brought “online” in the near future.
The dashboard uses CGBI’s software and metrics to provide current personnel, equipment, supply and training information to senior decision-makers and the distributed workforce.
Please share your feedback on the cutter dashboard, by sending your comments to askforcecom@uscg.mil.
iFORCECOM received the following post from Training Center Yorktown:
Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown held a memorial service On Tuesday, 20 October 2009, to honor the lives of 11 Guardians who lost their lives onboard CGC CUYAHOGA. In 1978 the CGC CUYAHOGA departed the pier from Training Center Yorktown with 13 crewmembers and 16 officer candidates for an overnight training mission that tragically ended when the Argentinean cargo vessel "Santa Cruz II" struck the CUYHAOGA on her starboard side. Within two minutes, CUYHAOGA rapidly flooded and sank.
Five surviving crewmembers, the families of the lost guardians, as well as several OCS staff members attended the memorial ceremony. The ceremony was held in the "Olde Yorke" chapel with RADM William (Dean) Lee, Commanding Officer Deployable Operations Group, presiding.
iFORCECOM received the following post from Training Center Yorktown:
Training Center Yorktown hosted 80 students from the Marine Corps JROTC located at J.R. Tucker High School in Richmond, VA. The students were treated to a "mini" Missions Day during which they learned about Coast Guard damage control, basic small boat nomenclature, line throwing, oil spill response, pollution investigation, aids to navigation operations, as well as search and rescue. Students were also able to feel the heat of the Damage Control Fire Simulator and got to try their hand at line throwing.
iFORCECOM received the following post from Aviation Training Center Mobile:
ATC Mobile’s LT Thomas “Tank” Shuler became the first operational Coast Guard UAS (Unmanned Aerial Surveillance) pilot as he landed his Predator-B aircraft in Sierra Vista, AZ. He completed his final qualification check flight on Wednesday, 21 October at the Customs and Boarder Patrol (CBP) Predator-B training facility.
LT Shuler will return to Aviation training Center, Mobile to develop the Coast Guard’s UAS training and standardization program; he will also deploy routinely as part of the Coast Guard’s partnership with CBP to Sierra Vista, with future deployments to operating locations in Jacksonville and Corpus Christi to gain operational experience.
iFORCECOM received the following post from the Coast Guard Performance Technology Center at Training Center Yorktown.
The Coastal Patrol Boat Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS), which was designed, developed, built and tested by a team from the Performance Technology Center, Training Center Yorktown’s Training Division and experts from Naval Engineering community, is credited with helping an operational cutter correct a problem with its ship service diesel generator and return to operations. The Coast Guard Cutter FINBACK remarked in record message traffic on 21 October that, “During repair, the EPSS Manual was also used and provided an invaluable tool to correctly install and time the pump.”
The CPB EPSS:
1. Was designed and released in 2004 to support the performance of engineers aboard 87’ CPB’s
2. Supports operation, maintenance, troubleshooting and repair of:
a. Kobelt steering system
b. EVAC Vacuum toilet
c. York HVAC
d. Ship Service Diesel Generator switchboard
c. EDI alarm panel
d. MAN generator set
3. A 2007 evaluation showed that by using the EPSS, engineers were able to perform required tasks without the need for formal training on each system.
4. Evaluation data has shown:
a. 61% of the supervisors surveyed indicated the EPSS increased their subordinates' performance of tasks related to the systems.
b. 68% of the engineers surveyed indicated the EPSS decreased the time they spent troubleshooting problems.
c. 55% of the engineers surveyed indicated the EPSS increased their ability to execute preventative maintenance.
5. A second version is releasing within the next month that will include maintenance updates and additional modules including the Autopilot and Gyrocompass.
The Performance Technology Center (PTC) is dedicated to improving human performance. It uses human performance technology techniques and tools to analyze workforce performance problems. Through continuous analysis, study, and evaluation, the PTC works to identify the emergent practice and performance technology opportunities to support the people that power the organization.
Available on the CG-Web, the PTC also maintains electronic performance support systems and on-demand skill support (for Port Engineers, 87’ Coastal Patrol Boat engineers and NSC engineers), and a comprehensive resource for survey creation and data analysis. PTC also hosts the annual, no cost, Human Performance Technology workshop every September.
Congresswoman Lynn Wolsey, D-CA6, will be among the dignitaries when the Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma unveils a four-acre solar array on its grounds in a ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1500. CAPT Christopher Hall, the Commanding Officer at Training Center Petaluma, and a SilRay representative will also participate in the ceremony.
The $6 million project, which was completed earlier this month, is part of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with SilRay, Inc. of Palo Alto, CA, and the first PPA in the history of the Coast Guard.
Through this PPA, the contractor builds, owns and operates the solar photovoltaic system on Coast Guard property and sells the energy back to the facility at a contracted rate over the life of the contract. SilRay is constructing an array that will produce approximately 875 kW, giving Training Center Petaluma a total of 1 megawatt of solar photovoltaic production. It is estimated this project will save the Training Center over $1.5M in energy costs over the life of the contract.
The array is built on undeveloped land that was previously utilized by a local farmer for agricultural use under a lease program.
For more information on the event, click here.
iFORCECOM received the following post from the Coast Guard Performance Technology Center:
RADM Tim Sullivan addressed over 450 attendees in his Opening Address at the 9th annual Human Performance Technology (HPT) Workshop in Williamsburg, VA Sept. 23.
RADM Sullivan discussed the benefits the HPT community has brought to the Coast Guard, lauding its efforts and innovations as revolutionary and fundamentally changing the way the Service conducts its business. He said, “Human Performance Technology is uniquely suited to transforming organizations by optimizing deck plate performance to achieve business goals.”
RADM Sullivan challenged the attendees to examine and challenge the status quo and added, “we must be careful not to change simply for change sake, but be bold enough to reevaluate all our business processes to ensure we have a robust and healthy readiness chain that continually pushes effective safe and efficient mission execution.”
To read RADM Sullivan’s speech in its entirety, click here.
Be sure to stay tuned to iFORCECOM for upcoming posts concerning the HPT Workshop with excerpts from the keynote speaker, Dr. Diane Gayeski and the closing speaker, CWO Mario Vittone.
The FORCECOM Finance and Administration Assessment Inspection Program has set its schedule to conduct 219 visits to Coast Guard units over the next 12 months. The FORCECOM Finance and Administration Assessment sections, FC-752 in Alameda and FC-75 DET 2 in Norfolk, help CG units ensure their compliance with applicable laws, regulations and policies. These visits are conducted on a two- or three-year cycle.
FC-7’s goal is to provide total visibility of all inspection programs to units, program managers and support activities so it can assist units to be better informed when making decisions.
To review the visit schedule, you can go to R 051452Z OCT 09 COMCOGARD FORCECOM ALAMEDA CA//FC-75//. The Finance and Administration checklists can be found at http://cgcentral.uscg.mil/, under the CG Force Readiness Command tab.
iFORCECOM received the following post from the Performance Technology Center (PTC) at Training Center Yorktown:
LT Allison Middleton of the Performance Technology Center (PTC) at Training Center Yorktown has been selected for the USA Armed Forces Softball Team and will be flying to Oklahoma to compete in the National Championship!
LT Middleton is the first Coast Guard person to be selected for this prestigious honor!
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