Asian engagement

Just after 10 a.m. May 23, a 25-piece band lined up on a pier at the Japan coast guard's Maritime Disaster Prevention Complex in Yokohoma; a city about 40 miles south of Tokyo. In the distance, following behind a tug and barge, the red and blue racing stripe on the bow of the CGC Jarvis was vaguely visible.

The Jarvis made its way to the pier, and the band members raised their instruments and struck up a rendition of Semper Paratus. Next to the band, JCG officers waited in formation to greet the Jarvis and its crew.

The Jarvis approached the pier and moments later a deckhand from the 378-foot Honolulu-based cutter tossed a heaving line to an awaiting JCG line handler, signifying the start of the Jarvis' month-long mission to raise the interaction among the world's coast guards to a new level.

"Partnership is the key to making good things happen," said Capt. Michael Blair, commanding officer of the Coast Guard's Far East Activities. "Throughout the world, the U.S. is trying to build better relationships and better understandings with other countries."

During a meeting of the North Pacific Heads of Coast Guards in Canada last fall, Korea Coast Guard Commissioner Lee Seung Jae suggested to U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thomas H. Collins that Collins send a cutter to Asia. Initially it would be sent just to South Korea, but Japan was quickly added to the itinerary--to give the crews the opportunity to get some hands on operational engagement with each other.

"This exchange just moves us closer to being able to cooperatively respond to any situation," said Capt. Michael Jett, the Jarvis' commanding officer. "Also, it puts a name on the other end of the phone line when we need cooperation for pressing maritime issues."

The NPHCG is an information-sharing network established by the United States, Japan, South Korea, People's Republic of China, and Russia coast guard services. It meets regularly to discuss, among other topics, ways to improve the enforcement of international fisheries laws and the prevention of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activity along the Pacific Ocean's Exclusive Economic Zones. There is keen focus on the EEZ of these countries and the prevention of illegal fishing.

"There are limited [fish] resources that need to be protected," Jett said. "We hope to send the message that proper management and conservation will be to everyone's long-term benefit."

The week in Yokohama was a busy one for both the U.S. and Japan coast guards. Using the 3,500-ton JCG patrol vessel PL31 Izu as a platform, boarding teams from each service spent a day demonstrating their procedures for taking control of the crew on a hostile vessel, and the JCG showed off their small boat maneuvering skills.

The Jarvis also participated in the JCG's annual Sea Review and Comprehensive Drill; the rough equivalent of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Week. This three-day event was the JCG's chance to show Japan's Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation the capabilities of their crews and surface and air assets.

"Sea Review is a strong message by the Japan coast guard of their many capabilities, strengths, number of assets, and the fact that they're working with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force," said Blair. "Other nations seeing these events would be impressed by their capabilities."

Hundreds of spectators, lining the rails of the reviewing vessels, watched as fire-fighting boats, spouting red, yellow, blue and green water from fire monitors, kicked off the start of the Sea Review. Following this display, the JCG performed elaborate formation flights with fixed wing and rotor aircraft, rescue drills and multiple law enforcement takedown maneuvers.

Jett said that because JCG deals with encroachment issues everyday, the U.S. Coast Guard has much to learn from JCG's highly developed multi-unit tactics to stop suspicious vessels, tactics that could be used to stop a USS Cole-type attack.

"While we could teach them a few things, we probably have more to learn from them," he said, adding that the JCG's individual professional skills, such as rescue diving, also warrant a closer look.

Jett said he was most impressed by the newness and quality of the JCG's technology. Their state-of-the-art ships and small boats are equipped to handle grand-scale disasters and to fight fires both in and out of the port. He also said JCG's ability to tow floundering merchant vessels could save millions of dollars in clean up costs and the associated costs to the environment.

"Deepwater is clearly needed soon," he said, referring to the U.S. Coast Guard's long term project to replace its aging cutters with a fleet of new, highly-advanced ships.

The U.S. Coast Guard's presence in Japan first appeared in 1947 when Capt. Frank Meals worked with General Douglas MacArthur to establish the Japan Maritime Safety Agency that eventually evolved into the Japan Coast Guard. Following that, in 1952, the U.S. Coast Guard's Far East Section (now Far East Activities) opened a long-range aid to navigation station at Yokota Air Base. Although it worked with the Japanese government to develop a coast guard modeled after the United States', Blair agrees that there is much to be learned from the JCG.

"We share information and officers, and are continually improving," Blair said. "Japan is one of our strongest allies and we are very optimistic about the future."

With the completion of its Japanese visit, the Jarvis headed west toward South Korea for the second leg of the journey. The cutter arrived in the Port of Incheon; a city about 20 miles east of Seoul, June 3. And, once again it moored to the sound of military marches; this time played by the Korea coast guard band.

The Maritime Safety Division of the Korean National Maritime Police Agency was founded in 1953. The agency picked up steam about 15 years ago and is now known as the Korea coast guard. The KCG gradually added missions such as search and rescue, fisheries and pollution control. Its transition from police agency to multi-faceted maritime service will be complete with the construction of a new headquarters in Incheon this year.

"Korea coast guard is such a professional organization," said Cmdr. Todd Gatlin, the U.S. Coast Guard Liaison Officer for the Jarvis' visit to Incheon. "They had set very high standards and didn't want to fall below those standards. They did the best job they could to meet those expectations."

Gatlin reported to Yongsan Army Garrison in 2003 to work with the U.S. Navy and the Korean navy on harbor defense and port security. He said that before he arrived no one had approached the KCG about collaborating. When Commissioner Lee broached the idea of a U.S. Coast Guard cutter visit to Asia at the NPHCG meeting last year, Gatlin stepped up to the plate.

"Our coast guards are going to become a lot closer," Gatlin said. "We haven't worked together much and there's a lot we can do."

Although there wasn't time for as many exercises, as with the JCG, there was still plenty of information and practices to exchange. The three thousand-ton KCG 3005, a two-year-old high-tech patrol vessel, moored outboard of the Jarvis to better accommodate the drills and demonstrations shared between the two crews.

The first day of exercises included a Jarvis' boarding team demonstrating its boarding and non-compliant vessel seizure tactics using the 3005's wide passage-ways and modern bridge as a playing field. Then, with the Jarvis' crew lining Jarvis' flight deck rails, the KCG surprised the onlookers with a thunderous display by neutralizing an explosive ordinance found hidden in the 3005's hangar.

The Jarvis also held a damage control "round robin" to show an audience of the KCG members their methods of patching busted pipes and operating dewatering pumps. The Jarvis' deck force members entertained the crowd by testing their own adeptness on the proper way to don a survival suit, followed by a demonstration of several different abandon ship techniques.

On the second day of planned exercises, the two ships got underway for a series of helicopter rescue hoist drills and law enforcement tactics demonstrations. Jett said he was impressed by the KCG's alertness and responsiveness to encroachment dangers, and attributes KCG's efficiency largely to their geographical position in the world.

The Jarvis' visit to Japan and Korea aimed to nurture existing relationships, as well as build new ones. Jett said there is always someone trying to smuggle contraband, humans or weapons across international borders and seaports, and worldwide shipping brings increased security concerns and the potential for terrorist activity. Although there are distinct differences among the coast guards, they share one basic desire: security.

"This exchange opens communication and hopefully provides the first steps to stop illegal activity and ensure mutual protection from organizations that mean to cause harm," Jett said.

The Jarvis only had eight weeks to prepare for this trip. Boatswain's mates and seamen had to prep and prime the ship for painting, food service specialists had to plan for several high-quality meals and VIP receptions, the navigators had to make sure they had all the correct charts and flags, and the engineers needed to overhaul the quarterdeck gear to make sure it was in perfect condition.

Korean and Japanese translators were gathered from around the country, including two Korean-American Coast Guard Academy cadets; two Army Specialists; one from the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area Command staff; and two from Far East Activities. Research was needed to explore the cultural expectations of Korea and Japan, and drills needed to be rehearsed. In addition, because of transfer season, the Jarvis faced personnel shortages and relied on several crewmembers assigned temporarily to fill the gaps.

"We would have loved more time, but that's the way it goes," said Jett. "Jarvis' crew rallied hard and I feel they met the challenge. But then again, they are the CGC Jarvis."

Story and photos by PA1 Amy Thomas, PacArea

COPYRIGHT 2005 U.S. Coast Guard
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group