OFL and its related system were created to “help deter the use of small vessels for boat bomb attacks, weapons conveyance, or other terrorist or criminal activity.” OFL is a heavy-lift for us to gear up our missions for data capture and input – but it is essential for active-duty’s requirements to meet DHS’ Small Vessel Security Strategy and the related Implementation Plan.
COMO Alex Malewski has appointed IPDCAPT SECNY-S David Porter to be the DSO-MDA, reporting into the directorate that COMO Malewski asked me to take on. Dave Porter and I have some calibration meetings scheduled in the offing with the COTPs (NY and SECLIS) and their staffs to make sure that we understand what active-duty needs of us and what we can do to respond in that regard. Around that mission, Dave Porter is building an ADSO staff with some familiar faces from past MDA regimes and some new ones. I am very excited about what will be coming out of this organization.
Hundreds of your fellow members have already been trained via the MDA Workshop, 4.1.1, over the years. Interested? Ask your flotilla commander to find out more. And join the group whose motto is simple:
Never Forget – Never Falter – Never Fail
Respectfully,
Vin Pica
Commodore Vincent T. Pica, II
District Directorate Chief – Innovation & Strategy
Immediate Past District Commodore
First District Southern Region
Assistant National Commodore – Recreational Boating
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Commodore Vin Pica teaches Marine Domaine Awareness strategies to a helmsman. USCG Auxiliary Photo by Marion Sarafin.