About the Operations Program

The mission of Auxiliary operations is to provide operational, logistics, and training support to appropriate Coast Guard programs. 14 U.S.C. § 826 and 831 authorize the Coast Guard to utilize suitably trained Auxiliarists and Auxiliary facilities to carry out this mission.

Surface operations and the Boat Crew Training Program are at the heart of many Auxiliary Flotilla activities. Multi-mission patrols are carried out by trained and certified coxswains and crew, under U.S. Coast Guard-issued orders using Coast Guard-approved vessels (boats) or "facilities" offered for use by Auxiliary members.

Qualified Auxiliarists and their facilities may be assigned to duty to assist with and conduct search and rescue operations in support of the Coast Guard. These duties include search planning, communications support, and search and rescue operations. As such, Auxiliarists must be qualified per current Coast Guard directives and serve under the active duty unit commander's direction.

The Operations program is a very high visibility program - both in the eyes of the Coast Guard as well as the boating public. The Operations programs are among the most extensive in the Auxiliary and missions typically include:

• Promoting safe boating;
• Search and Rescue (SAR);
• Regatta or marine event support;
• Rendering assistance to distressed persons or vessels ;
• Ports, waterways, and coastal safety zones;
• Aids to navigation verification, especially private aids;
• Chart updating;
• Bridge survey support and augmentation;
• Marine environmental protection & pollution response;
• Waterways management support;
• Logistics transport.

For those new members wanting to join the Operations program, it is highly recommended they fully understand the training and time commitment which these programs will require. For our experienced members, continual training of crews and coxswains is essential to maintaining the high quality standards which is expected of every member in our Operations programs.

Lennine Occino
Operations (DSO-OP)
Ninth Western District Region
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary