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When Admiral Robert J. Papp assumed the duties of the 24th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard on May 25, 2010, he also served notice that it won’t be business as usual at headquarters. Papp, unlike his three immediate prede- cessors, apparently has no intention of setting the world on fire by institut- ing sweeping changes. Inside the Coast Guard, the proverbial round turn is probably good news. For maritime busi- nesses that trudge along under the collective weight of mounting regulatory bur- dens, an arguably willing partner now resides in the C- suite. From Papp’s perspective, the overar- ching link for all of the Coast Guard’s collective missions is the maritime aspect of their service. The Coast Guard’s most experi- enced mariner is unapologetic about insisting that everyone under his command experience some aspect of seagoing life. It is here where he has some Coasties nervous and the commercial mar- itime world sitting up to take notice. MARITIME REGULATORS: MARITIME FOCUS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED At Coast Guard headquarters in March, we asked the Commandant what he would tell other Coast Guard personnel who cannot, due to limited seagoing billets, follow in his footsteps. Papp responded, “There are plenty of other communities in our service that provide tremendous value. However, there is a maritime component to everything that we do. I’ve stopped calling us a seagoing service and now, I say we are a maritime service. But, I don’t let people off the hook – if you are in a maritime service, then you ought to understand what ‘maritime’ is all about. No one has yet made a logical argument to me that there is not value to spending time on the water. If you have not been exposed to being cold, wet, tired and yes – maybe even seasick – then how can you pos- sibly regulate the maritime indus- try, enforce regulations, etc. I’m not saying it is necessary to be a cutterman, but if you are going to handle credential- ing, maybe you ought to go out and ride a com- mercial ship.” Papp’s unambiguous respect for the seagoing trades and 200,000+ domestic, credentialed merchant mariners, the change in tone may also signal a renewed effort to continue improvements in the mariner credentialing process at the National Maritime Center (NMC). Papp’s new focus probably had little to do with April’s DHS announcement that the Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC) will be re-estab- lished. As a matched pair, they form a happy accident. THE YEAR OF THE FAMILY ADM Papp says that the “Year of the Family” involves enhanc- ing quality of life. And, he does not give the federal government high marks for support extended to Coast Guard families, espe- cially in comparison to the other military branches. “We don’t get the same consideration – we fall under Homeland Security. The Department of Defense can get Economy of Sale because they have large bases. For instance, I now live on what used to be the former Bolling Air Force Base. There are one thousand people there. You can build a Commissary, a PX and services that serve those peo- ple effectively. Conversely, our people are spread out geo- graphically and don’t get the same services. They spend three times as much for child care in Department of Defense as they spend on us, per capita. We got some increases in this year’s budget and some billets to expand within the child development centers. Housing is still a concern. The DoD has 34 Maritime Professional 2Q 2011 MARITIME REGULATORY REVIEW “No one has yet made a logical argument to me that there is not value to spending time on the water. If you have not been exposed to being cold, wet, tired and yes – maybe even seasick – then how can you possibly regulate the maritime industry, enforce regulations, etc. I’m not saying it is necessary to be a cut- terman, but if you are going to handle cre- dentialing, maybe you ought to go out and ride a commercial ship.”
