Yesterday the delegates had a full day of tours starting with demonstrations of U.S. Coast Guard capabilities. Team Seattle put on quite a show onboard cutters Polar Sea and Mellon, the Sector Seattle Command Center, Station Seattle and MSST 91113. Additionally the delegates had the opportunity to pick up some CG memorabilia at the superb Seattle Exchange. The delegates then traveled to and toured the Boeing 787 Dreamliner manufacturing line in Everett; all were thoroughly impressed by the amazing technological and manufacturing processes used to build this impressive jet. The day closed with a farewell reception, hosted by Vice Adm. Charles Wurster, where the delegates reflected on the week's accomplishments and camaraderie.
A quick review of the work accomplished during the week demonstrates just how effective these meetings were. A detailed laydown of assets for this year's High Seas Drift Net (HSDN)/IUU operations was coordinated between all members; the plan reflects the most coordinated operation to date. Initial planning was completed for a major field exercise in 2009 to be hosted in the Vancouver/Puget Sound region. Full agreement is within grasp on several major policy and procedure documents that will govern how the NPCG Forum operates in the future. A very productive week by the delegates.
Now that this event is closed out the U.S. NPCG Forum organizing team will catch up on some sleep, then start culling through the numerous lessons learned to refine our San Francisco Summit plans. The Seattle team should be very proud of their accomplishment; I have received several e-mails from delegations thanking the U.S. side for a very enjoyable Experts Meeting. That's a wrap from Seattle. Tune in during the September Summit for more stories from the North Pacific CG Forum.
Capt. Robert Day
Deputy Commander, Maintenance and Logistics Command Pacific
Planning Team Lead
9th Experts Meeting, North Pacific Coast Guard Forum
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