Okay, I am a big fan of having Auxies augment CG units whenever possible and I have been continually amazed at all the things Auxies have been doing in the program. Others have sort of complained that this aspect of Auxie life gets a disproportionate share of public affairs attention, especially when you consider how few Auxies actually do it.

Well, the latest issue of the Navigator may have even swung me into that camp.
1. Cover story -- CG Auxie augments in Persian Gulf. Can anyone tell what is on his org name tape? The article implies that it was probably USCG Aux, but I can't read it. Note the desert uniform.
2. Article on Auxies augmenting at TRACEN.
3. Article on Auxie augmenting at a MSD
4. NOAA staff member who is Auxie helps set up science system while underway (as an Auxie) on a cutter in AK. Not exaxtly an augmentation mission, but pretty close.

All of these make great articles and show how great the relationship is between the Aux and the CG. However, anyone reading this issue would definetely come away with the impression that this is common and is a primary activity within the Aux, which is not the case.

quote:

Originally posted by RiverAux:
Okay, I am a big fan of having Auxies augment CG units whenever possible and I have been continually amazed at all the things Auxies have been doing in the program. Others have sort of complained that this aspect of Auxie life gets a disproportionate share of public affairs attention, especially when you consider how few Auxies actually do it.

Well, the latest issue of the Navigator may have even swung me into that camp.
1. Cover story -- CG Auxie augments in Persian Gulf. Can anyone tell what is on his org name tape? The article implies that it was probably USCG Aux, but I can't read it. Note the desert uniform.
2. Article on Auxies augmenting at TRACEN.
3. Article on Auxie augmenting at a MSD
4. NOAA staff member who is Auxie helps set up science system while underway (as an Auxie) on a cutter in AK. Not exaxtly an augmentation mission, but pretty close.

All of these make great articles and show how great the relationship is between the Aux and the CG. However, anyone reading this issue would definetely come away with the impression that this is common and is a primary activity within the Aux, which is not the case.

Or could be that because it's not that common that it is NEWS and worth writing about. None of the Catholic priests were accused of any sexual improprieties in the paper today. It wasn't exactly news, though, and there was no article to mention it. The reverse, of course, would have definitely "made the news"...

Personally, I'd rather read about that stuff than see another picture of 40 VE's standing around a canoe giving it a VSC.

Oh, I agree it is definetely more interesting, but it just isn't representative of the Aux or the priorities the CG has set for the organization.

Baloo, that's an amusing image--I sure hope you're grossly exaggerating!
You're right--it's pretty darn difficult to make interesting Navigator stories for each issue based on routine activities, inspections, or patrols. I suppose a lot of Coasties have a similar complaint when the only CG stories that tend to be highlighted in the media (other than those related to Deepwater and similar negative press) are related to rescues and smuggling interdictions.
What are some suggestions to make the contents of the Navigator more representative and appealing? Perhaps have themed issues, or include segments of instructional content? According to the magazine's masthead, the Navigator is an "official informational and educational tool for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and is intended as a training vehicle and publication. . . ." Is it really educational, and how much training does it deliver?
Perhaps we have too many AUX publications, and the Navigator should either be eliminated or revamped. We have Flotilla newsletters and the Division and District magazines. There are also some National Department newsletters, plus the Beacon, as well as the AUX web sites and electronic mailings. Are we being overfed and undernourished?

Augmentation? I thought everytime I was out on my OPFAC I was "augmenting."

We use "augmentation" here to mean working directly with a Coast Guard unit, either in their offices or on their cutters. Usually these duties are those you would report as CG Operational Support in Auxdata though a lot of the new Marine Safety activities could also be called "augmentation" in this context.

Broadly speaking, you are correct that an Aux boatcrew is augmenting the capabilities of the CG.

Well, in my neck of the woods -- the AUXAIR program is nearly 100% augmenting the AIRSTA and Sectors. Rarely, do I not have an active duty Coastie on board the aircraft. Too bad you want to kill the program...

Again, not really "augmentation" as the terms has been used on the board for the last few years.

quote:

Originally posted by RiverAux:
Again, not really "augmentation" as the terms has been used on the board for the last few years.

I find it interesting that we've been using the word "augmentation" or "direct augmentation" for several years, but nobody has ever specifically defined it. (It was assumed, I guess, that every knew what was being talked about. )

Perhaps the definition of "augmentation" should be something like: Serving in a Coast Guard sea or shore billet which is or would be routinely, normally, or customarily filled by Active Duty or Reserve personnel.

Would that do it?

...gjd

Seems good to me.
However, the Aux certainly doesn't help things much by their lack of consistency in how augmentation-like duties are reported. For example, there actually is a "crew augmentation" as well as an "officer of the day" category in Auxdata. Obviously some overlap there.

Would that do it?

As used by Auxies since the old Member Forum, augmentation never included the use of Aux facilities; air, surface or comms. And it didn't matter if a Coastie was aboard or not. So the definiton generally works.

There is a gray area in the definition. Both Coasties and Auxies do UPVEs and the other commercial exams - so are they augmentation or not?

Well, the latest issue of the Navigator

Have you found any uniform and/or policy violations yet?

However, anyone reading this issue would definetely come away with the impression that this is common and is a primary activity within the Aux, which is not the case.

And you wouldn't even have a clue that the original and primary mission of the Aux was and remains RBS.

Is it really educational, and how much training does it deliver?

The Navigator hasn't been either in over 10 years. From old issues - the Navigator used to have regular columns on teaching aids (PE and MT), training aids (MT), how to build inexpensive but useful Ops aids etc. It regularly featured short but informative "how to" training articles.

Navigator staff would probably claim that function got off-loaded to the departmental newsletters. However, if that is true then take the statement out of the masthead. Further, the departmental newsletters have largely become policy announcement forums instead of training publications. That and the ever changing "who is on the staff" article.

And over the last three years, many departments have fallen off whatever limited publication schedule they had for their newsletters. A bright exception to that is "O" which seems to stick to its monthly schedule for "Up Top In Operations" - even if it is usually about the air program.

FWIW - the reports to OpComm state that a discussion is underway to convert the Beacon into an electronic only publication.

quote:

Have you found any uniform and/or policy violations yet?

Well, the Auxie in the gulf certainly wasn't in any of the standard Aux uniforms, unless we have a desert camo ODU I wasn't aware of. I wonder if the general authority given to CG commanders to designate what uniforms Aux members wear extends far enough to officially cover that sort of situation?

Navigator definetely isn't "educational" and shouldn't be. We don't need to waste money on using it to feature articles on minutia of individual programs. I think the other department newsletters are probably good enough for that.

The Beacon is a giant waste of money and effort. Go electronic or eliminate entirely.

quote:

Originally posted by RiverAux:

quote:

Have you found any uniform and/or policy violations yet?

It would have to be pretty obvious for me to catch it. I don't pretend to have an encyclopedic knowledge of Aux uniform regs.

However, the Auxie in the gulf certainly wasn't in any of the standard Aux uniforms, unless we (the Aux) have a desert camo ODU I wasn't aware of. I wonder if the general authority given to CG commanders to designate what uniforms Aux members wear extends far enough to officially cover that sort of situation?

Navigator definetely isn't "educational" and shouldn't be. We don't need to waste money on using it to feature articles on minutia of individual programs. I think the other department newsletters are probably good enough for that.

The Beacon is a giant waste of money and effort. Go electronic or eliminate entirely

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RiverAux,

I thought the guy was working as a CG artist, and he also happens to be an Auxiliarist?

There is a Coast Guard Operational Dress Uniform that has desert camo and goes with light tan boots. The Warrant Officer that used to be my immediate superior in the Waterway program got assignment to Bahrain, and after he went to Bahrain school he came by to pick up his personal effects and that is what he was wearing. Actually pretty cool looking.

quote:

Originally posted by baloo0136:
I thought the guy was working as a CG artist, and he also happens to be an Auxiliarist?

Nope, he specifically says in the article that he went as an Auxiliarist and tells how people noticed the "Aux" on his uniform.

Desert cammies? I'm still choking on wearing the "swat team" ODUs.

quote:

There is a Coast Guard Operational Dress Uniform that has desert camo and goes with light tan boots.

There's not any such thing. What the warrant was wearing was the "Desert Camouflage Uniform" (DCU).

Technically, as a civilian, the Auxie in Bahrain should've been wearing something like this on the uniform:

quote:

Originally posted by tip_dog:

quote:

There is a Coast Guard Operational Dress Uniform that has desert camo and goes with light tan boots.

There's not any such thing. What the warrant was wearing was the "Desert Camouflage Uniform" (DCU).

Technically, as a civilian, the Auxie in Bahrain should've been wearing something like this on the uniform:

I thought the little triangle US thing was for army civies only... interesting.