quote:

“Develop and leverage a strong partnership with the small vessel community and public and private sectors in order to enhance maritime domain awareness."

The DHS says the 80 million people who annually participate in recreational boating are its “single largest asset.” It plans to work with organizations such as the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the U.S. Power Squadron to provide security. And it will continue to promote its “America’s Waterway Watch” program, which was manned by two people the last time we checked.

//SOURCE//

Sounds more like an afterthought, than a "program."

...gjd

...gjd

Google "america's waterway watch" and include the quotes.

The first hit you will see is: AMERICA'S WATERWAY WATCH HOME PAGE.

So far so good. Before clicking anything take a look at the URL you are supposed to be directed to. It is: www.americaswaterwaywatch.org/

So far even better you think. OK click the link.

You really end up at http://www.cgaux.info/ and a redirect page. The page you ended up at was the old ChDirAux home page and you get redirected to the new new ChDirAux Home Page.

How did that happen? Well neither the CG nor the Aux 'way back when' wanted to put up the money for the domain name - a very paltry sum. An Auxie, I believe it was the FFA, paid for that domain name and a few others to protect it and keep nefarious third parties from grabbing it. The Infamous Wild Bunch then built the original AWW site on that address and everyone was 'fat, dumb and happy' for years.

Then the Powers That Be ordered the complete and utter shutdown of all sites not on CG computers. The AWW site was not only registered to an Auxie the whole thing ran on his personal server at no cost to the CG nor the Aux. So the AWW site got flushed, along with almost all of the DirAux West, Aux eTrain and other sites.

Sounds more like an afterthought, than a "program."

I think 'afterthought' would be an improvement on the status of the program. It would certainly be an improvement over what it has been the last several years.

As a matter of fact, if it wasn't for gjd's personal attention the old AWW site would have gone out of date long before the CG ordered its removal (along with the other sites). He brow beat anybody he could to get material to keep it current.

Whoops!!!

Someone either did not check a link in a post or doesn't know what AWW is and what its website should look like.

Go to the What's New Page. Look at the posting "DHS Unveils Small Vessel Security Strategy". Buried in that post is a supposed link to AWW. But if you click it you go to the re-direct page mentioned above and get nowhere near any AWW info. And that re-direct page has been there for months.

If you go to the Operations Directorate "Index to Everything" you will also find a link to AWW. Unfortunately it goes to the same re-direct page.

This goes beyond an 'afterthought'. This is Benign Neglect at best.

And keep the above in mind when NACO next talks about 'balanced effort'. Balance means forget about anything but the glamour missions.

I'm one of the 'old timers' that always seem to complain but, I've been doing an Aux forum since they had the first one. I'm still acrive and think this is a great organization.,

Not really a complaint but, I wonder if ADM Allen has any idea how much good stuff the high silver has ignored and wasted simply because it wasn't 'their idea'. The Wild Bunch and DIRAUX West did more good than any other online group ever has and are greatly responsabile for online training and testing being developed. Ever wonder who built the ribbon checker? Yep, on of the wild men.

Just a ZFH2...

Point of Information: The substitute for the old AWW SITE is at CG Homeport, viz. . .

http://homeport.uscg.mil/mycg/portal/ep/channelView.do?channelId=-18383

The links from the M Department site have been changed. Now someone has to take care of the links on the rest of the system, and at other "public" websites!

...gjd

Some one should tell the webmaster that his FAQs are out of order. Unlike the Pope, the first FAQ should not be last.

And that site is a weak shadow of the original that you labored so hard over for so long.

Someday they may get "Homeport" and "CG Central" to actualy work and be useful.

We just have to be patient!
...gjd

FWIW: The AWW site at www.americaswaterwaywatch.org is back up! It might even become more relevant. We'll see. . .



...gjd

The FFA is such a nice guy isn't he.

However, a word of caution - it may not be back up permanently. I think there are some issues that still have to be dealt with. And the FFA, while a nice guy, is not one to be trifeled with.

Meanwhile, gdj - I think you have your work cut out for you - again.

I surmised as much!



...gjd

gjd:

I have bad news for you. Despite what was in the Small Vessel Summitt report and other places, it is becoming apparent that the CG does not give a rat's posterior for AWW. If you want to know how much an organization cares about a program - "follow the money".

From 1st Quarter 2008 Commandant Report:

quote:

Prevention Outreach

America’s Waterway Watch & Sea Partners:
Although funding has not been restored, both programs once again have an adequate supply of materials. Auxiliarists are being urged to work to publicize the programs to take up the slack.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: FL51D7,

quote:

"follow the money".

Yeah. . . talking the other day (during the confusion), I was told the grant money for Reserve participation is no longer there. More than likely, it will just fade away -- the web site being important only because of the large number of references and links to it (both printed and online).



...gjd

While I am all for getting the word out to report suspicious activity, I think they made a mistake by trying to get people to report it to a CG number rather than 911. Yes, I know they say immediate emergency stuff should go there, but that just confuses the overall message. People just don't want to put those stickers with the other number on their boats in my experience which means that what you're left with at the end is just hoping they remember 911.