By Daren Lewis
Shipmates,
By now many of you have gotten the news that we'll have limited participation of Coast Guard assets at Rose Festival. Local USCG and USCG Auxiliary activities will continue based on the needs of those events still taking place, such as the safety zone for the Dragon Boat races. I wanted to share the District Commander's comments in this press release.
SEATTLE — The Coast Guard announced the cancellation of cutter and air asset participation during the 2013 Portland Rose Festival’s and Seattle Seafair’s Fleet Week celebrations, Thursday.
Recent fiscal reductions, due to the Budget Control Act of 2011, have resulted in reduced Coast Guard participation in community outreach programs in 2013.
“We are reducing our participation in various community events to focus our funding on highest priority missions.” said Rear Adm. Keith A. Taylor, commander of the 13th Coast Guard District. “We will continue to maintain our valuable relationships with the Pacific Northwest communities and will remain ‘Always Ready’ to answer the call.”
Cancelling cutter and air asset visits is one of many steps the Coast Guard is taking to preserve the Coast Guard’s ability to meet the highest-priority mission activities, including search and rescue, critical security operations, and emergency response. The Coast Guard will continue to provide safety zones and maritime enforcement during both events. The Coast Guard believes there is value in demonstrating the capabilities of our assets, and will assess participation in future events on a case-by-case basis as the Coast Guard’s budget permits.We stand a taunt watch with the rest of our service as we navigate these challenging budgetary times for our Nation.
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