Due to staffing shortages, the Coast Guard Exchange at TRACEN will be closed on Sundays for the months of March & April. CGX will reopen on Sundays beginning May 4th.
Respectfully,
Marty Sannino, SO-MT
USCG Aux – Div 053-08
AUC – TRACEN
R 272040Z FEB 25 MID120001758026U
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS
ALCOAST 094/25
SSIC 10470
SUBJ: COLD WEATHER INFLATABLE PFD USAGE
A. Rescue and Survival Systems, COMDTINST 10470.10H
1. This message announces new inflatable Personal Flotation Device
(PFD) cold weather limitations.
2. The Office of Boat Forces (CG-731) discovered that inflatable
PFD’s may not inflate or experience reduced buoyancy below 32°F air
temperature. In these cases, manual or oral inflation may be
required to reach effective buoyancy. To mitigate risk, CG-731 is
mandating boat force units and scheduled mission personnel switch to
non-inflatable PFD’s when the air temperature is below 32°F.
3. COs/OICs, on a single mission, case-by-case basis, may authorize
the use of an inflatable PFD below 32°F air temperature, not to
exceed below 15°F air temperature, based on mission and proper risk
assessment. If a waiver is granted, the crew must review manual and
oral inflation techniques/procedures prior to the mission.
Documentation of the waiver will follow the same procedure as
documentation of hypothermia protective devices per REF (A).
Hypothermia protective device waivers and PFD waivers may be
contained in the same log.
4. Units that require additional Boat Crew Survival Vests and/or
non-inflatable Type III PFDs should enter their needs on the
following SharePoint site, NLT 07 March 2025.
(Copy and Paste URL Below into Browser)
5. LOGCOM will facilitate procurement and distribution of an initial
stock of equipment to mitigate immediate operational needs with
priority given to cold weather units. Distribution will come via
EZSupply locations on the East and West coast with additional
details to follow. If necessary, COMDT (CG-731) will prioritize
where limited stocks should be directed. Cost accounting and
tracking will be facilitated through the EZSupply platform.
Budget Officers should anticipate reimbursement through the
full-year funding distribution process.
6. POC: Office of Boat Forces (CG-731), CWO4 Sean Stone
(571) 608-0920, Sean.C.Stone@uscg.mil.
7. RADM S.N. Gilreath, Assistant Commandant for Capability
(CG-7), sends.
8. Internet release is authorized.
1. The following Auxiliary Core Training (AUXCT) courses are currently under review and being updated by Coast Guard subject matter experts: “Sexual Assault Prevention, Response, and Recovery” (SAPRR) and “Civil Rights Awareness” (CRA). While these two courses have not been removed as AUXCT requirements for all Auxiliarists, they are temporarily unavailable in the Auxiliary Online Classroom / Moodle until the review is complete. Auxiliarists who are certified in AUXCT are advised to wait until further notification before attempting to retake SAPRR and CRA in the Auxiliary Online Classroom / Moodle.
2. Auxiliarists who have a deadline in calendar year 2025 for retaking SAPRR and/or CRA should note the following to avoid being placed in Required Yearly Not Met (REYR) status:
a. SAPRR and/or CRA (as applicable for the Auxiliarist) must be completed by 31 DEC 2025 as long as the updated courses are made available again by 30 Sep 2025.
b. If the updated courses do not become available until after 30 Sep 2025 then a new target completion date in 2026 will be identified.
3. While the review of these courses is ongoing, new members who are seeking to gain AUXCT certification in order to have their member status changed from Approval Pending (AP) to Initially Qualified (IQ) or Basically Qualified (BQ), as well as members who are in REYR status and seeking to regain AUXCT certification, may be granted AUXCT certification without completing SAPRR and CRA as long as they have completed all other AUXCT requirements. To administer this change, SAPRR and CRA have temporarily been removed from the AUXCT competency in AUXDATA II. The remaining AUXCT requirements that must still be completed in order to (re)gain certification are listed below, and all are available on the Auxiliary Online Classroom / Moodle at https://classroom2.cgaux.org/moodle/:
a. To be completed during first full year of enrollment and then once every five years thereafter:
(1) Security Fundamentals
(2) Privacy at DHS: Protecting Personal Information
(3) Sexual Harassment Prevention
(4) Suicide Prevention
b. To be completed only once, during the first full year of enrollment:
(5) Ethics 1 / Personal Gifts
c. In addition to the above AUXCT courses, all members who have enrolled since February 1, 2018, are required to complete:
(6) Basic Qualification II Course
4. Notification will be provided when the SAPRR and CRA courses are available again on the Auxiliary Online Classroom / Moodle. To reiterate from paragraph 2 above, if the courses are made available by 30 SEP 2025, members who have (re)gained AUXCT certification without completing SAPRR and CRA must complete SAPRR and CRA by 31 DEC 2025. If the updated courses do not become available until after 30 Sep 2025 then a new target completion date in 2026 will be identified. Failure to complete these courses within the required timeframe will carry the same consequences as failure to complete any AUXCT requirement.
5. Internet release is authorized.
From: COMO Mary Kirkwood
National Commodore, USCG Auxiliary
To: All Members
Subj: Message from the National Commodore
Shipmates,
Given the uncertainties of the availability of government funding and recent ALCOASTs regarding travel and funded training, it has become necessary to cancel the in-person NTRAIN 2025, currently scheduled to be held in St Louis from 3/16/25 through 3/21/25.
This decision was made after much discussion and risk assessment.
Concurrently, I am announcing the tentative dates and proposed schedule for Virtual NTRAIN 2025 below.
Wednesday, 3/19
Thursday, 3/20
Friday, 3/21
*- we will have five breakout chat rooms on Zoom to accommodate the different ANACO program areas. More details to follow…
It is anticipated that some of the above sessions will be broadcast on YOUTUBE and additional information will be forthcoming regarding the entire event.
This information is being provided so that members planning to attend NTRAIN in person can adjust their schedules accordingly.
C School students will receive information about future C School opportunities from their C School points of contact.
The conference staff has been advised that hotel reservations made via the hotel’s online tool will be canceled.
Respectfully,
Mary Kirkwood
National Commodore
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
Engagement – Integration – Innovation
From: COMO Mary Kirkwood
National Commodore, USCG Auxiliary
To: All members
Subj: Message from the National Commodore
Dear Members,
As you are aware, last week a Presidential Executive Order required us to eliminate all programs related to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. In doing so, all Diversity Staff Officer positions were eliminated, and any Diversity work was halted (including Diversity Town Halls, celebrations of diversity, and Diversity awards).
What remains the same is all the important work we do; all of our missions and programs that support the Coast Guard and serve our nation.
In performing those missions, Honor, Respect and Devotion to Duty shall go unchanged and we shall continue to conduct ourselves in a manner consistent with the Core Values of the United States Coast Guard and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary:
Honor – Integrity is our standard. We demonstrate uncompromising ethical conduct and moral behavior in all of our personal and organizational actions. We are loyal and accountable to the public trust.
Respect – We value our membership. We treat each other and those we serve with fairness, dignity, respect, and compassion. We encourage individual opportunity and growth. We encourage creativity through empowerment. We work as a team.
Devotion to Duty – We are volunteers who seek responsibility, accept accountability, and are committed to the successful achievement of our organizational goals. We exist to serve. We serve with pride.
We will continue to work to uphold our motto: “Proud Traditions, Worthy Missions”
Respectfully,
Mary Kirkwood
National Commodore
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
Engagement – Integration – Innovation
To: All Auxiliarists
Dated: 4 February 2025
Dear Members,
The Cybersecurity Directorate (Y) has received reports of fraudulent spear phishing emails impersonating the National Commodore, COMO Mary Kirkwood. These emails claim to have a “secure message” attached. If the attachment is opened, it directs recipients to a website requesting their email address and password. This is a scam designed to steal your login credentials.
What You Should Do:
For more guidance on phishing scams, cybersecurity best practices, and reporting cyber incidents, visit the Cybersecurity (Y) Directorate page:
https://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=Y-DEPT&category=publications
Stay Safe Online:
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Very respectfully,
Cliff Neve, DIR-Y
| Fellow Auxiliarists, Urgent: Following leadership changes, it’s critical to maintain the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s political neutrality. Do not post content supporting or opposing the new administration on any official Auxiliary social media, including Facebook. No political content is ever permitted to be posted. Our apolitical stance is vital for our integrity and credibility. Any deviation can damage our reputation and affect our ability to serve effectively. We need your immediate cooperation to ensure the success and positive image of our organization. See following National Policy Notice Sent on behalf of COMO Noreen Schifini, District Commodore, D5NR v/r, COMO K.C. Murphy District Staff Officer-Public Affairs Fifth District-Northern Region U.S. Coast guard Auxiliary  National Policy Notice Assistant National Commodore Todd Monis, FORCECOM Sends: Good Afternoon D5NR Shipmates, I hope this email finds you well. Team, it has been a crazy 48 hours. I am reaching out to all of you, per Commodore Kirkwood, NACO, to catch you up on the events that have occurred with the new Presidential Administration and the Executive Order that was signed recently. I truly hope I copied everyone correctly on this email. First and foremost, regardless of your political views, opinions or feelings, please remember that we serve the Coast Guard and we must remain apolitical in this matter. Your opinions cannot be shared on any official or blended Coast Guard or Coast Auxiliary websites / pages. With that being said, it has come to our attention that some official Coast Guard Auxiliary social media accounts have recently shared or re-shared politically related content, including political posts regarding the departure of Admiral Fagan. As a reminder, sharing political content—whether it pertains to a specific political party, an elected official, or an appointed government representative—on official Coast Guard Auxiliary social media accounts is strictly prohibited by policy. If any such posts have been shared, please ensure they are removed immediately from our official Coast Guard Auxiliary social media accounts. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and for helping us maintain the professionalism of our Auxiliary social media presence. COMO Todd Monis, Assistant National Commodore, Force Readiness Command (FORCECOM) United States Coast Guard Auxiliary  ### End of Notice |
