United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary was established in 1939 by an act of Congress as the United States Coast Guard Reserve and re-designated as the Auxiliary in 1941. It is a volunteer uniformed component of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and works with the rest of the Coast Guard in all of its varied missions, except for military and direct law enforcement. Auxiliary Members (Auxiliarists) may support the military and law enforcement mission of the Coast Guard but do not directly participate in it. Unlike the regular and reserve components of the USCG, Auxiliarists are not subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Auxiliarists are not allowed to carry any weapons while serving in any Auxiliary capacity. As of July 10, 2006 there were 31,734 active Auxiliarists.

Auxiliarists may use their own vessels (i.e. boats), aircraft and radios in carrying out Coast Guard operation missions, or apply specialized skills such as Web page design or radio watchstanding to assist the Coast Guard.

Auxiliarists wear the same uniform as Coast Guard Officers, however with modified insignia (silver instead of gold braid). Auxiliarists do not use the corresponding military titles associated with CG ranks. For example, a Flotilla Commander (FC) wears insignia similar to a USCG Lieutenant but is never referred to by that title. The title most commonly used in official correspondence and reports is "Auxiliarist", abbreviated Aux (e.g. Aux. J. Smith). Exceptions to this rule are Commodores, who wear one to three stars depending on position, and are the only group of Auxiliarists that are permitted to use their title (i.e. "Commodore") before their name. Auxiliarists who do not hold any leadership or staff office wear the organizational insignia, consisting of plain blue shoulder boards with the Auxiliary shield and/or metal collar devices bearing the Auxiliary seal.

Auxiliarists are not subject to the same stringent requirements for uniform wear as the USCG; however, a professional and military-style appearance is encouraged, since the Auxiliary uniform is so close to that of the Coast Guard and in many cases, when the public sees an Auxiliarist they see a representative of the Coast Guard.

Auxiliarists are civilians and as such are always volunteers. They are true volunteers and are not paid for any service they perform. Members give what they can when they can. They are not obligated to any military service. The Coast Guard supports and encourages Auxiliary activities. Both the Commandant (ADM Thad Allen) and Vice Commandant (VADM Vivien Crea) are very supportive of the Auxiliary. They both relied heavily on Auxiliary direct and indirect support during the recent Hurricane season, especially Katrina and Rita e.g. Allen letter to Auxiliary 18 Jan 06

When augmenting Coast Guard personnel, the military-style insignia of Auxiliary position is generally removed and the organizational insignia is worn. Auxiliarists do not normally render military courtesies (such as saluting) to one another and are generally not required to render them to Armed Forces officers and warrant officers. However, Auxiliarists are required to return a salute when offered from Armed forces personnel and it is considered good etiquete to offer a salute to senior Armed Forces officers but only when covered (i.e. wearing a cap) and in uniform.

Membership requirements

The basic requirements to become a member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary are

United States citizenship
Minimum 17 years of age
No criminal background (minor misdeamanors like some traffic violations do not disqualify)
Interest in Boating
Interest in supporting the aims of the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Auxiliary

A background fingerprint check and citizenship verification is performed by the Coast Guard of all new members. This is done to check for (the absence of) a criminal background and confirm identity before the Coast Guard approves membership.

Individuals who meet the above criteria and are interested in serving their country and the boating public by joining the Coast Guard Auxiliary can contact the nearest flotilla.

Missions and Core Values

Historically, the primary missions of the Auxiliary have been providing free Vessel Safety Checks, boater education and USCG operations supplement. These three missions, together with Fellowship (the "glue" which held these missions and its members together), are known as the "Four Cornerstones" of the Auxiliary. Through the years, these four cornerstones served the Auxiliary and the Coast Guard well. In the current era, the Auxiliary's four cornerstones have become Member Services, Operations and Marine Safety, Recreational Boating Safety & Fellowship.

Auxiliarists can be found on the nation's waterways, in the air, in classrooms and on the dock, performing Maritime Domain Awareness patrols, safety patrols, vessel safety checks and public education. This is the public face of the Auxiliary. The Auxiliary also performs a lot of missions behind the scenes. Overall Members donate millions of hours annually in support of Coast Guard missions.

Current programs in which Auxiliary members are authorized to participate include, but are not limited to:

Administrative support to the Coast Guard
Aids to Navigation verification (ATON)
Assistance to local government - e.g.: - Small Boat Course for Local Law Enforcement
Augmentation of Coast Guard billets
Bridge administration
Air Auxiliary - USCG aircraft support
Contingency preparedness
Licensing of merchant mariners
Marine Safety and Environmental Protection (MSEP)
Operational support to the Coast Guard (OPS): This includes radio watchstanding (RWS).
Port Safety and Security (PS&S)
Public Affairs support (PA)
Recreational Boating Safety (RBS)
Recruiting
Search and rescue (SAR)
Vessel inspections
Waterway management

The Auxiliary shares its Core Values and Motto with the rest of the Coast Guard.

The Core Values are Honor, Respect, & Devotion to Duty. The motto of the Auxiliary is Semper Paratus (Always Ready).

Regional organization

The basic organization of the Auxiliary is:

Flotilla: A Flotilla is the basic building block of the Auxiliary. While a flotilla should have at least 10 members, several flotillas have more than 100 members. Most of the day to day work of the Auxiliary is performed at the Flotilla level. All members join the Auxiliary at the Flotilla level and pay their annual membership dues to their Flotilla. Flotillas normally meet on a monthly basis and visitors and prospective members are usually welcome to attend.
Division: Several flotillas form a Division, which provides leadership and staff assistance to the flotillas.
District: There are several divisions in a District. The District provides leadership and staff assistance to the Divisions. Each Auxiliary district is supervised by a Director of the Auxiliary who is a Coast Guard officer usually of the rank of Commander. Auxiliary Districts coincide with Coast Guard Districts, except for the:
- -First District which consist of the First Northern Region and the First Southern Region.
- -Fifth District,(which is broken up into northern (New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware) and southern (Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, and North Carolina) regions).
- -Eighth District -divided into
  - Eastern,
  - Coastal, and
  - Western regions).
- -Ninth District -divided into
  - Eastern,
  - Central and
  - Western regions).
- -Eleventh District -divided into two Regions:
  - Northern (Northern CA, Northern NV, and Northern UT) and
  - Southern (Southern CA, Southern NV, AZ, and Southern UT).

Leadership and staffing

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is a civilian organization and there is no chain of command. There are, however, three chains of leadership and management rather than the single rigidly defined Coast Guard chain of command. Auxiliarists are expected to adhere to the relevant chain when communicating. There is an elected leader chain and an appointed leader chain (a.k.a parallel staffing). Members appointed to the National Staff (see DC, DVC, BC and BA below) have another chain to report to. The leaders and vice(deputies) of each flotilla, division and district are elected annually. The national leadership is elected once every two years. Other staff officers are appointed based on skills and level of interest. However, the Auxiliary, because of its close work with the regular (i.e. paid component of the) Coast Guard, inherited the meme of staff officer abbreviations, and these are used extensivly in internal documents and reports. All leadership positions in the Auxiliary require membership in a Flotilla of the Auxiliary. The only exception to this is that Auxiliary membership is optional for the Chief Director of the Auxiliary and the Directors of the Auxiliary of each district.

National officers

Chief Director of the Auxiliary (CHDIRAUX): This is a regular Coast Guard officer, with the rank of captain.
National Commodore (NACO) – The highest elected Auxiliary leader who represents the Auxiliary at the National level and advises the Commandant of the Coast Guard by serving on the Coast Guard Leadership Council.
National Vice Commodore (NAVCO)
National Chief of Staff (COS) - Appointed by the National Commodore
National Directorate Commodores (NADCOM)- Appointed Directorate Commodores responsible for program directorate of Member Services, Operations and Marine Safety, and Recreational Boating Safety.
Department Chiefs (DC)- Appointed top officers of the Auxiliary's various National Departments: (A) Public Affairs; (B) Boating; E (Education); I (Information Technology); L (Legal Affairs); M (Marine Safety & Environmental Protection); O (Operations); P (Personnel); T (Training); V (Vessel Examination and Recreational Boating Safety Visiting Program). Under the DC's in each department are Division Chiefs (DVC), who in turn appoint Branch Chiefs (BC) and Branch Assistants (BA).

District officers

District Director of the Auxiliary (DIRAUX). An appointed Coast Guard officer whose full time job is to supervise the Auxiliary in the district. The Director is the only person who can enroll a new member or disenroll an existing member. The Director has the final say in all matters related to the Auxiliary in an Auxiliary District.
District Commodore (DCO) - The highest elected Auxiliary leader within a district or region. Elected by all the Division Captains in the district.
District Vice Commodores (VCO) District Chief of Staff and Assistant to the District Commodore. Elected by all the Division Captains in the district.
District Rear Commodores (RCO) Two or more per district. As an example there are four in the First District Southern Region. An RCO is elected by all Division Captains and usually supervises a group of divisions in a district. They may also have programmatic responsibilities.
District Staff Officers (DSO) - Manage the district's departments and programs; appointed by the DCO and approved by DIRAUX.

Division officers

Division Captain (DCP)- The highest elected Auxiliary leader within a division. Elected by all the Flotilla Commanders in a Division.
Division Vice Captain (VCP) - Division Chief of Staff and assistant to the Division Captain. Elected by all the Flotilla Commanders in a Division.
Division Staff Officers (SO) - Manage the division's departments and programs; appointed by the DCP.

Flotilla officers

Flotilla Commander (FC)- The highest elected Auxiliary leader within a flotilla. Elected by all the members of a Flotilla. Recommends new members for enrollment to the Director of the Auxiliary.
Vice Flotilla Commander (VFC). Flotilla Chief of Staff and assistant to the Flotilla Commander. Elected by all the members of a Flotilla.
Flotilla Staff Officers (FSO) - Manage the flotilla's departments and programs; appointed by the FC.

Flotilla & Division Staff Officer List

To carry out the Auxiliary program, DCPs and FCs may appoint flotilla and division staff officers. The DCO may appoint district staff officers. A staff officer at the flotilla level is abbreviated FSO; at the division level, SO; and at the District level, DSO. Thus, the SO-CS is the Division Communications Services officer.

The list of staff officers, with their official abbreviations, is:

Aids to Navigation (AN)
Aviation (AV) (district level only)
Communications (CM)
Communications Services (CS)
Finance (FN)
Flight Safety Officer (DFSO) (district level only)
Information and Communication Services (IS)
Legal/Parliamentarian (LP) (district level only)
Recreational Boating Safety Visitation Program (RBSVP)
Marine Safety and Environmental Protection (MS)
Marketing and Public Affairs (PA)
Materials (MA)
Member Training (MT)
Operations (OP)
Personnel Services (PS)
Public Education (PE)
Publications (PB)
Secretary/Records (SR)
Vessel Examination (VE)

Recognition

Auxiliarists are able to achieve a wide array of qualifications in both the Auxiliary and the Coast Guard. Many qualifications come with certificates of completion as well as ribbons and devices.

In addition, Auxiliarists can earn or be awarded a multitude of ribbons and medals, both Auxiliary specific or Coast Guard, for service. Since Auxiliarists are not paid for their service, these recognitions serves as an important purpose in acknowledging the work that Auxiliarists do.

On May 25, 2006, President Bush presented the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) to the U.S. Coast Guard for Meritorius achievement and outstanding performace in action from August 29, 2005 to September 13, 2005, in preparation for, and response and recovery to devastation wrought by Hurrican Katrina. This award will apply to all of Team Coast Guard (Active Duty, Reserve, Civilian and Auxiliary) since the response to Katrina was an All-Hands effort.

Public Affairs

Auxiliarists are involved in many missions, all over the globe. The Department of Public Affairs releases News Releases on many of the accomplishments of the Auxiliary, as well as manages the Internal Communications to the Auxiliary through SITREP, its on-line E-zine, and Navigator, its quarterly magazine.

In addition, many Departments, Districts and lower level units have their own publications. The Department of Public Affairs (also referred to as the A-Dept) maintains PA Update, to keep the many Auxiliarists involved in both Public Affairs and Publications informed.

On the Community level, the A-Dept runs the Fleet Home Town News (FHTN) program for the Coast Guard. The Fleet Hometown News (FHTN) program dates back to World War II. It is a program designed to increase national awareness of the activities of Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen through written stories and documented images about them and their personal achievements in their- hometown news media.

The Auxiliary also run the Coastie program. Coastie is an animated robotic cartoon character in appearance, and is very mobile. He has navigation and searchlights, a rotating beacon, a siren, an air horn, and eyes and eyelids that move meaningfully. He talks, plays music, and interacts with the instructor and the children during the presentation. He even has a bilge pump that pumps water like a real boat; that always brings smiles and laughter to all when used. Coastie also has his own built in squirt gun that the kids just love. Coastie is 44 inches long, 30 inches wide, 45 inches tall and weighs about 120 lb., -- quite a bit larger than most would imagine. He is painted bright blue and has decals promoting Boating and Water Safety from many boating safety organizations. He flies five colorful flags: the United States Ensign, Coast Guard Operational Flag, Coast Guard Auxiliary Ensign, and the Flag of the State of Ohio, along with a Flag denoting boating safety on one side and water safety on the other. He has his own infrared remote CD player to improve his music selection capability.

The History Division is charged with both maintain historical documents as well as a chronological history of the Auxiliary, from its inception in 1939.

Daily contribution

On any average day, Coast Guard Auxiliarists throughout the United States will do the following:

Completes 62.5 safety patrols
Completes 6.2 regatta patrols
Performs 10.2 vessel assists
Assists 28 people
Saves 1 life
Saves $341,290 in property
Participates in 100 operational support missions
Participates in 48.7 administrative support missions
Completes 13.4 recruiting support misisons
Educates 369 people on boating safety
Performs 299 vessel safety checks
Attends 70 public affairs functions

Legal basis

The legal basis for the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary comes from Coast Guard Auxiliary and Reserve Act of 1941, as amended, and recodified by Act of August 4, 1949, as 14 U.S.C. 821 through 832 and 891 through 894 and the Code of Federal Regulations Title 33, Part 5 (33 CFR 5).

One specific regulation is 33 CFR 5.31 which states that: Members of the Auxiliary, when assigned to specific duties shall, unless otherwise limited by the Commandant, be vested with the same power and authority, in execution of such duties, as members of the regular Coast Guard assigned to similar duties.

External links

Sea rescue organisations | United States Coast Guard

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

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