Our Path Forward

12 July 2025

DCOS Murray Price and I have just returned from an exceptionally productive week in Miami, where we participated in a series of key engagements including the Major Commands (MACOM) Operational Meeting and the Southeast District Change of Command. These events, coupled with our recent meetings with incoming Sector Commanders for Miami and St. Petersburg, reflect a growing recognition of the Auxiliary as an essential component of Team Coast Guard.

Throughout the week, we were received not only with great respect, but with genuine appreciation for the Auxiliary’s contributions. At each engagement, we were treated as trusted mission partners, fully integrated into strategic conversations about operational priorities, resource requirements, and mission readiness.

One of the highlights of the week was the Auxiliary’s featured presentation during the MACOM Prevention brief. This session, attended by senior leaders including RDML Chamie (incoming District Commander) and CAPT Geoffrion (incoming Chief of Prevention), provided a unique platform to highlight the depth and breadth of Auxiliary mission capabilities. We showcased our contributions to marine safety, recreational boating safety, and administrative support, and emphasized our capacity to respond to emerging mission demands. The presentation was very well received and opened the door for deeper coordination across Southeast District commands. We also had valuable engagements with RDML Chamie and CAPT Geoffrion to discuss Auxiliary integration and mission readiness. We will be conducting a formal in-brief with RDML Chamie and the new leadership team on August 11th in Miami, where we will build on the momentum established during MACOM.

Key activities and takeaways from our MACOM meetings are listed below:

• Day 1 focused on operational strategy, intelligence coordination, shore infrastructure, and ongoing mission execution, including Operation Vigilant Sentry and Prevention efforts. The Auxiliary presentation was a core part of the Prevention agenda and stood alongside briefings from the major commands throughout the district.

• Day 2 began with remarks from RADM Schofield emphasizing service-wide readiness. Breakout sessions in SAR coordination, public affairs, and Force Design 2028 provided additional opportunities to explore where the Auxiliary could bolster district initiatives. We were pleased to see Auxiliary participation discussed in nearly every breakout, an indicator of how deeply embedded we are in the fabric of Southeast District operations.

Throughout the operational meeting, the overarching message was clear: readiness is not just an active duty imperative, it is also an Auxiliary imperative. From expanded demand for container inspections in Miami and Savannah, to increasing needs for UPV inspections and illegal charter education in San Juan and St. Petersburg, to growing requests for administrative augmentation at the sector and station levels, the Auxiliary is being called upon not as a supporting element, but as an operational force multiplier, trusted to deliver critical capabilities, fill key mission gaps, and uphold the same standard of excellence expected across the Coast Guard enterprise. These are not simply opportunities, they are mission-critical expectations that the Coast Guard is now placing on us as operational partners.

Our path forward is one of continued professionalism, accountability, and mission alignment. We must rise to the challenge, prepare our teams accordingly, and ensure that we can answer the call to serve wherever and whenever we are needed. As the Auxiliary becomes ever more integral to Coast Guard operations, I encourage each of you to prepare for heightened collaboration and to view mission and support requests as both a responsibility and an opportunity to demonstrate our readiness and professionalism.

Thank you for your continued dedication and excellence. Together, we will rise to meet, and exceed, the expectations before us.

Martin S. Goodwin, Ph.D.
District Commodore
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Southeast District
407.761.8764

Enthusiasm – Engagement – Excellence