Director's Message

Officer Candidates from OCS 2-14 and BOTC-123 recently completed their 2-week training cruise (New London, CT to London, CT via Morehead City, NC) aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle. The USCGC Eagle was built in Hamburg, Germany in 1936 and was taken by the United States as a war reparation after World War II. The ship now serves as a training platform for future USCG and NOAA Corps officers and provides Officer Candidates with a unique opportunity to obtain at-sea leadership, team building/partnering and professional development experiences.


CAPT Lawrence T. Krepp, NOAA
Director, CPC

On the Horizon

17 Apr 2014Officer Assignment Board
17 Apr 2014EEO Training-Preventing EEO Workshop Conflict
28 Apr–09 May 2014Mid-Grade Leadership Training
01 May 2014EEO Training-Disability Law and Reasonable Accommodation

Approved Resignations, Separations and Retirements

LTJG Daniel D. Smith 15 May 2014
CAPT Mark H. Pickett 01 June 2014
LT Kyle W. Ryan 15 July 2014

AWARDS RECEIVED IN MONTH OF March:


NOAA Corps Commendation Medal:

CDR Keith W. Roberts For outstanding leadership and performance while serving as Commanding Officer of the NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker Delivery Team
CDR Michael F. Ellis For exemplary performance and inspired leadership as Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai
LCDR Donald E. Beaucage For exceptional and sustained leadership instrumental to the ship's good order, enhanced emergency/operational safety, and successful mission accomplishment as Executive Officer of the NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai
LCDR Nicole S. Lambert For sustained superior performance in incident response, high-quality planning and execution of projects, willingness to take initiative and dedication to high-quality support for emergency response during your tenure with the Emergency Response Division of the Office of Response and Restoration
LTJG Refael W. Klein For sustained superior performance as Navigation Officer and Acting Executive Officer aboard the NOAA Ship Ka'imimoana

NOAA Corps Achievement Medal:

LCDR John A. Crofts For outstanding service while assigned as Executive Officer to the NOAA Ship: Reuben Lasker Delivery Team
LCDR Jennifer E. Pralgo For superior support to the fleet in providing augmenters to keep the ships sailing, and enhanced tracking and feedback mechanisms
LCDR Bradley H. Fritzler For achievement while serving in the capacity of the Emerging Technologies Officer, increasing communications, enabling operations and representing NOAA's interests in the Arctic National Air Space
LT Claire V. Surrey-Marsden For outstanding service while assigned as Operations Officer to the NOAA Ship: Reuben Lasker Delivery Team
LT Andrew J. Ostapenko For outstanding service while assigned as Operations Officer to the NOAA Ship: Reuben Lasker Delivery Team
ENS Cherisa L. Friedlander For outstanding service while assigned as Junior Officer to the NOAA Ship: Reuben Lasker Delivery Team

NOAA Corps Director's Ribbon:

LCDR Paul A. Kunicki For service as Senior Watch Officer aboard the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson during inside passage transit of Canadian pilotage water
LCDR Chad M. Cary
LT Laura L. Gibson
LTJG Jason P.R. Wilson
ENS Cherisa L. Friedlander
ENS Jon T. Karagiannakis
ENS Dustin R. Picard
ENS Erick Estela-Gomez
For rapid response and exceptional professionalism during an oil spill alongside Marine Operations Center – Atlantic

2014 Promotion Boards-Medical Status

As a reminder, Promotion Boards are approaching soon. Officers are encouraged to review their medical OPF periodically between now and after the selections have been made to ensure that your medical status is still current. The medical OPF provides detailed information regarding the expiration date of your most recent dental examination, periodic physical examination, as well as other diagnostic tests. Officers may submit outstanding items via the medical OPF online or by using Accellion Secure File Transfer. Please contact CDR Hobson-Powell if there are any discrepancies, or if you have any questions about your medical OPF.

New Address for Payroll

NOAA Corps' Payroll Unit has a new address. Their local Post Office will be closing within the year and may have begun close out procession of some services. Payroll has received email from customers stating that their mail has been routed "Return to Sender" or "Cannot Forward". As a result, please note the new address:
  Commanding Officer
  U. S. Coast Guard
  Pay & Personnel Center
  C/O NOAA CORPS PAYROLL
  444 SE Quincy Street
  Topeka, KS 66683-3591

Unmanned Aircraft Systems

OMAO is rapidly becoming a leader in utilizing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for the collection of environmental intelligence. The NOAA UAS Program Office, OMAO UAS Program Manager and Aircraft Operations Center have employed the use of the RQ-20A Puma and MD4-1000 Quadcopter platforms to date. Additional platforms include the aerial launched Coyote, APH-22 Hexacopter and Manta platforms. OMAO supported UAS operations have increased substantially since FY12. In FY14, UAS will be used to support multiple agency objectives including marine debris detection, marine animal surveys, seabird surveys and joint operations with federal and state partners. For more information please contact, CAPT Phil Hall at 301-713-7611 or LCDR Jason Mansour at 813-828-3310 ext. 3121.