The crew of USCGC Spencer (WMEC 905) recently returned to their home port in Portsmouth following an 88-day deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa area of operations, employed by the U.S. Sixth Fleet and Combined Task Force 65, to defend U.S., allied and partner interests.

     During the patrol, Spencer’s crew worked to combat illicit transnational activities, including illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, by conducting multinational law enforcement operations in the Atlantic Ocean. Their efforts served to strengthen existing relationships with African nations and prioritized opportunities for new partnerships.

     Spencer’s crew also participated in “Obangame Express 2023,” a maritime exercise with participants from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and 17 West African partners. Conducted by U.S. Naval Forces Africa, “Obangame Express” is designed to improve regional cooperation, information-sharing practices, and tactical interdiction expertise to enhance the collective capabilities of participating nations to counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and other sea-based illicit activity.

     The Coast Guard is warning winter enthusiasts of unstable ice conditions and encouraging people to take safety precautions following two major rescues on the Great Lakes Feb. 6, 2023.

     Coast Guard boat and air crews responded to two separate ice floes off Wisconsin and Michigan with a total of 25 people rescued.

     Station Sturgeon Bay crew members responded to 11 people stranded on an ice floe off Sherwood Point, Wisconsin. Working with partner agencies, the Coast Guard crew safely transported five adults and six children to shore.

     Seventy representatives from across the Coast Guard recently convened to develop recommendations that align efforts and increase synchronization within the Coast Guard on Arctic matters in Anchorage, Alaska.

The Coast Guard Arctic Summit provided a forum to collectively review domestic and international Coast Guard Arctic equities and requirements through topic-specific sessions focused on creating high-level recommendations for enhancing efforts in the region and informing future decision making.

     The Coast Guard is honoring eight civilians for their excellence in 2021. Recently, Adm. Linda Fagan, Commandant of the Coast Guard, presented the Civilian Employee of the Year (CEOY) and Non-Appropriated Fund Civilian Employee of the Year (NAF-CEOY) awards at a ceremony at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Every year, the service recognizes a handful of civilians for going above and beyond in their work.

The United States has sent a major Coast Guard vessel to patrol the waters near Port-au-Prince in a “sign of resolve” with the Haitian government as gang violence continues to grip the nation, and will impose new visa restrictions on Haitians involved in gang activity, the Biden administration said.

During her 37 years in the Coast Guard, Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan has sometimes questioned service traditions. Why, for example, should most officers have to move to a new post every two to four years to help advance their careers?