Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 19 interview Q Mr. Pelletier, congratulations on your recent appointment as Commissioner of the CCG! To begin, tell us a little about your new role and some of the initiatives you are currently responsible for? The role of Commissioner is one I take on with great pride, having spent my entire career with Coast Guard going all the way back to 1985 when I started at the Cana- dian Coast Guard College in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The Canadian Coast Guard is undergo- ing one of the greatest periods of change in our history. We are working with our new Minister, Bernadette Jordan, to implement her priorities for the Government of Can- ada, and the Coast Guard is at the heart of many key priorities, including the renewal of our fleet, the building of a blue economy strategy and the Ocean Protection Plan. I am also committed to the employees and future employees of this organization. Last fall, we announced a new structure for the Coast Guard Headquarters (HQ) in Ottawa that is meant to strengthen and modernize our organization. My focus is on implementing this new structure to sup- port our people across the country so that they are best placed with tools and resourc- es to achieve Coast Guard's objectives. Having said this, "Safety First, Service Al- ways" is the Canadian Coast Guard motto and the guiding principle in everything we do. The safety and security of our people and the people we serve will always be my top priority. Q How do you see the Coast Guard evolving, specifically since the CCG is a regional organization, do you see a more centralized control of the fleet? The Coast Guard is a regional organiza- tion with a unified national approach pro- viding functional leadership centered in its HQ in Ottawa. The national team pro- vides support to the Coast Guard Fleet, programs and the assets used by shore and seagoing personnel by providing na- tional vision, program policy, engineering support, operational and technical stan- dards and plans. These include, but are not limited to, ships and small vessels, helicopters and operational bases, centres and stations. HQ oversees the operational requirements of the Fleet, ensures the ad- equacy of readiness and planning, assists in fleet navigation and communication, and provides expertise for marine com- munications and traffic services, aids to navigation, waterways, as well as Coast Guard icebreaking operations while the actual operations are delivered in the re- gion. We also have the Canadian Coast Guard College, a national maritime training facil- ity located in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. It's a national college that provides training and services, and delivers pro- grams to support the College's mission and mandate in marine safety, security and environmental protection. Q To follow on from above, recent internal changes have the Integrated Technical Services (ITS) directorate shi- ing from DC Operations to the former DC Strategy and Shipbuilding – coupled with a complete CCG fleet regeneration of large ships, and based on common platform design and manufacture. How do you see Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) to the fleet evolving, and do you envision going to a class-based In-Ser- vice Support (ISS) contract for through- life support, as the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has done? The Coast Guard implements a national vessel asset class management approach for the various classes of vessels in our fleet (and other shore-based assets such as aids to navigation, etc.). In addition, the Coast Guard implements a national life cycle management approach to maintain, moni- tor and evaluate the performance of vari- ous vessel fitted equipment and systems as well as all other assets. Maintenance and repair activities for Coast Guard vessels are supported by the ship's crew, Marine Engineering personnel in the regions and national capital region, and through support from the original equipment manufacturers and other part- ners within industry. Given the maturity of the Coast Guard national vessel asset class management sys- tem, national life cycle management sys- tem, and the level of technical expertise developed within Marine Engineering and Fleet, the Coast Guard does not envision going to a class-based In-Service Support contract for through-life support. The current national vessel asset class manage- ment approach and the maintenance ap- proach mentioned will extend to new ves- sel constructions. Photo: CCG

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