OPERATION STURGEON
Lessons Learned from the deployment of Florida RDSTF Waterborne Response Teams in support of
the US Coast Guard in the protection of
US Navy assets
Prepared and presented by:
Mark R. DuPont, FWC Chief Intelligence and Domestic Security Officer
Overview
The Request The Opportunity
The Plan
The Execution The Takeaways
The Request
What: Protect a High Value Asset Escort In and Out of Mayport When: Due it for 11 weeks, July thru September Daily, Monday thru Friday, 2+ Missions per day Why: Coast Guard only has the resources to due 40%
“Can you (FWC) do it?”
The Opportunity
Not just a mission, this is an opportunity Not an FWC mission… an RDSTF Mission
An opportunity to display the Florida’s Spirit of Cooperation
An opportunity to exercise RDSTF Waterborne Response Teams (WRTs), because its never been done
An opportunity to perform this escort mission with multi-agency federal, state, and local cooperation, because its never been done
An opportunity to set a national standard. Carpe Diem!
The Plan: Test, Train, Exercise
Integrate our test and exercise operation (Sturgeon) into the CG escort mission (Operation Cuddlefish)
Open the opportunity to our partners with the “Plug and Play” model
Test our ability to deploy forces from great distance
Test our ability to interact with other agencies
Test and exercise our interoperability communications tools
Test and exercise our administration, planning, logistics and our incident command management abilities
The Response
WRTs from throughout the state answered the call within 48 hours from as far away as Lee County and Miami
FDOT, CST, DNDO, DOH, all agreed to use this opportunity to exercise our protocols and capabilities in our Rad/Nuc Prevention and Detection enterprise
The Execution
Teams from Bay, Okaloosa, Duval, Nassau, Lee, Miami-Dade, conducted one week of planning, familiarization and training, for all WRT team leaders, 2 weeks prior to the event
Deployed our Command Trailer, an operational coordinator, our communications technicians, and logistics and administrative support… Each and Every Week of the Op.
Dedicated one of the operational weeks to our Rad/Nuc Detection and Prevention Enterprise
The Rad/Nuc Execution
Trained/Prepared for what is most likely 2 Different Scenarios:
Officer on patrol, conducting boarding of large private yacht. When in alarm hits, what actions do you take
(Subject Interview, Notification, Dispatch Notification)
When Secondary Screening is required, what actions do you take (Who gets notified, what resources are requested, and from where)
Working from intel during an event, find the target. Combine landside and maritime units. Develop an operational strategy Establish Teams Establish Incident Command Establish Comms with multiple units/agencies
What we learned and accomplished
Florida knows how to work together
Our maritime Rad/Nuc Detection and Prevention plan is ready to move forward with equipment acquisition
Our WRTs are a force multiplier for the Coast Guard, and an AT-FP resource for the Navy
We have established a model for the nation
Communication Takeaways
Tested and proved our ability to talk to each other: Air to surface, State to Local, DOD to State
Improved our CST’s communication capabilities FIN had never been exercised in this manner, and we
discovered secure comms issues, and made recommendations to fix them
Need to improve DOD air to surface communications
Operational Takeaways
Although 2 boat escorts are the minimum, more is better Helicopters are even “more” better Tactical Interoperability is critical Communications are critical Intelligence has a purpose
US Water Patrol Subject under a bridge People operating around Blount Island
“I have never felt safer in any port, before this. Job well done.” Commanding Officer, USS Scranton
The Rad/Nuc Takeaways
We have finalized our Rad/Nuc Detection equipment list
We perfected our maritime protocol
We maximized and leveraged our partner expertise
The Future