Look here for the latest news around the Coast Guard as well as updates in everything from training to the weather

 

SUBJ:      CHANGE IN COAST GUARD DIRECTIVES WEB SITE AND INTERIM AVAILABILITY OF ALTERNATE AUXILIARY ACCESS SITE 

 

The Coast Guard is changing how it projects its online presence to the public. Changes in its public information management system are expected to continue through September 2017. This will result in more consistent style and improved ability to share web content with other military services, as well as provide a more stable internet platform for public user interaction.  The Coast Guard Office of Public Affairs (CG-0922) is overseeing this transition and new site management.

 

A result of this transition is that changes are being made to the web locations of public-facing Coast Guard resources like manuals, instructions, and forms. Until recently, such resources were available through the www.uscg.mil/directives web site.  That site has been changed to the web site of the Coast Guard Directives and Publications Division (CG-612):  http://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Assistant-Commandant-for-C4IT-CG-6-/The-Office-of-Information-Management-CG-61/aboutCGDS/

This transition will make for a more dynamic Coast Guard public-facing online environment. Therefore, links to the old Coast Guard directives site should be replaced with links to the new CG-612 site, and semi-annual checks of links to Coast Guard sites should be performed.

 

If you go to www.uscg.mil/directives, you will instead be taken to the new CG-612 web site. This site is still being filled with public-facing Coast Guard manuals, instructions, and forms, and should be fully loaded by the end of June 2017.  Until then, you may find that some Coast Guard publications that are often used by the Auxiliary are missing.

 

In the interim, the Assistant National Commodore - FORCECOM (ANACO-FC, Commodore Bob Holm) and Deputy ANACO-FC (Pete Jensen) have created a temporary and easy-to-use repository for Auxiliary and often-used Coast Guard manuals and instructions. These manuals and instructions are now easily accessed and can be found at: http://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=H-DEPT&category=auxiliary-manuals

2016 TCT Refresher Training Posted On-Line

 

The required 2016 Team Coordination (TCT) Refresher has been posted to the Response Directorate's web site. This refresher workshop is required for all members qualified in Surface Operations as well as surface facility owners and watchstanders.
In additional to the annual Sea Story case review, this year important reminders have been added to the presentation as a result of a very serious surface mishap which occurred in 2015.
This annual refresher does not replace the requirement to attend the 4-hour TCT workshop required for initial qualification and thereafter, every 5 years. Attending a 4 hour TCT workshop will waive attending the annual refresher for 2016.

Please click here to download the TCT Refresher materials or go the Response Directorate's What's New page to using this URL:  http://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=R-DEPT&category=WHATSNEW

 

 

MONITORING AUXILIARY MANDATED TRAINING 

 

Monthly Reports Now On Line
All members are required to complete ten training topics by the end of 2016, or within one year of enrollment, depending on base enrollment date.   These are the “mandated training” sessions discussed in ALAUX 010/15 from the Chief Director this past June (http://wow.uscgaux.info/Uploads_wowII/095-45/CHDIRAUX___03_June_2015.pdf) .   Further details are available at: http://tdept.cgaux.org/mt/Revised_Website_Mandated_Training_reh_10April2015.pdf
Tracking of completion of these courses has been difficult for some members, and the Performance Measurement Directorate is pleased to announce a new method for monitoring the progress of Auxiliary Mandated Training in each district.
A monthly report, in Excel format, is now available at the website of the Performance Management Directorate, http://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=m-dept . These reports can be reached with the "Mandated Training" menu pick. Upon entry of login credentials, they are accessible by all members.
In each district’s workbook there are two sheets: one lists personnel in the district alphabetically; the other lists members by flotilla. Note that these reports will not list members who have not had any recorded Coast Guard training of any type since enrollment.
These reports will be prepared subsequently on a monthly basis, with the next ones posted on or about 01 November 2015. As this is a monthly report, please be aware that recently-completed courses may not appear.
This report is an interim solution, pending the adoption of Mandated Training as an Auxiliary skill code in AUXDATA, which is being worked on now.

Questions and comments may be addressed to the Director, Performance Measurement, through your chain of leadership.

 

 

 

EVENTS CALENDAR REMINDER
Earlier this year the National Executive Committee’s 2015 Events Calendar was distributed.  
As a reminder, the entry regarding solicitation for the Auxiliary Diversity Award, on line #32, points to an upcoming event which is due shortly.  The due date for submission of this material from any member to the NACO via Chain of Leadership through the District EXCOM is 01 September, 2015.
Your effort to keep us on track with this important milestone is much appreciated.
Respectfully,
The National Executive Committee

 

 

Did you know that you can find basic information you need to know about all the CGAUX national certifications from the MT Compendium in a simple spreadsheet format. The MT Compendium gives pertinent content like: 

• How long you have to complete your certification

• What are the pre-requisites to completing you certification

• Links to all the Manuals, PQSs, PPTs, and Exams ​

Examples of National Certifications include:    

• Boat Crew

• Radio Telecommunications Operator (TCO)

• Prevention Outreach Specialist (AUXMEES)

• ICS courses 100, 200, 700, 800, 210 and others

• And many other certifications needed for all aspects of the Auxiliary

All this information is easily found on the Training Directorate Website that has a wealth of training information a click away at this link:    http://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=t-dept

​or you can go directly to the MT Compendium at this link:  http://link.cgaux.org/mtc

 

LAUNCH OF THE ENTERPRISE COMMON IDEATION PLATFORM (ECIP)

1. The Coast Guard Innovation Program is excited to share the launch of the Enterprise Common Ideation Platform, ECIP Connect. ECIP Connect is a tool that is being prototyped to replace the legacy Innovation database.  Rather than a passive tool that only receives information, ECIP Connect is a new crowd-sourcing tool designed to invite any Coast Guard member (active duty, civilian, reservist, Auxiliarist) to participate in Service "challenges" from anywhere, at any time, on any device.

2. ECIP Connect is designed to promote and strengthen the Services commitment to foster a culture of continuous innovation and learning. The intent is to demonstrate the value of a proven crowd-sourcing platform that supports innovation through real-time information sharing and engages the workforce to help solve the Services strategically targeted challenges.

3. ECIP Connect provides a positive and empowering experience where participants can voluntarily review challenges, submit possible solutions, and collaborate with other members of the workforce by voting, supporting, and influencing the best ideas as they are offered, advance toward possible prototypes, and potentially becoming implementable solutions.

4. The prototype period for ECIP Connect will run from now until 19SEP15.  This period will be used to conduct research and influence the Innovation Program redesign.  Participation from all Coast Guard members is highly encouraged as we collectively shape the future of the Innovation Program. Participation is voluntary.

5. If you would like to participate in this prototype and join the growing community of Coast Guard innovators, please visithttp://ecipconnect.ideascale.com to register and learn more on how you can advance solutions forward.  Note: "www" is not required in the website address.

6. For additional questions related to ECIP Connect or the Coast Guard Innovation Program, please contact Innovation Program Manager, LCDR Thomas (Andy) Howell, 202-372-4587, Thomas.A.Howell(at)uscg.mil, or innovation(at)uscg.mil.

 

 Compromised PII Update

"As was communicated on June 4, 2015, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently became aware of a cybersecurity incident affecting its systems and data that may have exposed the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of some current and former federal employees. This email provides additional information regarding next steps for DHS employees. 

Beginning June 8 and continuing through June 19, OPM will be sending notifications to individuals whose PII was potentially compromised in this incident. OPM has retained a private vendor, CSID, to transmit the notifications on behalf of OPM. Consequently, the email will come from opmcio@csid.com and will not come from a .gov email address. The notification will feature a CSID logo and will contain information regarding credit monitoring and identity theft protection services being provided to those federal employees impacted by the data breach. In the event OPM does not have an email address for the individual on file, a standard letter will be sent via the U.S. Postal Service.

This notification is different from other notifications you may have already received. The Department is also in the process of notifying some DHS employees in CBP, ICE, TSA, and in a small number of other components that one of the companies that DHS contracts with to conduct background investigations and credit checks may have had a compromise of its network. That notification, which was made via U.S. Postal Service, is separate from this OPM notification. 

As a note of caution, confirm that the email you receive is, in fact, the official notification. It’s possible that malicious groups may leverage this event to launch phishing attacks. To protect yourself, we encourage you to do the following:

1.      Make sure the sender email address is “opmcio@csid.com.”

2.      The email should not contain any attachments. If it does, do not open them, and forward the email to dhsspam@hq.dhs.gov.

3.      The email is sent exclusively to your email address. No other individuals should be in the TO, CC, or BCC fields.

4.      The email subject should be exactly “Important Message from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management CIO.”

5.      The email will feature an embedded “Enroll Now” button. Do not click on the included link. Instead, record the provided PIN code, open a web browser then manually type the URL - http://www.csid.com/opm - into the address bar and press enter. You can then use the provided instructions to enroll using the OPM/CSID website.

6.      The email should not contain any attachments. However, once you visit the OPM/CSID website (http://www.csid.com/opm) to enter your PIN code, you will be asked to provide personal information to verify your identity. 

7.      The official email should look like this sample screenshot <http://dhsconnect.dhs.gov/org/comp/mgmt/SiteAssets/Pages/OPM-Cybersecurity-Incident-Update-/OPM_Breach_email1.png> . 

8.      If you would prefer not to enter your personal information on the OPM/CSID website (http://www.csid.com/opm), you may call the CSID call center toll-free at 844-777-2743 or 844-222-2743. (International callers: call collect 512-327-0705).

9.      OPM will not proactively call you about the breach. If you receive a phone call about the breach claiming to be OPM, then it iot provide any personal information. CSID, not OPM, is making all notifications about this breach, and the notifications are by email or through the U.S. Postal Service.

Additional information is also available on CSID’s website, http://www.csid.com/opm (external link), or you can call them toll-free at 1-844-777-2743 (International callers: call collect at 1-512-327-0705).

Regardless of whether or not you receive this notification, you should take extra care to ensure that they are following recommended cyber and personal security procedures. If you suspect that you have received a phishing attack, contact your component’s security office <http://dhsconnect.dhs.gov/org/comp/mgmt/cso/Pages/DHS_Security_Offices.aspx> . 

In general, government employees are often frequent targets of “phishing” attacks, which are surreptitious approaches to stealing your identity, accessing official computer systems, running up bills in your name, or even committing crimes using your identity. Phishing schemes use email or websites to trick you into disclosing personal and sensitive information. 

We will continue to keep you advised of new developments regarding this cybersecurity incident as we learn more from OPM. The following includes helpful information for monitoring your identity and financial information and precautions to help you avoid being a victim.

Steps for Monitoring Your Identity and Financial Information:

*    Monitor financial account statements and immediately report any suspicious or unusual activity to financial institutions.
*    Request a free credit report at www.AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228. Consumers are entitled by law to one free credit report per year from each of the three major credit bureaus – Equifax®, Experian®, and TransUnion® – for a total of three reports every year. You can find contact information for the credit bureaus on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website, www.ftc.gov.
*    Review resources provided on the FTC identity theft webitytheft.gov. The FTC maintains a variety of consumer publications providing comprehensive information on computer intrusions and identity theft.
*    You may place a fraud alert on your credit file to let creditors know to contact you before opening a new account in your name. Simply call TransUnion® at 1-800-680-7289 to place this alert. TransUnion® will then notify the other two credit bureaus on your behalf.

Precautions to Help You Avoid Becoming a Victim:

·         Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, visits, or email messages from individuals asking about you, your employees, your colleagues or any other internal information. If an unknown individual claims to be from a legitimate organization, try to verify his or her identity directly with the company.

·         Do not provide personal information or information about your organization, including its structure or networks, unless you are certain of a person’s authority to have the information.

·         Do not reveal personal or financial information in email, and do not respond to email solicitations for this information. This includes following links sent in email.

·         Do not send sensitive information over the Internet before checking a website’s security (for more information, see Protecting Your Privacy, http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-013).

·         Pay attention to the URL of a website. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com vs. .net).

·         If you are unsure whether an email request is legitimate, try to verify it by contacting the company directly. Do not use contact information provided on a website connected to the request; instead, check previous statements for contact information. Information about known phishing attacks is also available online from groups such as the Anti-Phishing Working Group (http://www.antiphishing.org).

·         You should take steps to monitor your personable information and report any suspected instances of identity theft to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

·         Additional information about preventative steps by consulting the Federal Trade Commission’s website, www.consumer.gov/idtheft. The FTC also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with the commission using the contact information below.

Identity Theft Clearinghouse
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20580
https://www.identitytheft.gov/
1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338)
TDD: 1-202-326-2502"