Coast Guard, multiple agencies conduct joint search and rescue exercise north of Barrow

BARROW, Alaska – Coast Guard 25-foot Response Boat – Small crewmembers and Air Force, Alaska Air National Guard and North Slope Borough personnel work together to search and rescue 10 various shaped and weighted buoys, which were used to simulate people in the water after a sailboat accident in the Arctic Ocean July 27, 2011.

The two-day joint exercise, designed to better understand each agencies capabilities and concerns during a maritime mass causality event, started the same day Coast Guard commandant, Adm. Bob Papp, testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard Subcommittee about the challenges the service faces operating in the region

“For the past four years, we have been conducting limited Arctic operations during open water periods,” said Papp during his testimony. “However, we face many challenges. Some Arctic operations demand specialized vessels, aircraft, and crews trained to operate in extreme climate.”

U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 1st Class David Mosely

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