17 Spring 2025 Proceedings Successful Partnerships Thrive on Effective Communication by Bruce BucKLey Commander Research and Development Center Auxiliary Unit U.S. Coast Guard F or 50 years, the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) has developed technol- ogy and knowledge products which significantly enhance the Coast Guard’s ability to reduce the risk and raise the value of introducing new technologies into the service. This is achieved by evaluating how the RDC can be effectively applied in the execution of the Coast Guard’s 11 statutory missions. Continuous improvement and impactful, deliberate peer-reviewed research with the capability to transition have been key to the RDC’s ongoing success. To address an ever-expanding list of research efforts, the RDC knew it had to increase its research capacity. The command was not growing, so the RDC imple- mented closer collaboration with private and public organizations as “force multipliers.” Perhaps one of the most successful collaborations is with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, which has become a trusted partner and is, indeed, a force multiplier. The 21,000-member Auxiliary is a national, all-vol- unteer Coast Guard organization. A part of the service since 1939, the Auxiliary’s core support mission has not changed significantly over the years, though how it sup- ports the service has evolved to remain productive, rel- evant, and in alignment with the active component. Beginning in 2016, local Auxiliary personnel par- ticipated in shoreside test observations, with their vari- ous vessels serving as test observation platforms on the water. Two years later, Auxiliary members were invited to attend the three-day Annual Assessment of Prospective Portfolio event. This is the primary work- ing meeting where stakeholders and subject matter experts from the Coast Guard and other Department of Homeland Security agencies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, and the Department of Defense evaluate the value of proposed projects for the coming fiscal year. As the RDC-Auxiliary relationship grew, the need for sustainable national support became appar- ent. In 2019, the Auxiliary’s First Southern District Commodore, William Bowen, coordinated with the RDC’s commanding officer, then-CAPT Greg Rothrock, and First Coast Guard District Commander then- VADM Thomas G. Allan Jr. to create an Auxiliary Unit Coordinator (AUC) to manage the relationship. The position is defined in the Auxiliary Manual as follows: The primary purpose of an AUC shall be to facilitate the timely provision of high-quality administrative and operational support by the Auxiliary to the associated Coast Guard unit. The AUC shall work closely with the Coast Guard unit to develop and maintain the necessary relationships to deliver such service. This RDC Auxiliary Unit was the first virtual unit created. It now serves as a virtual organization that con- tinues to leverage members’ special skills and talents nationally, performing at an exceptionally high level supporting eight to 10 portfolio projects a year. A testament to this very successful collaboration, the Commodore Viggo C. Bertelsen Jr. and Vice Admiral John P. Currier Auxiliary Integration Award presented by the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard in 2023, reads: For exceptionally demonstrating applied innovation, creativity and diversity in leveraging U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary skills, experience and resources that enabled the Research and Development Center to efficiently and effectively perform its mission from January 2022 to December 2022. By collaborating with the Auxiliary sup- port team to employ new ideas to develop and implement practices and tools that enhanced and improved readi- ness, preparedness, and mission execution. Foster a cul- ture of continuous innovation and learning. Increased the potential for rapidly generating ideas to solve challenges. Discovered new solutions to challenges, through encour- aging, recognizing and rewarding innovative ideas. And improved unit/office morale and esprit-de-corps. Since then, the RDC Auxiliary Unit has become a valuable resource for the organization, supporting its complex and varied research needs, which range from
