Photo By Chief Petty Officer Erica Gardner | U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Torres, USCGC Mohawk boarding team...... read more read more
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CARIBBEAN SEA — The fast boat zipped from U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk to the side of the USS Doyle as its crew executed a vessel boarding exercise during Fuerzas Aliadas PANAMAX 2009.
The boarding team scrambled up the side of the Doyle, as Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Torres and his crew of Mohawk Coast Guardsmen stood by in their boat to provide backup and a means of rapid transport for the boarding team.
Torres, a native of Los Angeles, Calif., plays a key role in Maritime Interdiction Operations using his boat handling skills to get boarding teams out and back swiftly and safely. The Coast Guard frequently performs such missions, leveraging its law enforcement authority and expertise to stop human trafficking and interdict illegal drugs.
"I am glad to be a part of a humanitarian and law enforcement entity," said Torres. "Growing up around the distractions of drugs helps me want to give back."
FA PANAMAX 2009 is one of the largest multinational training exercises in the world, taking place in the waters off the coasts of Panama from Sept. 11-22 with the participation of civil and military forces from 20 partner nations.
More than 20 vessels and a dozen aircraft are involved in the exercise. Participants focused on a variety of responses to any request from the Government of Panama to protect and guarantee safe passage of traffic through the Panama Canal, ensure its neutrality, and respect national sovereignty. Simulated ground forces also participated at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.
Torres currently manages the deck department aboard Mohawk He has a third class boatswain's mate and 17 more junior personnel working under his supervision. He is responsible for training, educating and ensuring their career goals are met.
"As a boatswain's mate, I am in charge of the exterior of the ship, but my job is much more than scraping and painting," said Torres.
Torres is also qualified to board vessels but is used in the transporting of boarding team members because of his expertise in the operation and maintenance of the rigid hull inflatable boat. The RHIB coxswain and his three-person crew are fully briefed on boarding-team missions, to allow them to support the boarding or make a swift extraction of the team.
During the PANAMAX exercise, Torres kept a watchful eye on the Doyle's flight deck, and kept up constant communications with the boarding team officer and Mohawk. Such MIO operations are a major tool in maintaining freedom of the seas, one keystone of U.S. maritime strategy along with creating multinational solutions to multinational problems.
"We have a demand for vessel boarding in areas where weak maritime governance and limited enforcement resources hinder the implementation of maritime security measures," Torres said. "PANAMAX is an opportunity for the newer team members to get comfortable with the way we do things. Working with foreign countries helps us in more ways than one."
| Date Taken: | 09.15.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 09.20.2009 19:26 |
| Story ID: | 39055 |
| Location: | USCENTCOM, AT SEA |
| Web Views: | 245 |
| Downloads: | 114 |
This work, Coast Guard Coxswain Transports Boarding Teams, by CPO Erica Gardner, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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