Marine Science Technician Case Study

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1. Four-year tour lengths for Marine Science Technicians do not meet the needs of our maritime industry partners and Coast Guard families. Current assignment policy dictates that tours to marine safety related units in non-feeder ports will be four years and consistent with several other ratings in the Coast Guard. This has led to dissatisfaction among the industries we regulate and less than optimal geographic stability for Coast Guard members and their families. Assignment lengths for Marine Science Technicians should be increased to five years for all Continental United States (CONUS) marine safety related units.

2. With the development and release of reference (a), the Coast Guard recognized that increased assignment lengths would provide significant benefits to Coast Guard members. This policy established new tour lengths for several ratings and units, but it is the Marine Science Technician revision that is relevant to this proposal. Establishing five-year tour lengths for Marine Science Technicians assigned to feeder ports represented an increase from the four-year tours that were served previously. Since its release, both industry and members have come to realize the benefits associated with this change. However, these benefits
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To understand the benefits of this change, we must first connect two separate events and understand how the first made a significant contribution to the second. In 2008, maritime industry was placing tremendous pressure on the Coast Guard, citing proficiency among inspectors and continuity of operations at units as primary concerns. The Coast Guard developed a Marine Safety Enhancement Plan and undertook several initiatives to address these concerns. Feeder ports, first discussed in reference (b) and expanded on in reference (c), were responsible for training a complement of marine inspectors who would be capable of meeting industry demands at ports nationwide. Apprentices reported to professionally diverse ports