Back ||NOAA Home Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.) Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Comments at the NOAA Corps Dining-Out, May 8, 2004 ROA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. Thank you for the invitation to be here again tonight at this year’s Dining Out! It is an honor and a delight for my wife Susan and I to be able to join you. I’d like to give my thanks to CDR Steve Barnum, President of the Washington, DC Section of the NOAA ACO. My thanks to RADM Nick Prahl for riding the wave during our transition in NOAA Corps leadership. I am very pleased to see RADM Harley Nygren, the first Director of the NOAA Corps and RADM Eveyln Fields, the Corps’ previous Director, here tonight. John Oliver from NOAA Fisheries who assures me that nothing on our menu is on the protected-species list. I’d also like to take a moment to thank the many family members who are with us tonight. We ask a lot of your loved ones, and I want to extend my appreciation for all of the support you provide. We are paying tribute to you tonight as well. A Dining-Out is a light-hearted affair so my remarks will be short and sweet. Since I don’t often speak to a predominantly NOAA Corps audience, I do want to take this opportunity to inform you of recent Corps events and our progress with the ship and aircraft fleets. It was in this same spot a year ago I first announced that I would recommend Captains Sam DeBow and Rich Behn for appointment to the NOAA Corps’ top leadership positions. Well, good things take time, right? We are all very pleased that Congress passed legislation on March 29 (P.L. 108-219) that allows us to move forward in the appointment and promotion process. NOAA Corps appointments, temporary promotions, promotions, and nominations for the senior leadership positions are underway. To jump-start the process, the President has approved 136 temporary promotions and the Secretary has signed the certificates. The paperwork for the permanent appointments and promotions of all the affected officers and the 2 flag officer nominations are at the White House and will be forwarded to the Senate for its advice and consent. This is the end of a very difficult period for the Corps. Now we can focus again on a bright future. As NOAA Corps Officers, you are a critical part of the web of science and management that forms the foundation of NOAA’s exploration and observation missions. You’re in the front lines at sea, and in the air, collecting the critical scientific data NOAA needs to do its work. You wear the uniform and are examples to the rest of NOAA, and you’re given the opportunity to see many parts of this great agency–something I wish more civilians could do. We’re recruiting and minting ensigns! BOTC 105 graduates on June 3. We continue to see renewal in the ship and aircraft fleets. NANCY FOSTER will finally be commissioned on Monday. FSV-2's keel laying is happening in a couple of weeks. HI’IALAKAI, FAIRWEATHER and OSCAR DYSON will be on-line this season. And, a third Twin Otter has recently been acquired. We need modern and technologically capable ships and aircraft to fulfill our mission. I will continue to support your efforts to acquire newer platforms. We’re also working to increase opportunities for Corps officers to grow into leadership positions by establishing senior positions in the Line Offices. CAPT Gary Petrae has recently joined PPI as the Deputy AA. We’re filling 6 Executive Officer billets to work with the Deputy AA’s. And CDR Garner Yates has just joined my staff in the DCO, the Decision Coordination Office. We’re providing training opportunities and leadership-building experiences for officers through detail assignments and programs like LCDP. CDR Rob Poston just graduated from The New Wave class while CDR Mike Gallagher, LCDRs Brad Kearse and John Adler just began in The Navigators class. And LCDR Jamie Verlaque just joined my staff in the PCO, the Program Coordination Office. I’ve asked NOAA Corps leadership to develop requirements for the existing and future NOAA Corps missions. And provide leadership with the justifications we need to fight to secure the officer and infrastructure resources to meet those requirements. This is a shared challenge. It is an honor to work with all of you and to share in the future of NOAA and the NOAA Corps! Thank you very much! Let’s enjoy the evening!