VIDEO: North Pole flight ushers in new era of Coast Guard Arctic operations

November 06, 2007 By Petty Officer 1st Class Kurt Fredrickson
Public Affairs Detachment

KODIAK, Alaska -- A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane departed Barrow, America's northernmost city, Oct. 25 and successfully reached the North Pole, ushering in a new era of Coast Guard operations in the Arctic.

The 2,300-mile flight, which originated from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, was the first to reach the North Pole exclusively for the purpose of Arctic domain awareness.

This new mission for the Coast Guard is based on recently observed climate changes that will provide greater maritime access to the Arctic. But for the Coast Guard, reaching the northernmost point on Earth was more than a typical maritime patrol.

"The significance of crossing the North Pole is a statement," Rear Adm. Arthur Brooks, Commander of the 17th Coast Guard District in Juneau, said. "It's a statement that the U.S. Coast Guard is prepared to operate in the Arctic and the high Arctic. We are here to work."

This first Arctic domain awareness flight is not just the beginning of a changing Coast Guard role in the region, but also a step toward learning how to conduct missions in one of the harshest environments on the planet, Brooks said.

"The primary change in the Arctic is that for 150 years we have done exploration and research," Brooks explained. "The change is we now must prepare to do all Coast Guard missions in the arctic, including maritime surveillance."

"The main expectations were to see how our instruments and radio communications work, what altitude we can (reach) before hitting our cold weather limitations, and what the forward support limitations are going to be in Barrow itself," explained Lt. Tommy Wallin, aircraft commander for the North Pole flight.

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