Coast Guard personnel from units across the greater Miami area hosted the Office of the Secretary of Defense and civilian participants in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC) at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach, Friday.
JCOC-94 participants got a first-hand opportunity to see what Coast Guard servicemembers do every day and the boats, ships, aircraft and technology they operate to protect, defend, and save the maritime community in support of homeland security and national defense strategic objectives.
JCOC is the Department of Defense’s oldest and most prestigious public liaison program. Established in 1948, it is the only Secretary of Defense-sponsored outreach program that enables American business and community leaders to have an immersive experience with their military. Participants are fully embedded with service members from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard during the weeklong program. Through this outreach program, Americans learn more about their military and the men and women who serve and will in turn share their experiences and support of the Armed Forces within their own spheres of influence. The Coast Guard is the nation’s only branch of the Armed Forces that does not reside within the Department of Defense, and instead falls under the Department of Homeland Security.
“The Coast Guard welcomes the opportunity to share our unique military branch with Americans who may otherwise never have personal interactions with our servicemembers,” said Rear Adm. Will E. Watson, Coast Guard Director of Governmental and Public Affairs. “Our Coast Guard men and women are an integral part of the communities in which they live and work, and the JCOC allows our service to reach beyond the lifesaving hand that we extend to those we rescue, and out to the broader American public through JCOC Ambassadors.”
Coast Guard personnel from the following units participated in the visit:
- Coast Guard Sector Miami
- Coast Guard Air Station Miami
- Coast Guard Base Miami Beach
- Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team – South (TACLET-South)
- Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Miami (91114)
- Coast Guard Station Miami Beach
- Coast Guard Cutter Kathleen Moore (WPC 1109)
- Coast Guard Cutter Hudson (WLC 801)
- Coast Guard District Seven
- Greater Miami Chief Petty Officer’s Association
- Coast Guard Culinary Program
- Coast Guard Auxiliary
- Coast Guard Exchange
- U.S. Southern Command
- Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast
“JCOC allows civilian leaders from a broad network of enterprises and agencies the opportunity to learn more about what we do every day through personal interactions with the Coasties behind those missions,” said Lt. Cmdr. John William Beal, Coast Guard District Seven public affairs officer. “We welcome this opportunity and more as part of our community relations efforts to bridge the civilian and military communities, contributing to a greater awareness and mutual understanding of our service, culture and the American people we serve.”
The JCOC program is administered by the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Community Engagement. JCOC alumni include CEOs of Fortune 100 companies, nonprofit organizations, presidents of universities and public administrators from metropolitan cities. Hundreds of individuals are nominated each year, and selections are based on qualifications of the nominee and are determined by an inter-service selection panel. To learn more about JCOC or Mini-JCOC and the nomination processes, visit their website here.
