News Release

KUWAIT — The Portsmouth, Va., based commander of the U.S. Coast Guard's Atlantic Area, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, visited with U.S. Coast Guard personnel here Thursday to thank them for their service.

Secretary Janet Napolitano and Vice Adm. Robert J. Papp, Jr., toured the cutter Aquidneck, one of the Coast Guard's 110-foot patrol boats assigned to operations in the northern Arabian Gulf, met the personnel working at the forward operating base at Kuwait Naval Base and Camp Patriot, and met with the Combined Task Group 55.6, which trains Iraqi coalition forces to advance regional security and stability as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Napolitano and Papp also met with the Middle East Training Team, which conducts law enforcement programs in conjunction with U.S. Naval Forces surface exercises in the region.

“Confronting global terrorism demands vigilance in every corner of the world,” said Napolitano. “The men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard stationed in Kuwait work courageously every day to promote security in the Middle East and defuse threats before they reach our nation’s shores."

Coast Guard forces play an integral role in U.S. efforts to secure the Middle East region and contribute heavily to homeland security law enforcement operations worldwide.

MEDIA NOTE:  Vice Adm. Papp assumed the duties as Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area in July 2008 and serves as the operational commander for all U.S. Coast Guard missions within the eastern half of the world, from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf.  This area of responsibility spans five Coast Guard Districts, 42 states with over 14 million square miles, and serves with more than 51,000 military and civilian employees and Auxiliarists.  Papp also concurrently serves as Commander, Defense Force East, providing Coast Guard mission support to the Department of Defense and Combatant Commanders.

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