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Atlantic Strike Team gears up, ready to go

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Dennis L. Sloan
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  The U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team, stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is equipped to respond to most chemical and weapons of mass destruction incidents in their area of operations.

Led by Cmdr. Richard Schultz's, commanding officer, the AST is comprised of 45 active duty servicemembers and civilians, along with 34 reservists and six auxiliarists, which provide biological, chemical, oil spill and radiological response services within the Coast Guard's 1st, 5th and 9th Districts, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Internationally the team's AOR covers Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the Gulf Coast approximately 60 miles off the coast of Louisiana was one of the most recent incidents the AST responded to. An advanced team comprised of four servicemembers, which arrived on the scene of the incident within 24 hours, provided aerial observation, boom and skimming equipment to include the Vessel of Opportunity Oil Skimming System.

"This team is on call 24 hours seven days a week," said Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Sligh, unit executive officer. "We are the nation's insurance policy in times of need."

The AST currently has four team members assisting with the clean-up of the Deep Water Gulf Oil Spill and two members supporting the Environmental Protection Agency at a U.S. Virgin Islands Refinery incident.

"Most units deploy as a whole, but when we deploy, we could send the entire team, half the team or just a few members," said Sligh. "We deploy as a skill set."

Along with responding to environmental hazards such as oil spills the AST provides site safety, hazard mitigation and source control and Incident Command System support.

"Being on the Atlantic Strike Team makes everyday a learning experience," said Petty Officer 1st Class Richard Bradway, one of the unit's response supervisors. "One day I will be assisting with an oil spill and the next I will be assisting with the decontamination of a small community from mercury exposure."

Site safety requires the AST to provide site assessment and characterization, site plan development and enforcement, air and weather monitoring multi-media sampling and isolating contaminated areas and support efforts to deny entry to unauthorized personnel.

Hazard mitigation and source control requires the AST to provide a full hazmat team, pre-stage equipment for threats of oil or hazardous substances releases, to assess vessel damage, salvage and consultation as well as waste characterization and disposal advice and coordination.

Incident Command System support requires the AST to provide mobile command post for communications and response management operations, logistical support, management and coordination, evidence collection support along with resource cost documentation.

"The Atlantic Strike Team is so versatile," said Bradway. "We provide an array of response services that positively impact the environment, animals as well as community members that inhabit the area."