Fletcher Faculty Tour U.S. Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker

Discussions with USCG Leadership and Legislators Focused on Arctic Research and Policy 

By special invitation from the U.S. Coast Guard, a four-person Fletcher delegation toured polar icebreaker U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy at the Boston Cruise Port Terminal and met with Coast Guard leaders and New England legislators to advance policy conversations about climate research and Arctic geopolitics. 

Rockford “Rocky” Weitz, Director of Fletcher’s Maritime Studies program, attended the tour along with fellow Fletcher professors Kelly Sims Gallagher, Abigail Linnington, John Burgess and Bill Moomaw. The team enjoyed the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy tour – a wonderful opportunity to learn about climate science the Coast Guard supports and engage Coast Guard leadership in Fletcher’s Arctic and maritime security research initiatives. 

The tour was followed by a roundtable discussion with senior U.S. Coast Guard leaders, including Vice Admiral Steven Poulin, Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area (from the Rocky Mountains east to the Arabian Gulf, including all of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and Red Sea), Rear Admiral Tom Allan, Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard’s First District (Atlantic Coast from Maine to New Jersey), and Captain Kenneth Boda, Commanding Office of the Healy. 

After the roundtable, the Fletcher and Coast Guard teams attended a reception with Massachusetts U.S. Congressman Stephen Lynch and several other New England legislators.    

“The day’s events helped solidify Fletcher’s longstanding relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard, America’s global maritime governance force — including in the Arctic, an area of academic and research focus for Fletcher,” said Weitz. 

For the past decade, Fletcher has hosted the annual Fletcher Arctic Conference, a student-led event that brings together a distinguished group of global leaders from business, governance, human rights, international law, and science to share insights, research, and discourse on the most pressing issues affecting the Arctic region. Last year, the Conference keynote speaker was Admiral Schultz, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Preparations are underway for the 11th annual Fletcher Arctic Conference, to be held Friday, February 4, 2022 on the Tufts University campus.