Rupert high on "The Admiral’s" to do list!

The Commander of Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific, Rear Admiral Roger Girouard is winding down his military career and looking back at some of his accomplishments and some of the unfinished business he will leave behind when he takes his farewell salute in July.

Of interest to Prince Rupert, will be the Rear Admiral’s impressions of the city and its place in the military structure of the Pacific Command.

Girouard gave his thoughts on the city and what he would like to see as a military presence here in an article with the Lookout, the newspaper for CFB Esquimalt.

Already in place for the waters of the north coast will be increased maritime patrols in our waters, expected to grow in numbers as the container port comes on line and expands. The military are also looking at some longer term planning, which includes a larger role for the Ranger force and possibly the eventual creation of the a base which has been mentioned frequently of late.

The Rear Admiral provides a number of quotes that seem to indicate a larger role for the military on the North Coast.

“It’s an area that has us gazing,” he says. “Whether it’s illegal immigration or attempts to tamper with containers in shipping, it’s a place we have to be seen with some regularity, along with the Coast Guard and RCMP", “I see Rupert as a place that needs a permanent military footprint.”,

Words that will no doubt have visions of military dollars dancing in the locals heads in the years to come..

Admiral set to hang up his hats
Melissa Atkinson
Managing Editor
The Lookout
April 23, 2007

As the clock ticks down on RAdm Roger Girouard’s final military posting as Commander Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific, his thoughts are on wrapping up loose ends before his successor, RAdm Tyrone Pile, takes up residence in D100.

On July 26 the Admiral will hand over both hats during the official change of command ceremony at Duntze Head, and then retire from the military.

Directly in his sight at the moment is the potential need for military members to help the mainland should flooding take place on B.C. rivers and mountains during the spring thaw. Snow pack levels in some areas are as much as 160 per cent above normal, but the potential for flooding is entirely dependent on the weather.

He’s ramped up a team that is capable of deploying in a matter of days, and has equipment in place should the military be called upon to help. This would be the first real test of his Joint Task Force responsibility, which was put in place last year to focus on domestic security and disaster operations as part of the CF Transformation and Modernization Project.

When his piece of the project stood up on the West Coast, RAdm Girouard says he made a conscious decision to ensure the general population of Maritime Forces Pacific was not affected by the new structure.

“I had a determination to keep it at the upper level,” he says. “I recognized full and well people had change fatigue, they didn’t want to hear about another change agenda, so I was sensitive to that.”

The only place he couldn’t protect was his headquarters staff, which he credits with most of the work creating JTFP and establishing links to outside agencies, and contingency plans should an domestic operation emerge.

“We have put tons of work into tabletop plans and intellectual work,” says the Admiral.
Part of that work includes Prince Rupert, a growing shipping hub located at the mouth of the Skeena River, on B.C.’s north coast.

“It’s a fascinating place. I remember going out there when I was driving a sweeper. It wasn’t quite a ghost town,” he says. “Like Newfoundland, the biggest export was 20 year olds going down the road to find jobs.”

Now, the city is taking advantage of growing Indo-Pacific markets and the need for another North American port. By 2012, the Admiral says, Prince Rupert will have the same container capacity as the Port of Los Angeles has today; however, with this growth comes security issues.
“It’s an area that has us gazing,” he says. “Whether it’s illegal immigration or attempts to tamper with containers in shipping, it’s a place we have to be seen with some regularity, along with the Coast Guard and RCMP.”

He’s already grown that presence 25 per cent over the last year with increased coastal surveillance patrols by warships.

“I see Rupert as a place that needs a permanent military footprint,” he says. While he won’t see that come to full fruition during his tenure, he has made some movement toward it by investing money in training the Canadian Rangers, an underutilized force he says, and generating talks about creating a reserve unit.

“I’m looking at the security needs of this region, the gaps we have, and what we can do to fill those gaps.’

Also on the Admrial’s “to do” list is laying the groundwork for the 2010 Olympics, to be held in Vancouver. Since becoming the Commander Joint Task Force Games a few weeks ago, it’s his job to formalize relationships with key players such as the Solicitor General and RCMP, handpick the operation’s staff, and develop the way ahead.

“We’re building a home for staff this summer, and setting the groundwork of my expectations of the plan, which I want rolling when Admiral Pile shows up,” says RAdm Girouard. “He can tweak and steer as he will, as he should, as he must, but it won’t be something he’ll have to haul up.”

Once July 23 has come and gone, RAdm Girouard will take time to plan his future, which he hints may include teaching. He’s already trialled his lecture abilities at Camosun College a few weeks ago, where he spoke on Leadership 101 to both a business and foreign affairs class.
“I’ve thought about this transition for a while. Teaching is a chance to give back in a different way,” he says.