Cal Maritime President Honored by US Coast Guard for Leadership in Maritime Security

RADM William Eisenhardt, USMS, president of the California Maritime Academy (Cal Maritime), a campus of the California State University, received a Certificate of Merit from the United States Coast Guard in recognition of notable services that have greatly assisted in furthering the aims and functions of the Coast Guard.

Eisenhardt was presented with the award by U.S. Coast Guard Captain Gerald M. Swanson, Commanding Officer, MSO, San Francisco Bay on behalf of the Commandant of the Coast Guard during the July meeting of the Northern California Area Maritime Security Committee. Cited in the award were many services Dr. Eisenhardt has performed in support of the Northern California Area Maritime Security Committee and United States Maritime Security - both as president of Cal Maritime as well as in his role as chair of the Northern California Area Maritime Security Committee Exercise and Training Work Group.

Among the achievements cited in the Certificate of Merit are Eisenhardt's superior leadership skills of the Area Maritime Security Committee Work Group, whose efforts were showcased during the exercise ELEVATE SHIELD 2004, which was one of the first exercise groups in the nation to study reopening a major United States port system. His work group was one of the keys to the Captain of the Port's efforts to promote Maritime Domain Awareness and drew upon ELEVATE SHIELD 2004 expertise to create a Port Reopening Plan that is used as a national model.

Also under Eisenhardt's tenure, the Area Maritime Security Committee developed Memorandum's of Understanding with Department of Homeland Security agencies that resulted in significantly increased interagency cooperation in the event of a Transportation Security Incident.

"Through Dr. William Eisenhardt's efforts, the Northern California Area Maritime Security Committee was highly acclaimed and selected for the first Transportation Security Administration Advanced Tabletop Port Step Exercise to be conducted in the nation," the certificate reads. "Dr. William Eisenhardt's contributions are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard."

Eisenhardt's Coast Guard honor is the latest in a string of maritime security-related milestones for the Cal Maritime campus. In June, Cal Maritime announced that it was awarded a three-year, $1 million grant from the California Office of Homeland Security. The money will be used to guide the development and implementation of statewide standards for maritime security training, drills, and exercises for vessels, port facilities, harbors, maritime companies, and other organizations involved in moving freight to and from our nation's harbors.

In May, Cal Maritime received the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration's (MARAD) approval on new security training courses offered through Cal Maritime's Continuing Education Department. Cal Maritime - which developed the three-day courses for vessel security officers, port facility security officers, and company security officers - is only the second training organization in the country to be certified by MARAD as meeting the requirements of the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) and the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) International Ship and Port Security Code (ISPS).

Last fall, in a first-of-its-kind Bay Area event conducted on Cal Maritime's Training Ship Golden Bear, Cal Maritime and local, state, and federal law enforcement learned first-hand what would happen if a maritime terrorist event were to happen on a Bay Area waterway. The role-playing exercise - which involved actors posing as terrorists who attacked Cal Maritime's Training Ship Golden Bear, and involved students, faculty, staff, and local and statewide law enforcement - was geared toward helping to determine local and state agencies' and the maritime industrial community's readiness for a maritime terrorist attack.

"I'm thrilled to have been honored by the Coast Guard with a Certificate of Merit," said Dr. Eisenhardt. "As the only accredited maritime academy on the West Coast, Cal Maritime is committed to making the region's maritime transportation system safer, and there are many people on campus with whom I share this honor. It is very rewarding as a campus president to see federal and state agencies alike recognizing Cal Maritime as a leader in maritime security training and education."

Contact: Jennifer Whitty, 707-654-1720