CNN iReport

This is Part 3 in a series – Read Part 1 in our series here and Part 2 here.

Primary Support Officer (PSO), What?  The Field Mission Support Integration team is made up of officers from across Coast Guards mission areas.  Some of the newly formed team had no idea what a PSO was and had never heard the term before last Thursday.  Unfortunately for everyone in the room, no one who was familiar with the term knew what it meant either.  Coast Guard has yet to define the duties of the PSO, the responsibilities or what PSO is accountable for.  Going back to Mr. Orners comment that "we need to better explain what we do to the operators, and clarify the dotted line relationships," it appears he may want to start at home first.  If the PSO's can't explain it, don't understand it, and certainly don't have a document that defines it, who is explaining to whom?  The PSO's are currently the former Commanding Officers of the Integrated Support Commands (ISC).  In theory (and there are several out there), the PSO would keep the peace among the new DCMS units.  Resolve issues and assist in keeping mission support at the customer level on track.  Right now the only document that comes close to defining a PSO is a cover memo on a document called the RACI matrix.  RACI stands for Responsibility, Action, Coordination and Information.  Essentially the document details who does what by command or unit.  Everyone we spoke to agreed that it might be the single best  product of modernization.  The cover memo was signed out by the Directors's Council which is made up of the CO's of the Logistics Centers.  But even the Directors's Council are in agreement that the PSO is not clearly defined.  Again, we see a clear example of Allen's rush to modernize at any costs.  Modernization is here, but not even the players know the program.  A new Commandant of the Coast Guard will be announced and nominated by DHS and the White House shortly.  Allen is moving into the "lame duck" phase of his tour as Commandant.  Thad Allen had wanted his legacy to be modernizing the Coast Guard.  He desperately wanted to put Katrina behind him has his claim to fame.  Instead, according to every leader we've spoken to, Allen will always have Katrina, and only possibly only Katrina if he can't fix this.  Check back for Part 4 in this series.