<p>Seasoned Coast Guard Veteran Paints Big Picture’ For Cadets
Homeland Security official lets them know what to expect</p>
<p>Special To The Day
Daniel J. Ostergaard, executive director of the Department of Homeland Security’s advisory council, speaks to cadets about their future roles during a recent visit to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. </p>
<p>By ANTHONY CRONIN
Day Staff Writer, Business
Published on 11/20/2005</p>
<p>When Daniel J. Ostergaard was a young Coast Guard captain, he likely didn’t think his experiences overseeing a busy Coast Guard station in Hawaii would someday make for an excellent case study in leadership.</p>
<p>After all, he was too busy overseeing a 22-person station in Kauai in search and rescue, narcotics enforcement and environmental protection of the seas.</p>
<p>On any given day, we didn’t know what would come up, Ostergaard recalls of his duties in Hawaii.</p>
<p>But the 11 years that the Asheville, N.C., native and U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduate spent aboard cutters on both U.S. coasts gave him plenty of fodder to pass along to young academy cadets.</p>
<p>This past week, Ostergaard, who is now the executive director of the Department of Homeland Security’s advisory council, spent hours with the cadets offering intensive case studies of his role overseeing a Coast Guard station, its crews and the waters they were responsible for protecting. He also served as the keynote speaker during a luncheon before the officers’ association.</p>
<p>Lt. Cmdr. Sean Carroll, who coordinated Ostergaard’s visit and classroom instruction, said it was a pleasure to bring the 1994 academy graduate back to New London to give a hands-on, real-life account of what the future Coast Guard officers will encounter as they begin their careers with the service.</p>
<p>Daniel is arguably one of our most successful graduates in recent history, Carroll said. It is always a pleasure to bring him into our classroom, and connect him with our cadets.</p>
<p>Ostergaard holds two master’s degrees one from the Naval War College and the other from Harvard University and besides his active-duty service, he has worked as Gov. Jeb Bush’s homeland security and criminal justice adviser in Florida and now as a senior adviser to Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Homeland Security department.</p>
<p>Ostergaard, an affable 33-year-old and father of two, relishes his sessions with cadets, which he’s done for several years. He feels a close bond with the academy, the Coast Guard and its cadets and still remains an active Coast Guard reservist, holding its prestigious Capt. Edward R. Williams reserve award for excellence for 2003.</p>
<p>This is one big learning laboratory, he said of the New London academy. I paint them a bigger picture about what they’ll do. There’s 180,000 people in the Homeland Security department. I show them the role they’ll play.</p>
<p>The Coast Guard, which has about 40,000 within its ranks, is one the 22 agencies that now make up the sprawling Homeland Security department.</p>
<p>This (academy) is a tremendous investment by this country, said Ostergaard. These service academies do a phenomenal job.</p>
<p>During his visit to the academy this past week, Ostergaard also reflected on his experiences visiting the Gulf region after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. He said many of the cadets will likely assist in some type of natural disaster during their Coast Guard careers. When they get out there in the fleet, they’ve got to be prepared to handle the stress. They’re making life-and-death decisions sometimes, he said.</p>
<p>Ostergaard said the blend of his careers as an active-duty Coast Guard officer and now as a Homeland Security senior adviser are perfect for the case-study methods.</p>
<p>The mission of the Coast Guard has always been homeland security. This is an age-old service, and that’s really inherent in its mission, he said.</p>
<p>Ostergaard said his Washington, D.C.-based agency still needs to get the word out to both individuals and businesses about homeland security preparation. He said his agency has created a Web site at <a href=“http://www.ready.gov%5B/url%5D”>www.ready.gov</a> that is geared toward individuals and businesses with simple tips on basic preparation for a host of potential issues, from terrorism threats to national disasters.</p>
<p>These are simple, no-cost or low-cost ways to be prepared, Ostergaard said. This is about more than just terrorism, he said. It’s really about being prepared.</p>
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