Our speaker today was Captain Eric J. Jones, the Commanding Officer of U.S. Coast Guard Base Charleston. Captain Jones overviewed the big changes and growth coming to the Charleston Base, soon to be the largest Coast Guard base on the East Coast! Coast Guard cutters from Charleston, including Security Class Cutters over 400 ft long, will be patrolling waters around the world.

The mission of the United States Coast Guard is to ensure the nation's maritime safety, security, and stewardship.

Specifically, the Coast Guard's three broad roles are:

• Maritime Safety - This includes search and rescue operations, marine safety, aids to navigation, and ice operations.

• Maritime Security - This involves enforcing federal laws and treaties, maritime interception and interdiction, port operations and security, and combating terrorism.

• Maritime Stewardship - This encompasses living marine resources protection, marine environmental protection, and other law enforcement such as fisheries protection.

To fulfill these roles, the Coast Guard carries out 11 statutory missions, including homeland security missions like drug interdiction, migrant interdiction, and defense readiness, as well as non-homeland security missions like search and rescue and marine environmental protection.

The Coast Guard is a unique military, law enforcement, regulatory, and humanitarian service that safeguards the American people, promotes national security, and protects the maritime domain.

Captain Jones earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology from South Carolina State University in 1998. He later earned a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from The George Washington University in 2006. In 2020, he earned a Master of Science in System Design and Management and a Certificate in Technical Leadership from MIT.

Captain Jones’s personal military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), Coast Guard Commendation Medal (two awards), Coast Guard Achievement Medal, and COMDT’s letter of commendation ribbon bar (two awards). Additionally, he received the 2010 Black Engineer of the year (Modern Day Technology Leader). He was also honored in 2014 with the Captain D. Jarvis Inspirational leadership award that recognizes a Coast Guard Officer that has made outstanding contributions to the high standards of professional competence and leadership in the Coast Guard.

Captain Jones is a native of Norway, SC, and is married to NeKeshia of Anderson, SC; they have one son, Lawrence.