ALAMEDA, Calif. — The U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class cutter Robert Ward (WPC 1130) crew concluded participation in GALAPEX 2026 offshore of the Galapagos Islands from Aug. 17 – Sept. 03, 2026.

Ecuador hosted participants from 12 partner nations, including the United States, for the fourth iteration of GALAPEX. Comprehensive joint exercise events provided participating nations an opportunity to strengthen partnerships and interoperability to counter illicit maritime activity, including illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the region.

IUU fishing represents a critical strategic and economic threat to global maritime security. By depleting marine resources, it undermines food security, destabilizes vulnerable coastal economies, and negatively impacts law-abiding maritime commerce. Moreover, IUU fishing networks frequently intersect with broader illicit maritime activity such as human, drug, and weapons trafficking. Active counter-IUU fishing enforcement provides maritime law enforcement authorities with the ability to disrupt transnational criminal organizations and safeguard the global maritime domain.

Participating nations included Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Peru, Spain, and the United States. Other military branches represented included the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force. Participating agencies included the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Global Fishing Watch, WildAid, and the Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing platform.

U.S. Coast Guard personnel from the CGC Robert Ward, Southwest District enforcement, and Pacific Area conducted joint exercises and simulated maritime enforcement scenarios with partner nations throughout the exercise.

The CGC Robert Ward crew conducted simulated High Seas Boarding and Inspections (HSBI) alongside partner forces to review a vessel’s compliance with maritime law and detect signs of illicit activity. Additionally, the crew participated in a joint high speed pursuit exercise and steamed alongside international partners to enhance at-sea formation proficiency and multi-ship coordination. Shoreside, the crew marched in several GALAPEX parades in Santa Cruz and San Cristobal Islands, Galapagos. In recognition of participation, San Cristobal’s Honorable Mayor, Rolando Caiza Carrillo, presented the keys to the city to the commanding officer of CGC Robert Ward, Lt. Jak Loewenstein.

“Partnerships built through exercises like GALAPEX are essential to our shared maritime security,” said Loewenstein. “The scope of nations represented in this year’s exercise reflects a collective recognition of the importance of collaboration to strengthen partnerships and counter illicit maritime activity.”

“Exercises like GALAPEX strengthen essential maritime security partnerships to effectively combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and enhance the overall collective maritime security in the region,” said Capt. Jason Hagen, chief of enforcement, Southwest District. “Operations of this scale depend on cross-border cooperation, and the Coast Guard remains committed to working alongside our international partners throughout the Eastern Pacific.”

HONOLULU – The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Gerczak (WPC-1126) returned to Honolulu, Tuesday following a 52-day patrol in support of Coast Guard Oceania District’s Operation Blue Pacific.

The Joseph Gerczak crew departed Coast Guard Base Honolulu in July and traveled more than 7,500 nautical miles, making port calls in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Fiji and American Samoa. Patrolling in support of Operation Blue Pacific, the cutter’s crew worked alongside Pacific Island partners to bolster maritime security and sovereignty, counter illicit maritime activities and protect vital marine resources.

The Joseph Gerczak crew exercised partnerships with the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Fiji through bilateral maritime law enforcement agreements. In total, the Joseph Gerczak crew and their Pacific partners conducted 29 bilateral maritime law enforcement boardings and eight high-seas boardings in support of Operation Island Chief, a coordinated effort to detect and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the Pacific.  While in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Joseph Gerczak crew participated in sports with local youth and students from the College of the Marshall Islands in Majuro. In American Samoa, the crew led a seamanship showcase with community leaders and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration officers.

“My crew and I are very proud of this patrol,” said Lt. Andrew Loeffler, commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Gerczak. “The crew’s dedication to fostering these important partnerships is vital in building a more secure and prosperous Pacific. I’m extremely proud of the crew’s continued professionalism, proficiency and unrelenting courage during this patrol.”

Operation Blue Pacific is an overarching multi-mission Coast Guard endeavor to promote security, safety, sovereignty and economic prosperity in Oceania. Coast Guard cutters, aircrew and personnel deploy throughout Oceania to maintain unrestricted, lawful access to the maritime domain for all nations, improve regional stability, and solidify the Coast Guard as a reliable partner for maritime safety, security and stewardship in the Pacific.

The Joseph Gerczak is a 154-foot Sentinel-class fast response cutter homeported in Honolulu. The cutter’s primary missions are maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and national defense.

The contract, awarded to Brasfield & Gorrie of Birmingham, Alabama, will replace aging and storm-damaged infrastructure, improve flood resilience, and support Coast Guard operations across northeast Florida and southeast Georgia.

The project, expected to be completed in early 2029, will include:

• Demolishing existing shore structures and consolidating several functions into a new, flood-hardened, two-story, 25,000-square-foot multi-mission building.
• Repairing and reconstructing 850 feet of failing seawall and bulkhead originally constructed more than 60 years ago.
• Demolishing the existing pier and installing a new pier up to 275 feet long; and regrading the site to improve drainage and reduce flooding concerns.

“Investing in Sector Jacksonville Annex strengthens the Coast Guard’s ability to respond to missions across northeast Florida and southeast Georgia,” said Capt. Jason Aleksak, commander, Sector Jacksonville. “These waterfront repairs will replace aging infrastructure, improve storm resilience and provide modern facilities that support our crews, cutters and boats for decades to come.”

The new pier will support assets currently assigned to the sector, including a 175-foot Keeper-class coastal buoy tender, two 87-foot Island-class patrol boats, and a 75-foot inland construction tender.

Improvements to Sector Jacksonville are funded by fiscal year 2023 Hurricane Supplemental funds and 2025 Disaster Supplemental funds.

Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, part of the service’s Southeast District, is responsible for 40,000 square miles of ocean and inland waterways from the Crooked River in Georgia to Malabar, Florida. The sector conducts missions including search and rescue; aids to navigation; ports, waterways and coastal security; marine environmental protection; and living marine resources. The sector oversees three stations, five cutters, two aids to navigation teams and one marine safety unit.

NEW YORK — The Coast Guard is scheduled to hold a commissioning ceremony for Coast Guard Cutter Jeffrey Palazzo, Sept. 12, 2026.

WHO: Adm. Kevin Lunday, commandant of the Coast Guard, presiding official

WHAT: Commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard’s 63rd Fast Response Cutter, Jeffrey Palazzo.

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 at 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

WHERE: Intrepid Museum and Pier 86 located in Hudson River Park at 46th Street and 12th Avenue in Manhattan, New York  and streamed online @uscgnortheast Facebook page.

Members of the media are requested to RSVP to the Coast Guard Public Affairs office by emailing PADETNY@uscg.mil no later than Friday, Sept. 11, 2026 at 6 P.M., to receive instructions for attendance. Media must have valid ID and media badge.

About the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Jeffrey Palazzo:

Each Fast Response Cutter is named after an enlisted U.S. Coast Guard hero who performed extraordinary service in the line of duty. Jeffrey Palazzo of Rescue Company 5, was a New York City firefighter and U.S. Coast Guard reservist who made the ultimate sacrifice on Sept. 11, 2001, while responding to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Palazzo served in the Coast Guard Reserves as a Machinery Technician 1st Class aboard Coast Guard Cutter Cape Horn out of Station Rockaway, responding to many high-profile incidents and large-scale emergencies.