Tenant Commands Protecting Our Waterways

The recruits from the USCG Training Center Cape May (TRACEN) are highly visible when they have liberty in surrounding communities or go on off-base runs through Cape May streets. While less widely known, TRACEN is also the host to 14 tenant commands (see table) whose missions are separate from the recruit training mission.
These tenant commands include Coast Guard operational and support units that serve a variety of purposes.  Although the tenant commands are located at TRACEN, they report to other commands such as Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia, PA or the Fifth Coast Guard District in Portsmouth, VA.  The tenant commands also rely on TRACEN to provide local administrative support such as human resources, medical services, and childcare.  The Cape May tenant commands rely upon a team approach to achieve their unique missions with different reporting structures.
Three of the 14 tenant commands are Fast Response Cutters (FRC) that are homeported in Cape May (USCGC ANGELA MCSHAN, USCGC LAWRENCE LAWSON and USCGC ROLIN FRITCH) as well as two additional 87-foot patrol boats. The FRCs can deploy independently to conduct missions that include port, waterways, and coastal security; fishery patrols; search and rescue; and national defense.
The Commanding Officer of USCGC LAWRENCE LAWSON, LT Justin Nease, is responsible for the safe navigation, daily operations, and health and well-being of a 24-person crew.  They typically conduct 3–4-week patrols conducting law enforcement, search and rescue and port security from shoreline to 400+ miles offshore. On any given day at sea, they are conducting many missions for the boating public.
According to LT Nease, it is important for the community to recognize the different roles of the tenant commands.  He explains, “Understanding LAWRENCE LAWSON’s role in community safety is very important, and we are one of numerous tenant commands present in Cape May who play a large role in ensuring success. The fleet of Fast Response Cutters in Cape May are the first line of enforcement for commercial fishing, recreational boating safety and port security and my crew is proud to call Cape May home”.
Another one of the tenant commands, Station Cape May, is ready to respond to emergencies in and around Cape May. Their functions include Search and Rescue (SAR); Ports, Waterways and Coastal Security; Marine Environmental Protection; Incident Management; and Law Enforcement.  LCDR Jason Harczak serves as the Commanding Officer of Station Cape May and speaks highly of the men and women that he works with daily. Harczak states, “This mission is completely different from the training center. The women and men at the station stand by 24/7 and are constantly training to ensure they are ready to respond to any call for assistance. The safety of the community is at the forefront, and I could not be prouder to be a part of this team.”
LCDR Harczak also supports educating the community about tenant commands operations and developing relationships with the community. Station Cape May was recently selected as the Coast Guard’s Best Unit Partnership in the Partnership in Education Program for providing 55 volunteers who reached more than 5,300 students in-person and virtually for local educational organizations and elementary schools.
The relationship with the local community is important for the tenant commands. LT Nease states, “Our goal is to serve the U.S. public through our unique mission set, and we can’t do that successfully without knowing the people present in the community we live in. We are trusted to safeguard the boating public and provide rescue in times of need, conduct law enforcement, and ensure the safety of American waters. We do that best by maintaining a positive relationship with the citizens we serve”.
Each of the 14 tenant commands plays an important role in our Coast Guard whether it’s the Uniform Distribution Center in Woodbine, NJ that provides uniform items for the entire Coast Guard, the Aids to Navigation (ANT) Cape May team that maintains the buoys in our waterways, or the Fast Response Cutters and Response Boats.  We are fortunate to have the extremely caring and passionate men and women who are serving in the Coast Guard tenant commands and protecting the Cape May County community.
Tenant Commands: 
USCGC ANGELA MCSHAN
USCGC LAWRENCE LAWSON
USCGC ROLLIN FRITCH
USCGCBONITO
USCGC HAMMERHEAD
Station Cape May
Vessel Boat & Safety Team (VBST)
Aids to Navigation Team Cape May
Coast Guard Investigative Services
Industrial Production Detachment
Maintenance Augmentation Team
Electronics Support Detachment
Uniform Distribution Center
Coast Guard Exchange