[Netherlands] Working Group for the Coast Guard Station Rotterdam

[Dutchy]

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Ministry of Defence
Kingdom of the Netherlands​

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Recipient: Department of Homeland Security, United States of America (Odinson)
Cc:
Subject: Establishment of the Working Group for the Coast Guard Station Rotterdam
Attachment:
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL

To whom it may concern,

I wish to inform you that as per the Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of a Coast Guard Station in Rotterdam we are seeking to establish a working group to further develop this topic and hopefully allow this facility to become a reality. To this end, I have been assigned the role of project coordinator on the Dutch side to bring together the various stakeholders in the Netherlands.

To improve communication, I kindly request to be informed of all the stakeholders on the American side of the discussion which will be involved in this working group. Additionally, it would be ideal to have a single contact person to act as my liaison for any discussions with the United States

Yours Sincerely,

Wouter Arentz
Project Coordinator

 

[Odinson]

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OFFICE OF THE COMMANDER COAST GUARD STATION ROTTERDAM​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: Wouter Arentz, Project Coordinator from the Kingdom of The Netherlands ( Dutchy )

CC: Edmund Olsen, Superintendent of Lighthouses

FROM: Captain Aaron Wright, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Station Rotterdam

Mr. Arentz,

I write to give you warm greetings from the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Coast Guard. I have been selected as the first Commander of the soon-to-be Coast Guard station in Rotterdam. Because of the significance that the Coast Guard places on this new working relationship between The Netherlands and the United States, I will be reporting directly to the Commandant of the Coast Guard. This means that I have sweeping authority to make operational decisions as well as preliminary decisions on the new station that we will be establishing at the Port of Rotterdam. I have CCed the United States Lighthouse Service's Superintendent of Lighthouses, who may message you separately.

I am hoping that we can take the next step of finalizing a spot in the Port of Rotterdam so that we can break grown as soon as possible. Please let me know what information you need so that we can proceed forward.​

Very Respectfully,

Aaron Wright
United States Coast Guard
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[Odinson]

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OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF LIGHTHOUSES​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: Wouter Arentz, Project Coordinator from the Kingdom of The Netherlands ( Dutchy )

CC: Captain Aaron Wright, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Station Rotterdam

FROM: Edmund Olsen, Superintendent of Lighthouses of the United States Lighthouse Service

Mr. Arentz,

As the Superintendent of Lighthouses, I am secondly only to the Commissioner, and I am directly responsible for the acquisition, construction, and maintenance of lighthouses under the authority of the U.S.L.H.S. The Lighthouse Service intends to construct a lighthouse at Coast Guard Station Rotterdam in order to act as a free public good for anyone using the port, as well an auxiliary aid to navigation for all military and commercial vessels. At this time, we are reviewing exactly what kind of light would be most beneficial for this station and the Port of Rotterdam. I will be sure to keep you updated.​

Very Respectfully,

Edmund Olsen
United States Lighthouse Service
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[Dutchy]

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Ministry of Defence
Kingdom of the Netherlands​

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Recipient: Office of the Commander of Coast Guard Station Rotterdam, Department of Homeland Security, United States of America (Odinson)
Cc: Office of the Superintendent of Lighthouses, United States Lighthouse Service, United States of America (Odinson)
Subject: Establishment of the Working Group for the Coast Guard Station Rotterdam
Attachment:
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Captain Wright and Superintendent Olsen,

Thank you for both your responses and I shall from henceforth liase with you on matters of the estbalishment of the Coast Guard Station Rotterdam. Similarly, should you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesistate to reach out to myself as I shall act as the primary contact person for any matter regarding the Netherlands.

I wish to inform you both of an enlargement of the project scope. In response to recent developments the government has deemed it necessary to plan for an expansion of the capabilities of the armed forces beyond what the Netherlands has maintained since the end of the Cold War. One of the expansion of capabilities is the establishment of a second naval base on the mainland alongside the one we have in Den Helder as the reliance on a single base is a significant risk. Therefore, on behalf of the Minister of Defence, I wish to convey that the project for the establishment of a Coast Guard Station in Rotterdam will be merged with the establishment of a naval base in Rotterdam.

To that end, I would inquire whether the United States wishes to continue discussion with such a merged project. Multiple solutions are available to continue with the establishment of a Coast Guard Station. Namely, the possibility of a joint base could be established to encompass both the naval and coast guard needs of the Netherlands and the United States. Or it would be possible for the Coast Guard Station to be embedded within a larger Dutch Naval Base.

Dependent on the position we can proceed with parallel discussions on both the development of the Coast Guard Station and/or Naval Base and the legal aspects of the United States Coast Guard's presence in the Netherlands.

Yours Sincerely,

Wouter Arentz
Project Coordinator

 

[Odinson]

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OFFICE OF THE COMMANDER COAST GUARD STATION ROTTERDAM​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: Wouter Arentz, Project Coordinator from the Kingdom of The Netherlands ( Dutchy )

CC: Edmund Olsen, Superintendent of Lighthouses

FROM: Captain Aaron Wright, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Station Rotterdam

Mr. Arentz,

A joint-base between the Dutch Navy and the United States Coast Guard is an interesting prospect. I have brought this up to the Commandant and the Secretary of Homeland Security. They are both in agreement that we would be willing to establish such a joint-facility with your government. We would of course want to make sure that it has the port facilities with the appropriate size to accommodate cutters and other American/Dutch warships or vessels that could need the facilities in the event of an emergency or special situation. We would of course pay our fair share and contribute to the overall design so that we can work more closely together. What would be the next step in this process and how can we get started?​

Very Respectfully,

Aaron Wright
United States Coast Guard
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[Dutchy]

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Ministry of Defence
Kingdom of the Netherlands​

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Recipient: Office of the Commander of Coast Guard Station Rotterdam, Department of Homeland Security, United States of America (Odinson)
Cc: Office of the Superintendent of Lighthouses, United States Lighthouse Service, United States of America (Odinson)
Subject: Establishment of the Working Group for the Coast Guard Station Rotterdam
Attachment:
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Captain Wright and Superintendent Olsen,

We are glad to hear that you are willing to proceed with the deliberations for a joint-base. Speaking on the topic of accomodating warships, perhaps this would be a good moment to gather the specific requirements from the United States. All information would be helpful in this regard, such as the quantity of vessels you are intending to station to the number of personnel. Additional security requirements would also be useful to know as I proceed with the drafting of the project plan.

Yours Sincerely,

Wouter Arentz
Project Coordinator

 

[Odinson]

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OFFICE OF THE COMMANDER COAST GUARD STATION ROTTERDAM​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: Wouter Arentz, Project Coordinator from the Kingdom of The Netherlands ( Dutchy )

CC: Edmund Olsen, Superintendent of Lighthouses

FROM: Captain Aaron Wright, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Station Rotterdam

Mr. Arentz,

The Coast Guard would currently plan to have one Celestial-class cutter stationed at the joint-facility in Rotterdam at all times, with the possibility of accommodating up to three. We would also like to have the ability to comfortably dock a vessel that is 850 feet long, which would mean at least a 1,000 foot long dock. At the base itself we would also like to have aviation facilities for helicopters, including hangars, a refueling station, and helicopter landing pads. We would house Coast Guard special forces at the base as part of our commitment to be able to assist your government in any kind of an emergency, plus regular Port Security Forces that are operated by the Coast Guard. Overall, while I do not think we would meet this goal initially, we would plan to have a total of about 1,000 personnel at the station at any given time - this would include sailors, security, special forces, administrative workers, and a handful of United States Lighthouse Service personnel.​

Very Respectfully,

Aaron Wright
United States Coast Guard
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[Dutchy]

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Ministry of Defence
Kingdom of the Netherlands​

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Recipient: Office of the Commander of Coast Guard Station Rotterdam, Department of Homeland Security, United States of America (Odinson)
Cc: Office of the Superintendent of Lighthouses, United States Lighthouse Service, United States of America (Odinson)
Subject: Establishment of the Working Group for the Coast Guard Station Rotterdam
Attachment:
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Captain Wright and Superintendent Olsen,

Thank you for the presentation of the desired requirements of the United States. We will certainly take these into account as we continue to develop the project plan.

We are in agreement with most of the requirements, as the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) continues its development towards possessing a 'global fleet', there will be an ever increasing convergence of the requirements of both the US and the Netherlands. However, at this time we do not envisage the need for dedicated aviation facilities. While helipads could be present, we only see the need for helicopters to land there for emergency or quick reaction activites. Instead, we have the Woensdrecht or Gilze-Rijen Airbases as nearby aviation facilities. Should such facilities however be a hard requirement, we could begin exploring the establishment of a military section at Rotterdam The Hague Airport.

Further considering your requirements, due to the minimal structual presence of the US Coast Guard at this facility, we may be able to create an embedded US facility within a Dutch Naval Base, this would reduce the costs to the United States significantly and centralise the organisation of the entire facility.

At your earliest convenience please let me know the US position on the aviation facilities and the creation of an embedded US facility within the Dutch base.

Yours Sincerely,

Wouter Arentz
Project Coordinator

 

[Odinson]

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OFFICE OF THE COMMANDER COAST GUARD STATION ROTTERDAM​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: Wouter Arentz, Project Coordinator from the Kingdom of The Netherlands ( Dutchy )

CC: Edmund Olsen, Superintendent of Lighthouses

FROM: Captain Aaron Wright, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Station Rotterdam

Mr. Arentz,

I would be happy to explain why we think having a heliport in our portion of the facility, or next to it, would be integral for the Coast Guard to be able to carry out its mission. Per the opening statement of the MoU that we have agreed to, the general idea behind the establishment of a facility in the Port of Rotterdam would be, "...to promote mutually beneficial cooperation on maritime security, joint training and exercises, participate in life-saving missions, and navigational guides." We understand that there would be a focus on Maritime Security and, hopefully, joint-training. However we want to make sure that we are capable of carrying out all of these abilities so that if a time came where your government or the Royal Netherlands Navy requested our assistance (even in an auxiliary role) we would be able to help and respond almost instantly.

A critical component of our cutters are the helicopters they carry on them. Moreover, the life-saving aspect of the Coast Guard is always ground-based with a small mission control center. The reason behind this is because our helicopters require regular maintenance to ensure that they are in working order, or so that repairs can be carried out when necessary. Also, if a time came where there was a national security mission in the Port of Rotterdam itself (or in Dutch waters) we would need the ability to launch the appropriate Coast Guard forces that are capable of handling such a mission from the ground. It would also be very important for these aviation facilities to be within in, or right next to, the U.S. portion of the facility that we are discussing. I understand that The Netherlands has to be careful with its airspace because of the nearby borders of other countries, however we would be willing to take additional precautions so that our forces do not pose a threat to Dutch military or civilian aircraft. To do this we can establish common routes of travel to the North Sea and the English Channel at set elevations (our to a certain distance) - we can discuss that in more detail later, but I just wanted to make it clear that we would be happy to establish boundaries to make this work. Do you think that this is something that we can work out?

If your government would like our facility to be embedded within a large Dutch facility, we could certainly make that work. We would just request that we could still call our space within the facility, "Coast Guard Station Rotterdam" and that it could be an American facility within your own facility. I have taken the liberty of working with some facilities architects in New Haven and Washington D.C. for a proposal for the American portion of the facility in the Port of Rotterdam. We are open to any changes that you may propose, but I thought that we could start here. Please see the attached image and give Superintended Olsen and I your feedback. Below are the details for the structures (note that the structures aren't totally drawn to scale):

NOTE: The orange border designates the Dutch portion of the base, while the red border designates the American portion. The blue color are docks.

1. Station Headquarters
The Station Headquarters is a two-story secure facility that can accommodate a staff of 250 people.

2. Recreation/Exercise Facility
The is building has a pool, gym, gun range, and a bowling alley.

3. Mess Hall
This building is where almost all U.S. forces at the facility go to eat, and where all of the food is prepared. It can accommodate up to 400 people at once.

4. Barracks A
This barracks is for enlisted Coast Guardsmen and can accommodate up to 300 people.

5. Barracks B
This barracks is for enlisted Coast Guardsmen and can accommodate up to 300 people.

6. Barracks C
This barracks is for enlisted Coast Guardsmen, NCOs, and Officers - these sections are separated. This building can accommodate 350 Coast Guardsmen.

7. Officer's Club
This building is exclusively for officers and is purely for recreation and morale purposes (it includes a restaurant and bar).

8. Heliport (3 Helipads)
The Heliport includes three helipads which are connected to each one of their own corresponding hangars.

9. Air Traffic Control Tower
This tower is 100 feet (40.48 meters) tall and can accommodate 3 ATC personnel at once.

10. Hangar A
This building can accommodate two helicopters at once and has the facilities the repair and maintain the helicopters as well as restrooms and other basic facilities for the crew to operate.

11. Hangar B
This building can accommodate two helicopters at once and has the facilities the repair and maintain the helicopters as well as restrooms and other basic facilities for the crew to operate.

12. Hangar C
This building can accommodate two helicopters at once and has the facilities the repair and maintain the helicopters as well as restrooms and other basic facilities for the crew to operate.

13. Rescue Mission Control
This building has a broadband broadcast tower so that Mission Control can communicate with ships and helicopters offshore.

14. Medical Facility
This building can accommodate up to 30 patients at once or, when triaging, up to 75 inside.

15. Lighthouse
The lighthouse will be 150 feet (45.72 meters) tall and will be able to be seen 31 miles (50 kilometers) away. The characteristic will be white.

16. USLHS Headquarters
This facility is all-inclusive for the USLHS personnel that will be at the facility. It has officers as well as a living quarters for four people, as well as a brig that can hold up to five people in separate cells, or ten if they are doubled up.

17. Utilities Building
This building is an emergency power generation facility and can also purify water. If the need arose, it would be able to power the entire base for 72 hours.​

Very Respectfully,

Aaron Wright, Capt.
United States Coast Guard
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[Dutchy]

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Ministry of Defence
Kingdom of the Netherlands​

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Recipient: Office of the Commander of Coast Guard Station Rotterdam, Department of Homeland Security, United States of America (Odinson)
Cc: Office of the Superintendent of Lighthouses, United States Lighthouse Service, United States of America
Subject: Establishment of the Working Group for the Coast Guard Station Rotterdam
Attachment:
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Captain Wright and Superintendent Olsen,

Thank you for presenting your argumentation for the requirement of aviation facilities, I shall further review their need. Additionally, I would like to ensure you that your plans have been received in good order and can certainly act as a foundation from which to proceed with.

There ar a few points regarding the plan which will most likely require amendments and an updated plan shall be sent to you as soon as your submission has been incorporated. While we agree that the barracks and other amenities can be embedded within a US section of the naval base, we believe there is little need for redundencies with the presence of duplicated buildings, such as the rescue mission control and medical facility. We believe that US personnel could be attached to Dutch facilities and thus lower the cost of construction and maintenance. Furthermore, the aviation facilities would most likely be moved to the Northern outer ring to ensure minimal interference and maximum safety. Likewise the lighthouse will also find its place on said outer ring.

I can assure you that you may proceed with the utilisation of the name 'Coast Guard Station Rotterdam' for the American section within the base.

I look forward to being able to send you the updated version as soon as possible.

Yours Sincerely,

Wouter Arentz
Project Coordinator

 

[Dutchy]

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Ministry of Defence
Kingdom of the Netherlands​

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Recipient: Office of the Commander of Coast Guard Station Rotterdam, Department of Homeland Security, United States of America (Odinson)
Cc: Office of the Superintendent of Lighthouses, United States Lighthouse Service, United States of America
Subject: Establishment of the Working Group for the Coast Guard Station Rotterdam
Attachment: Design American Section - Rotterdam Naval Base
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Captain Wright and Superintendent Olsen,

Attached to this message you will find a design for the US Coast Guard Station Rotterdam embedded within the greater Rotterdam Naval Base. The American section, within the red section includes the requested facilities ranging from the station headquarters, barracks, administrative offices, mess halls and recreational facilities, as well as extra buildings and areas storage/maintenance facilities and parking spaces. American coast guard vessels can utilise the pier space found within the red outline and should be sufficient for the requested number of stationed vessels.

Other facilities, such as those mentioned in your list, including the lighthouse, aviation facilities, and coast guard control centre, medical centre will be located within the wider Rotterdam Naval Station and US personnel may be embedded within those facilities.

With the design complete, we can move forward with discussion of budgetary requirements and distribution. Talks on a Status of Forces Agreement, an important requirement to move forward with the project shall be led jointly by higher-level officials within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence. I have been informed that they shall reach out to you shortly.

Please let me know if you are happy with the current design and that you are willing to proceed to budget negotiations.

Yours Sincerely,

Wouter Arentz
Project Coordinator

 

[Odinson]

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OFFICE OF THE COMMANDER COAST GUARD STATION ROTTERDAM​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: Wouter Arentz, Project Coordinator from the Kingdom of The Netherlands ( Dutchy )

CC: Edmund Olsen, Superintendent of Lighthouses

FROM: Captain Aaron Wright, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Station Rotterdam

Mr. Arentz,

I can confirm that the United States Coast Guard and the United States Lighthouse Service are both satisfied with the proposal that you have sent over. While this may be something that is above my paygrade to bring up, I would like to add that American military officers have traditionally been allowed to live outside of barracks in foreign friendly countries. This helps with morale in the officer corps and typically allows the base to function more efficiently with fewer rotations of personnel. I hope that your government considers allowing American military officers to rent apartments/flats/homes in Rotterdam.

I look forward to hearing back from you and the Dutch government.​

Very Respectfully,

Aaron Wright, Capt.
United States Coast Guard
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