U.S. Coast Guard R&D and Connecticut Military Department Sign Cooperative Agreement

Capt. Gregory Rothrock (left), commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center, and Maj. Gen. Fran Evon (right), adjutant general and commander of the Connecticut National Guard, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations on March 29, 2019.

The U.S. Coast Guard Research & Development Center and the Connecticut National Guard signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will pave the way for the two organizations to explore mutually beneficial partnerships to collaborate on a number of different research endeavors in the realms of cyber, intelligence, Arctic operations and concept development.

Capt. Gregory Rothrock, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center, and Maj. Gen. Fran Evon, adjutant general and commander of the Connecticut National Guard, signed the MOU on March 29, 2019.

The Coast Guard Research and Development Center is located in New London, Connecticut, and was established to answer the service’s need to provide Coast Guard specific research to support the service’s 11 statutory missions.

“The Coast Guard Research and Development Center has been part of the Connecticut community since 1974,” said Rothrock. “Signing an MOU with our home state's National Guard leverages the capabilities of both organizations toward common interests. We are excited that by working together we increase our opportunities to impact our combined services and the citizens we support."

The Connecticut Military Department consists of the Connecticut Army National Guard, Connecticut Air National Guard and the Governor’s Foot and Horse Guard Units of the State Militia. In total, the organization encompasses more than 5,000 Guardsmen, Militia Members and Employees.

“Partnering with an in-state entity like the Coast Guard’s Research and Development Center was a no-brainer, and we can’t wait to get to work,” Evon said.

Connecticut is the second state National Guard to partner with the USCG R&D after an agreement was reached with the Ohio National Guard in 2018.