Lieutenant Commander Barrion joined the Coast Guard Reserve in 2006 after graduating from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. A member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, her primary employment has been sailing on a variety of oceangoing commercial vessels while drilling in the Selected Reserve. She holds a first engineer’s license in the steam- and diesel-propulsion modes and currently is serving on active duty supporting the Coast Guard’s largest cutters.

Articles by Kelsey Barrion

A damage controlman patches an oil filter pot in the engine room of the USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) while underway in the Southern Ocean. The Coast Guard must cultivate and preserve among its members within the service the engineering skills and knowledge required to maintain its fleet while at sea and in port.

The Elephant in the Engine Room

By Commander Kelsey Barrion, U.S. Coast Guard
August 2023
Coast Guard Essay Contest—First Prize, Cosponsored by Susan Curtin and the U.S. Naval Institute. The Coast Guard must adapt its engineering training and assignment processes to get “better on the ...