Becoming qualified to wear the Marine Safety Device is independent of actual assignment to a position covered by one or more of the current 27 specialties that make up Trident Qualifications. An Auxiliarist could conceivably meet this requirement, and maintain the right to wear the device whether or not they are currently assigned to work with the Coast Guard in any of the associated specialties.

In short, the Trident Marine Safety Device is awarded in recognition of the knowledge and skills the Auxiliarist has attained in the area of marine safety. The same standard as the US Coast Guard awards the device to Active Duty and Reserve members.  The Auxiliarist is not a "free agent," and the services subsequently provided, or not provided, are determined by the Coast Guard and the particular local marine safety unit the Auxiliarist serves with.   Each of the current Trident Marine Safety Specialties are on the learning portal.  Remember, Trident is an On the Job Training program.  You don't get the qualification by taking a test, you get the qualification by demonstrating to your verifying officer you have the expertise for doing the job.  In fact the Active Duty Personnel in the Marine Safety and Prevention Departments throughout the Coast Guard take a great deal of pride in those Auxiliarists Augmenting their units who have achieved this award.  They may not understand the AuxOp device, or other Auxiliary awards, but they do understand recognize and appreciate this award.  It takes a great deal of dedication to obtain the Trident, and each person striking for it will have their own reason for doing it.

While the Coast Guard will expend its limited resources to get an Auxiliarist trained, it has a reasonable expectation that it will gain a committed member willing to serve for the long term.  While many Auxiliarists may be eager and willing to travel at their own expense to obtain the qualification, they may not be so willing to do so on a regular basis to serve.  When you obtain a qualification you are making a commitment to augment a unit on a regular basis.  That in itself can be its own reward, but it is not necessarily for the majority of our fellow Auxiliarists.  This author serves on a regular basis with an active unit, and finds great personal satisfaction in the augmenting and assisting the local unit.  The greatest rewards to me are not in any tangible things that one might receive, but in the close working relationship, camaraderie, and knowing that in some small way I am contributing to the mission of the USCG.

The current specialties covered by the Trident Program are listed on the United States Coast Guard Learning Portal There each PQS available can be downloaded from that site. Additionally, each PQS contains is a bibliography of information resources you will probably need to obtain that qualification, and prerequisites to start the PQS.  They are no longer kept on an Auxiliary Web Site, as the Coast Guard will ensure that the PQS document is kept up to date for meeting the requirements of each specialty, and currency to its mission.   

	Download a Map in PDF format to help you find the PQS's on learning.uscg.mil
	The Assistant Contingency Planner (Formerly Assistant Contingency Preparedness Specialist) has an extensive bibliography and so links where possible are provided.  Because of the depth and breadth of required reading on so many varied these links may disappear.  It is an almost impossible job to keep up with it, and documents may disappear behind DOD or USCGNet secure websites.  Consult your verifying officer if this happens to obtain copies of the materials.
	Two Trident Specialties are Auxiliary Only and do not require approval from a Gold Side Unit.  These can be found on the Coast Guard Learning Portal, but may be downloaded from this site.  Each District may have additional qualification requirements, check with your local MS Chain of Leadership to verify PQS Requirements
	Prevention Outreach Specialist (Formerly Marine Environmental Education Specialist)
	Marine Safety Administrative & Management Specialist
Shipmate Advice:
	Effective 28 Jan 2010 the Trident specialties have been brought more into alignment with the active duty Personal Qualification Standards (PQS) that are used to qualify for the Active Duty Trident Award (M-PRO).  These changes are outlined in ALCOAST 045/10, and specific changes to the Auxiliary program are effective immediately.
	As stated in the ALCOAST item 4.  those Auxiliarists who previously qualified in any of the revised qualifications are not required to re-qualify with the revised PQS.  Members pursuing legacy qualifications must complete the certifications no later than 28 APR 2010 after which time those Auxiliarists who cannot qualify with the legacy PQS (i.e. be awarded a signed Letter of Designation (LOD) from the Unit Commander must complete the Revised PQS.  Per ITEM 6 effective 28 APR 2010 AUX-EK and AUX-MSW qualifications will be cancelled to align with commensurate changes in the Active Duty side.  Qualifications awarded prior to 28 APR 2010 based upon the dateof the LOD will continue to count toward the Auxiliary Trident Device although not currently active.
	Note the requirements for the Trident Award are constantly evolving.  Verify minimum requirements on the current Trident Application Form.
	There are currently, as of January 2010 27 specialties from which you may select to qualify for your Trident device. Step by step instructions on the application process for the Marine Safety Device are contained in Trident Update Bulletin 005 (TB005), and the getting started page.
	Provisions for a "Conditional Award" of the Marine Safety Device for Auxiliarists who have met all requirements except the four years of service are contained in Trident Update Bulletin 008 (TB008).
	However, to initially qualify in any of the specialties, an Auxiliarist must not only meet the published PQS requirements for the specialty, but also with any other requirements set by the particular unit taking on the responsibility of signing off on each PQS, and, as mentioned previously, which are determined by the unit as meeting its needs.