Coast Guard Hearing Notes
Coast Guard Modernization and Resource Allocation
Force Design 2028
Announced by Secretary Noem at the Coast Guard Academy graduation.
Five main points:
Establish a service secretary (HR 2546, Secretary of the Coast Guard Act 2025).
Recognize the service to streamline processes and integrate capabilities.
Invest in Coast Guard personnel.
Invest in technology to improve efficiency.
Improve and streamline the acquisition process.
Resource Needs and Budget
Coast Guard operating under "do more with less" motto.
Outdated cutters, aircraft, IT systems, and shoreline infrastructure limit effectiveness.
Operational hours have fallen by nearly 20% since 2017.
Mission effectiveness is suffering.
HR 1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) includes 21,200,000,000.0 for cutters, aircraft, and shoreside assets.
HR 1 allows the Coast Guard to carry out its current program but doesn't fund envisioned growth or account for new missions.
The president's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget includes a modest increase but is insufficient to sustain current operations or support growth.
The Coast Guard owes the committee more than 50 legally mandated reports, some years overdue.
Acknowledgment of Personnel
Recognition of Coast Guard's House Liaison, Justin Maldoli, whose assignment is ending.
Recognition of Commander Nicole, the subcommittee's Coast Guard fellow.
Opening Statements and Concerns
Ranking Member Carbajal emphasizes support for the Coast Guard. There is no organization like it in the world. The service members are top notch, and since 1790, our country is safer because of their service.
Points out neglect and under-resourcing of the Coast Guard.
Criticizes the budget for not accounting for increasing service size or new missions (e.g., Arctic security cutter).
Reversal on recapitalizing shore-side infrastructure.
GAO report found the Coast Guard's 7,000,000,000.0 estimate for shore-side infrastructure backlog is too low.
Over 200 projects lack cost estimates, and none are adjusted for inflation.
Example: Coast Guard member fell through the floor of Coast Guard housing due to moisture and mold.
Criticizes 90\% cut in funding to address the more than 7,000,000,000.0 backlog.
The administration plans to obtain two Gulfstream Five jets at a cost of upward of 54,000,000.0. That's two and a half times the entire short side infrastructure budget for the Coast Guard.
Accusation of violating a law instrumental to Coast Guard growth due to conflict with an executive order.
Admiral Fagan stated the Coast Guard is a 20,000,000,000.0 service and deserves funding as such.
Chairman Sam Graves emphasizes the importance of the Coast Guard to national security.
Admiral Lundy's Testimony
The Coast Guard is at a consequential period with profound challenges and opportunities.
The service's highest priority is achieving complete operational control of the U.S. border, including ports and waterways.
Increased Coast Guard presence along the southern border.
Combating fentanyl and maritime cargo shipments is a top operational priority.
The Coast Guard is also focused on the northern border and U.S. territories.
The Coast Guard has surpassed fiscal year 2024 cocaine removal numbers.
The Coast Guard faces a severe readiness crisis.
The Coast Guard is less ready than at any time since the end of World War II.
Maintenance backlogs need to be eliminated for cutters, boats, aircraft, shore infrastructure, and C5I systems.
Investments are needed in new assets, modernization, technology, and personnel support.
The Coast Guard aims to transform into a more agile, capable, and responsive fighting force through Force Design '28.
Questions and Answers
Increasing age of Coast Guard assets reduces mission ability and increases costs.
* The investments of reconciliation provides will go a long way to stopping the downward spiral, but it will just be the beginning.
Investment of reconciliation provides a beginning, but needs to be matched with sustained higher growth in annual top line.
There's an increase of over a billion dollars in PC&I(Procurement, Construction and Improvements) and O&S(Operation and Support). That’s 344,000,000.0 in PCI and almost 644,000,000.0 in O&S.
Need to increase top-line growth in annual appropriation for both PC&I and O&S.
Working on a detailed plan for flag corps reorganization, part of the force design implementation.
Regarding housing issues: Mold remediation; replacing shower sets in units with mold. Member Carbajal says that Coasties in his district fell through their shower floor.
Long-range command and control aircraft (C-37) are critical. The one is older, it's 23 years old now. And it's increasingly obsolete in its avionics and the communications need upgrade.
Master Chief Jones is currently serving and remains the master chief of the guard right now and plans to retire this year.
The Coast Guard is following the executive order and the guidance from the Department of Homeland Security regarding reporting on DEI matters.
The executive order is not the law, Section eleven two four nine of the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 is a statute.
Continuing to work on the Port Access Route Study.
Force Design 2028 needs to be matched with the investment necessary to make that a reality.
Polar Security Cutter one authorized, advanced work in progress at Bollinger, Mississippi.
The speed of number two is gonna be a lot faster than number one as far as completion.
Winter storms damaged US Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor; supplemental appropriation will deliver 24,000,000.0 to affect those needed repairs.
Needed a stronger operations and sustainment budget to keep up with regular maintenance for much of our shore facilities.
Significant success not only in recruiting recently but also in the retention across our Coast Guard, both men and women.
Year to date over 4,900 people have either joined or signed up far beyond the 4,300 annual target.
The Secretary has set a goal to grow the Coast Guard workforce both active and reserve by 15,000 people men and women both active and reserve.
Improving the technology systems that we use for Meritor licensing and credentialing is critically important.
Course credentialing program and the approval process will be brought into restoring the Coast Guard's contributions to restoring America's maritime dominance.
Coast Guard continues to operate vessels with literal holes in them.
New IT, cybersecurity and AI.
OPC (Offshore Patrol Cutter) will give us advanced technology and capability, but it will also be matched by investments in our boats and our advanced sensors and technology.
Is cutting the only fast response cutters serving the entire Pacific Northwest coastline to address the long term coverage gap in Washington State and transferring a cutter from Alaska.
Because we're in the state of readiness that we're in today we are not able to deliver the same level of services in all of our mission areas that we have traditionally tried to do.
Coast Guard’s is not lowering our response standards for maritime search and rescue.There are commercial companies that provide salvage services for mariners who need it. Coast Guard search and rescue remains one of our primary missions.
There are no plans to step away from our search and rescue operations or turn that over to private companies.
The US is an Arctic nation because of the state of Alaska.
The Coast Guard presence in Alaska is strong, and recapitalization needs will be fueled and accelerated by the investments in reconciliation.
What the STORES delivery we have appropriations this year to deliver next year two additional fast response cutters out to the Western Pacific to be based there.
Regarding the Great Lakes region committing that the nation needs 40 (Icebreakers) and working to build out our domestic icebreaking fleet.
O and S budget is 27,000,000.0 within the FY twenty-six budget. So it will get after increasing our recruiting, it will deliver a Coast Guard human resources IT system.
As those (Articulated Tug Barges) have gotten larger, we've seen them approach the size of some tank ships that have a separate manning requirement of four engineers