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Proceedings: An item that has drawn a good deal of attention in recent months is the GAO report concerning the relationship between the Coast Guard missions and its assets to perform those missions, so would you care to comment on that and what action, if any, you're taking in response to it?
Adm. Hayes: One of the most enjoyable experiences of my life was to appear before the Senate Commerce Committee this year for my annual hearing on our authorization legislation. The first witness was the gentleman who had been in charge of the study by the General Accounting Office. It was indeed refreshing to find that he concurred with my evaluation of the state of the Coast Guard—if anything he perhaps painted an even bleaker picture than I had. With that as a preface, I would then answer by saying all of the steps to deal with the problem were under way before the GAO report was developed and published. We’ve had a rather sophisticated planning system in place for some time; out of that we have recognized that our resources are inadequate to accomplish what we’ve been directed to do.
Proceedings: Do you view this report as a useful piece of ammunition, in that others are calling attention to the probletn, not just the Coast Guard itself?
Adm. Hayes: Absolutely. I feel rather strongly that the Coast Guard, for a substantial period of time, has been underfunded. We find ourselves not only with the old ships, aircraft and shore facilities that need replacing, but also with replacement costs increasing at a rate faster than inflation. Hence, the budget we need, just to keep even, is much greater than that which we’ve been experiencing. To catch up represents a quantum jump. I’d like to make that quantum jump in one fiscal year so that we can achieve a level of funding that will then carry us for the next decade.
Proceedings: Is that realistic?
have to be paying it. I think general) it’s been acknowledged that we do a pretty effective job with the missi°n* assigned to us. How much is enoug^ and how much is too much is one the questions with which I’m truly wrestling. I would say we’re getting close to the maximum number of functions that we ought to be per* forming. On the other hand the things we’re doing dovetail very nicely. They’re either preventive m nature or they’re curative in case th°se preventive efforts don’t work.
Proceedings: Has any considerate1 been given to creating a new maritime
Coast Guard. It’s only that somel else within the federal structure
the
body
pay by taking missions away from
branch of government, where I fed ^ have my largest problem; then, yeS’ think it’s realistic. The quantum jurnP in dollars which I’d like to see does not go beyond the expected benefits that will return to the national econ omy.
Proceedings: Where do you face theSl problems in the executive branch?
Adm. Hayes: Principally in the Office of Management and Budget- We simply have not in recent years been able to convince that office or desperate straits we’re in.
Proceedings: This imbalance has been highlighted in some of the articles1 this issue. One in particular blames the Coast Guard itself for biting off more th111 it could chew. Is there any thought to g ting rid of some of these missions that bat* been laid on the Coast Guard in ordef “ get more in balance?
Adm. Hayes: Well, first off, as >ar as biting off more than one can che" is concerned, I would suggest to the reader that what we are doing today 1 either what we have been doing sitict World War II, to one degree or another, or it’s an added task from t Congress in the form of a new law- We’ve not had a great deal to say about whether or not to accept or re fuse new tasks. Now we’re looking hard at the priorities of what we ve been asked to do. For example, we changed emphasis in our boating safety program and have reduced the total amount of dollars allocated f°t that function.
The problem is the federal govern ment will not have any less of a bill
Adm. Hayes: What constitutes realism and what constitutes fantasy depends so much on public policy. Certainly the Congress acknowledges the importance of what we’re doing. And if the people of this nation likewise feel the same way and put sufficient pressure on the executive
x 90°
£ latory agency that might take over
Some of these functions?
0ve<^rn' Hayes: There has been talk mul rtCtnt years concerning the for- atlwn of an oceans’ agency of some 1(jta Department of Oceans. The cje3^0u^ to meld all those agen- Oce resP°nsibilities in the
no^ env'ronment- I’m one who is tionParticularly supportive of that no- ^ and not because I see in it some- m‘nj> bad fot the Coast Guard. We ‘njf C Ve^ Wtb be a PrmciPal operat- agency in that organization. That operate all the ships, the air’ tbe shore facilities, communica- network, and so on, because we
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at capability already in place.
*option the regulatory functions Tra ^ rerna'n in the Department of gu^Sf>0rCati°n as a civilian function. 1 o(q 111 f reaction to the Department (jev ,|'eans is not so much my fear of its reor °^ment 25 my conviction that rarefan'2at*°n °b sucb magnitude atnpr S°'VeS any problem. For ex- Def C borrn‘n8 the Department of cOnflnSt not s°lve the problem of com *Ct. among the armed forces and ing petition for the dollar. Established 3 ^ePartment of Transportation tio n<>t 3551116 a national transporta- a policy. Indeed, I’m not sure any SUch thir in agency could do what we’re do- C()stould they do it in a more are ^effective fashion? Our missions Clng handled in an efficient and if n *Ve blshion, and it doesn’t look as g0jnttlng them somewhere else is jnt0 cost the nation less or result p eir being done better. r,)ceedings: You talk about the op- as ‘Ha^ nature of the Coast Guard, but fpe la^es "n more a,,d more regulatory- thatUnct‘ons' fr would obviously follow and 1°n‘C l^at °Perat*ona^ experience top er'tage is diluted. But. by the same %*fes °Perat‘"na^ experience is what indibility in the regulatory roles.
A l
Stra^ tr*' Hayes: Among the eight r\ e8*c objectives which the Coast
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Sp . oas identified, one of them is lcaHy dedicated to assuring that an(JC5tore and retain an adequate bal- fun Xtwcen our operational rnar' l0nS—those activities that build tiy ltlrne experience—and those ac- tles °f a regulatory nature which require maritime expertise. That’s the dilemma I’m in right now. I have said categorically that I am opposed to assignment of any additional regulatory functions. I am not opposed to expanding our operating base at sea, because already we have everything in place such as staff, communications and support to take care of that. I see this as the most likely thing to occur in the next decade because of an expansion of activities on the outer continental shelf. As we approach the idea of a 200-mile economic zone and begin to exploit more and more the resources of that band of water, the activities are going to require Coast Guard presence.
Proceedings: Another problem that you get with the regulatory role is that you have to have a great deal of specialization for fishery enforcement. drugs, LNG. ship inspection, and so forth. Doesn't that also dilute the traditional operational general line officer, for example?
Adm. Hayes: One of the great strengths of our organization, and the thing that’s given us a great deal of flexibility in responding to varying demands on our resources, is our reluctance to specialize. We find that the general-duty person—male or female, civilian, military, commissioned officer or enlisted—is far more able to adapt if he or she is a multimission person. That detracts from efficiency, but my contention is that it substantially improves effectiveness. The second part of my answer has to do with the size of our organization and the variety of tasks that we’re doing. I see no practical way, from a personnel management point of view, to have seven or eight different corps within the Coast Guard. Furthermore, if one accepts the premise that a multi-mission ship, aircraft, or shore facility is a very cost-effective way to go about things then you almost have to have multi-mission personnel because you never know from one moment to the next in which mission you may be involved. This allows you to get maximum use of your capital plant and personnel. I think, rather than going the specialist route we need to provide “pipeline training”—that is, training between one job and another, if those two jobs differ in missions. In that way, we can manage the expertise problem. Obviously, we would have to keep some people in specific categories. For instance, someone who is at sea on a buoy tender could very logically be assigned ashore to one of our aids to navigation teams or to one of our buoy maintenance depots. It’s this type of specialization in assignment that really can help in a practical fashion.
Proceedings: To take one of the regulatory missions, drug enforcement, how well is the Coast Guard doing at that? Could you provide a percentage of the traffic that the Coast Guard is stopping?
Adm. Hayes: Right now [August], I’d hesitate even to hazard a wild guess, because our resources in Atlantic Area are almost entirely tied up with this Cuban operation, except for the basic search and rescue responsibilities all over that same area. To give you our best judgment, last year we interdicted over $ 1 billion-plus worth of drugs—street value. Our best estimate developed with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs Service was around 14-20% of total shipments stopped. It may have been a little more; it may have been less. I can tell you at the present time [because of diversion of resources to the Cuban refugee operation], we’re probably interdicting only about 10% to 15% of what we did last year. From that you get some idea of our effectiveness this year at least in Atlantic area. In Pacific area, we’re probably holding our own with last year’s effort. The Coast Guard simply does not have any flexibility today in resource application to manage all those roles being required. A single operation such as this Cuban thing has clearly drained us dry of any capability we have to continue doing what we were doing before and to take on this expanded function at sea and in the air.
Proceedings: There are certainly Coast Guardsmen who object to performing this function. They do what they're ordered, but they haPe a problem in that they joined a search and rescue outfit; now, they’ve been made maritime policemen, toting guns and creating ill feeling among the civilian boating population. And even so, 80-85 % of the traffic is getting through anyway, from the figure you mentioned. So is it all that useful as a deterrent? Is it worth it to the Coast Guard?
We talk about pay and benefits on
petty officer who’s filling the by the guy who didn’t reenlist at end of his second term is a petty
cer who more and more may have
la "'s
pending before the Congress to see whether they really will support military. I find, as I travel around, that enlisted people are not upset o"er
young person, including those who
Adm. Hayes: Well, I would put that question differently. Is it worth it to the nation for the Coast Guard to exert this kind of effort? At least up until now, the President has determined that it was. His policies are transmitted to us through the Drug Principals group that meets on a regular basis to decide nationally how we’re going to deal with the drug problem. I agree with the priorities that this administration has applied because of the nature of drug use, the great concern of our nation for its impact on our children and on our society generally. Is it worth the investment of Coast Guard resources? When you prevent $ 1 billion outflowing from this nation to drug smugglers, it seems to me, that’s a cost-effective investment all by itself. It sure as hell didn’t cost $ 1 billion for such an operation. And we obviously did prevent that much, mostly marijuana, from getting into the hands of users.
Proceedings: The relationship between the Coast Guard's responsibilities and its resources, addressed in the GAO report, has been exacerbated by the retention problem, principally among enlisted personnel. How do you account for the fact that it is much worse among enlisted than officers, and how do you hope to get well?
Adm. Hayes: Boy, if only I could answer the first question, I might have the solution to the second.
Truly, we have the lowest level of attrition in our commissioned officer corps right now that we’ve had in the last 10 to 15 years. I confess that I simply do not know the answer to the “why.” I suspect part of it has to do with the fact that right now, it’s an extremely challenging career for our commissioned officers. I think that it’s been an exciting period of time to be a part of our organization. Also, I suggest part of it had to do with the fact that until very recently, our commissioned officer corps was not as affected by the cost of living as the enlisted personnel. Money has indeed been a problem for our mid-grade petty officers who hoped to become career people but were faced with the impossibility of financially supporting that course of action. What can we do about it? First of all, I’m encouraged by two things—the Nunn-Warner bill and the hope that the 11.2 to 11.7% pay increase will indeed go through before this coming fiscal year. Incidentally, of course, that does not catch up our people. That only takes care of increased cost of living for this past fiscal year. The Coast Guard has embarked upon a whole variety of courses for personnel action and policy changes to try to make the Coast Guard a more attractive career. My single most important strategic objective is to improve the quality of life for Coast Guard personnel. 1 don’t say that lightly, nor do I pursue it lightly. Generally speaking, there must be 40 or 50 different things that we’re pursuing for career enhancement ranging from taking on a major role in helping our people buy, own, and sell their own homes when transferred to providing them with permissive orders when they get transferred. They can then look for a house without being charged with leave, and can get themselves settled in advance of the transfer, instead of trying to do it while they’re en route and on proceed, travel, and leave time. We’re looking at ways in which to substantially enhance the investment we’re making in BEQs and BOQs around the Coast Guard. I’m troubled by the distinctions that still remain in pay differentials and living conditions between our bachelors and our married personnel. In my judgment, whether or not one is married shouldn’t have anything to do with either salary or living conditions. I guess the best way of describing that gross discrepancy is to look at the 6-foot, 2-inch by 3-foot by maybe 3-foot portion of a ship that a bachelor calls his own compared to the house the married man can get either through leased housing, purchasing, or renting. I think that needs to be changed, and one of the major proposals I’m making is to amend the law so that we can, in effect, declare all quarters aboard ship unsuitable when the ship is in port. Then we would be permitted as never before to provide the bachelor with a decent place to live such as BEQs ashore. I could cite many more examples.
Proceedings: This retention thing is a problem that feeds on itself in that as more and more leave, the folks left behind have a harder job of it.
Adm. Hayes: It’s a “Catch-22.”
the
one hand, but what you just describe on the other hand is what is exacerba* ing the problem—job security. The ^
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two thirds the experience of his pre cessor. Already he is not as well trained. Then because of the number of holes left, there is quicker turnov and shorter tours of duty. The pers°*| has even less time to learn the job an a reduced sense of expertise and job security. I see indications right no" our service that at least we’ve stabilized transfers. I think a lot or
people are looking at the current
the
the number of hours they’re having1 work. It’s what they’re getting Pa* and how their performance is being recognized. There at least has to be some minimum level of recompense that the individual feels that he s l*v ing decently. I think that’s the issuC here.
Proceedings: On the premise that clouds have silver linings, do you look ] help from the current economic recession-
X90°
Adm. Hayes: I’m the eternal op timist. I feel this is a transient pr° lem. I believe that our nation is obje'^ tive enough in looking at its past an its future, not to permit the armed ^ forces to fall to an unacceptable leV of expertise. I think, in the long ted the simplistic concept “all-volunteet force” will not work. Some combm*1 tion of an all-volunteer force and se^e.[l tive service is what we should ha"e a nation such as ours. I say that be' cause, to my mind, the way to ass ^ a balanced army of citizens and pf° sionals is constantly to inject noncareer persons on a temporary bas*s' They will return to civilian life ha"*11-1’ influenced the armed forces by their presence, and as civilians can assure^ that military organizations get pr°P supervision and recognition. In tal ^ ing to young people, one of the tions I’m regularly asked is, “Wha* you think about the draft?” My a°' swer is, I would prefer to see every
The
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the Coast Guard Reserve without
of
disabled, required to serve in some capacity. Thus they would acquire the flavor of citizenship in a somewhat complex world that otherwise is passing them by. I think this could result in many good things including to help the situation in many of our ghettos and inner cities. Out of that group, I'm convinced there would always be enough volunteers for the armed forces to mix with those who are career and professionally inclined. There would be no need to resort to selective service except for maintaining certain minimum standards for entry.
Proceedings: You’ve gotten some help in the personnel area from women. Could you discuss the inroads they’ve made in the Coast Guard, which, just by the nature of things, have been more so in seagoing billets than in the Navy ?
Adm. Hayes: I suppose one of the most controversial decisions I’ve made had to do with managing women in the Coast Guard. I found within a few months of assuming my position I was faced regulary with policy decisions having to do with whether or not we should assign women to a particular ship or to ships generally; whether or not we should permit them to fly in airplanes; what ratings they could enter; where to assign the first women graduates of the Coast Guard Academy. I decided finally that society had made the decision that women were going to be treated equally with men. I literally withdrew all bars to career, assignment, or anything else having to do with women as a part of the Coast Guard. Now, two years later, I can conclude that was one of my luckier decisions and probably one of my better ones—not because it puts us in the forefront among other agencies or groups but because, we indeed have found that it’s enhanced our service. It has also resulted in an equality that has posed virtually no problems whatsoever of the magnitude we would otherwise have to face. I suppose that’s the proof of the pudding. I said lucky, because never having dealt with women aboard ship, nor in isolation with men, nor in positions of substantial responsibility requiring a certain amount of physical endurance and strength, we were a bit optimistic in that decision. Women have shown that at least those who wish to compete can do so quite favorably in a variety of ways. Commanding officers of our patrol boats have performed extremely well, Coxswains of our small boats likewise. We’ve awarded medals to young women for bravery. In a host of ways they’"e demonstrated that they can shoulder a burden right along with the men. And, yes, there are some things they can’t do that men can, but the reverse also is true. I would hope that some of those differences never will change.
Proceedings: How well have they been accepted by the men on board ships?
Adm. Hayes: One would be dishonest to say that women were greeted with open arms and treated with respect as equals. Crude language has been used in their presence and to describe them. They’ve been sexually and otherwise harassed. One of my strong policies is not to tolerate that kind of thing, nor will my commanders. There’s been the reaction of intrusion upon what for centuries has been an all-male territory. I think it’s a very natural reaction. I have to confess that I certainly had that reaction, early on, myself. When I was Commandant of Cadets at the Coast Guard Academy, I did a study which concluded that it would be a bad idea to have women at the academy. In today’s world, one has to adapt and approach these questions in a positive rather than a negative fashion. I believe our men generally are trying to do that. The young women entering the academy this year probably are finding a less hostile environment than was the case four years ago when the first women entered. I do not consider it a major problem any longer.
Proceedings: Further in the personnel area, what role do the Coast Guard Reserve and Auxiliary have in peacetime?
Adm. Hayes: The Coast Guard Reserve very nearly expired a number of years ago but fortunately was retained. They are an important adjunct to the Coast Guard in peacetime and assure a mobilization capability which we have identified and reconfirmed a number of times since. Not too many years ago, in order to make the Coast Guard Reserve a more effective organization a change occurred in their mode of training. Our reserve component is utilized to augment Coast Guard performance of peacetime missions, level of augmentation is about 60% 0 the training program while the remaining 40% would be devoted to 1 dividual and unit training and read1 ness. That has been one of the wise$t decisions I think any of the armed forces has taken with respect to its serve component. I believe it’s resuited in a reserve which not only 15
ready but indeed has demonstrated their readiness through performance- To exemplify that, I decided to request through the Secretary of Trans portation the President’s authority call up the reserves involuntarily t0 help handle the Cuban refugee seal' c operation. The Reserves responded^ impressively almost without any a1, verse reaction. To a substantial deg because of their training through augmentation they have performed magnificently in filling the slots throughout the Coast Guard left va- ^ cant by active duty personnel ordefeL into the Key West-Miami area.
Of course I couldn’t talk about mentioning our Coast Guard Auxil ^ iary. They filled a lot of the search •*n rescue needs left because of the reluca tion of our 95- and 82-foot patrol boats and some of our smaller util*9 boats. The Coast Guard Auxiliary' which has matured as an organizati0(1 in recent years, and incidentally >s roughly the same size as the active duty Coast Guard, has performed at very high-quality level. They assun11’ some watches for us and stepped up their operations during the high- volume times for recreational boatinf Those two things—the involuntary callup of the reserve and the voluntaT service of the auxiliary—demonstrate once and for all the great utility those two organizations as a part what we call our Coast Guard famd) It’s been a tremendous experience- ^
Proceedings: The Cuban sealift opd at ion came at a very opportune time, Ja ing on the heels of the GAO report, to t what the Coast Guard could do.
Adm. Hayes: Exactly, and the thing that impressed me as much aS^ anything was the professionalism which our people performed a varied of tasks ashore, at sea and in the air^ at a time when obviously we were s fering a pinch in many, many areas-
id
also has shown us that we do have the problems that I have identified. Ships have broken down; we have had difficulties with aircraft and shore facilities. We would have had an impossible task to continue other operations without the aid of the reserve and the auxiliary.
Proceedings: One of the areas that was highlighted in the GAO report was the age of the Coast Guard's fleet, and in part this brings about inefficiency in logistic support. There’s the potential for safety problems just because of the worn-out nature of the ships. Admiral Thompson’s article [in this issue] highlights some of the initiatives to modernize the fleet. If you had some magic pot of money which could grow out of this, what would be your priorities for further upgrading the fleet?
Adm. Hayes: It would consist of three parts. One would be to raise the level of capital investment, so that each year we’re replacing capital plant at a rate that we bring the age of our facilities to some kind of reasonable average, say about half the service life. In that I include not just ships but aircraft and shore facilities as well. I’ll footnote this before I go on by saying that we’re in reasonably good condition in planning for replacement and modernization of our aircraft. Our shore facilities are in the worst shape with ships falling somewhere in the middle. Having said that, bringing the level of capital investment up to a reasonable level requires doubling of the current expenditure level. That’s without—and I emphasize—that’s without adding to the fleet, adding to the number of aircraft, or adding shore facilities. This is just to modernize the Coast Guard and bring it to somewhere near the average I spoke of. Secondly would be to modernize our existing aircraft, ships, and shore facilities that are expected to continue in operation for a number of years. An example would be to equip our 378- foot cutters with weapons and ancillary electronic equipment to assure that they remain capable vessels for the next 15 years. The third—and I’m sure Admiral Thompson’s article pursues this in much greater detail— would be to improve the way in which we maintain the fleet. Our approach to maintenance of our aircraft fleet is far superior to the maintenance of our ship fleet and small boats. I see very encouraging signs that we’re making substantial progress in improving this last area.
Proceedings: You mentioned the 378s. They're relatively modern ships, but technology has passed them by in a number of areas for ASW. Is there any way to get them so they could, in a short-term basis, still work with the Navy in ASW?
Adm. Hayes: Most certainly. We are in the process of working with the Navy on a modernization program to assure that while our fleet continues to do peacetime tasks, it also is prepared to be very useful to the Navy in time of war. I’ve agreed recently with the Chief of Naval Operations to undertake jointly a study of Coast Guard wartime tasking to assure that our current and future capabilities are adequate to provide the Navy maximum support should the need arise.
Proceedings: Inasmuch as the Navy would be the beneficiary in that kind of situation when you would join them, are they offering any initiatives to help you upgrade these ships?
Adm. Hayes: I suggest that the real beneficiary is the nation. I say that because within and without the Coast Guard, including the Office of Management and Budget, the question is frequently asked, “Why should the Coast Guard of today even have a military readiness role? Why shouldn’t it just be a civilian organization?” Without going into my rationale in areas other than military preparedness, I will state unequivocally that the taxpayer gets one of the best bangs for the buck from the Coast Guard. For a very modest investment which . amounts to about 10% of our total budget, the nation gets an organization immediately prepared to go to war with the Navy in addition to one able to perform about eight or nine very important peacetime functions. It’s an active duty reserve, if you want to call it that, and a very well prepared one. Our participation in every single war including Vietnam has demonstrated that very adequately.
On that basis, and for a very moderate investment, it is worthwhile to include in the Navy’s budget the armament necessary to provide the Coast Guard with a wartime capability.
That has been done in the past. Very recently I talked directly with Admiral Tom Hayward about this and he absolutely supports this concept. So we’re in complete accord on the great value of our service as a part of the Navy in time of war.
Proceedings: Do you think that he can be persuaded to go to bat for you bef»re Congress to get this additional funding■
Adm. Hayes: He has already agreed to do whatever may be necessary to assure that occurs. So far, the Congress has not seemed to wince at all over providing the resources neces sary for the Coast Guard to perform |tS readiness function—at least not that I’m aware of.
Proceedings: Could you provide yoUf forecast for the future of the relationship between the Navy and the Coast Guard?
Adm. Hayes: First of all, the rela tionship is changing. Perhaps for the first time ever in peacetime we had major resources of the Navy under tat tical operational control of the Coast Guard in the Cuban operation. This turned out to be a non-problem with respect to inter-service relationships- Navy command and control for other purposes was preserved. At the satne time, vessels such as the Saipan had a tremendous amount to offer in treating refugees; seeing to their medical needs en route; and providing a trans fer point. As operations in the 200- mile economic zone expand, it’s likely that the Coast Guard and Navy mote and more often will be working together on a variety of problems. I set that as one change in our relationship and a very healthy one. Certainly. 11 will demonstrate once again how wC we work together. Secondly, it’s a good use of our nation’s resources to utilize the Coast Guard to avoid put ting the Navy in a law enforcement situation and also not to impact adversely on their defense training- 1 think our peacetime roles will change We have seen a substantial increase Coast Guard expertise in port management as an indirect result of neW laws passed by Congress. The advent of VTS, the marine environmental Pr° tection program and expanded commercial vessel and port safety resp°n sibilities are examples of our expand functions. Therefore it seems to me our role in wartime can be substan-
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dally expanded beyond more conventional port security tasks of the past- We’ll continue to operate with the Navy in fleet exercises and participate in their refresher training. I might point out that when we go to refresher training with the Navy, it isn’t for our military readiness responsibility alone- We estimate that as much as 80% the training we receive at the Navy training commands is directly apph' cable to our peacetime functions. So U isn’t just an investment sunk in the possibility of war. I can see that our relationship has changed a bit into a very, very effective one. 1 think inevitably we’re going to find ourselves with more Coast Guard liaison officefS assigned to the Navy, with perhaps more naval officers and enlisted personnel operating with the Coast GuarJ on an exchange basis. We’re currently doing that to a limited degree. I sup' pose I could think of more. However, from this if anything you can see a closer relationship between our two services in the future.
Proceedings: How would you assets the effectiveness of the vessel traffic systettts which have been established in various ports in the last few years?
Adm. Hayes: In many respects they have enhanced our ability to pr°" tect the marine environment. But, at present we have no practical way to feel really how effective these systems are. One of my reasons for supporting fully the president’s budgetary reductions in 1981, which include two of our VTS operations—the ones in Ne'v York and New Orleans—was because I’m convinced that we need to evaluate better where we’re going with these systems; how well they’re performing; and what the nature of then1 should be. We’ve learned a number of things. One, each port area is exclusive with respect to what’s best for that port area. One can take the components of the system such as radar, communications, and remote television and apply them in different combinations, depending upon the needs of a particular port area. It’s obvious that one advantage that accrues is facilitation of commerce. This was a major factor in the original planning for the system. Such is the case in the Houston/Galveston ship channel where we, through better communica-
tions, have been able to speed up operations in the port area by optimizing the movement of vessels. I’m not sure we’ve yet been able to identify what constitutes the right relationship between investment and benefits in each case. Both the equipment and manpower are very expensive. At Valdez [Alaska], for example, we have about 40 people who concern themselves with about five tanker passages per day. We’re concerned about how other vessels effect these passages, but the traffic in and out of Valdez compared with Houston/Galveston main ship channel is miniscule. Yet it’s a very large investment. The waters of Prince William Sound are a major fishery for our nation. We need to make an investment there to assure that there isn’t a major tanker casualty. Therefore VTS in this situation is a very wise investment. To date, we’ve not had a casualty in Prince William Sound. Whether we would have have had one without VTS is another question.
Proceedings: What are the prospects for New Orleans and New York?
Adm. Hayes: The Congress has directed that those two VTS operations be continued in operation—unfortunately, so far without the dollars to go with them.
Proceedings: What have been the advantages that you see in the recent reorganization of Coast Guard headquarters?
Adm. Hayes: Since I mentioned earlier that I am not enamored of reorganization as a solution to a problem, I’ve found myself on occasion having to be careful not to become defensive in talking about our own reorganization. Two changes were effected. First, the Office of Navigation evolved not so much because I felt that reorganization in itself would cause us to be more effective in managing our aids to navigation program but in order to establish its importance to the organization. I felt we had not been putting enough resources and enough management attention into this program. Therefore the one real reason that I’m willing to accept reorganization in this case is for emphasis. If one wants to stress something, such as transportation, energy, or navigation, then clearly raising its level of visibility in the organization and putting a person of higher rank in charge almost certainly will place it higher in priority. There’s no question in my mind this will have effect. I have felt for some time that we have not adequately managed our aids to navigation program—at least to the extent it should be in today’s world. The other change was partly triggered by my desire to assure that we didn’t create another flag officer assignment in headquarters and further build our bureaucracy. So, I looked around to find out where we might combine some things. The principal trigger for the new office of Boating, Consumer and Public Affairs was associated with releasing a flag officer billet to manage the new Office of Navigation. A second part was that more and more emphasis had been placed upon consumerism, including pressures on the Coast Guard from the Department of Transportation. Since our boating safety program already was oriented almost entirely towards the consumer public, you might say, it seemed like a good place to vest that entire area of concern. As a result we were able to do a couple of things. One of the strong initiatives in the Strategic Objectives of the Coast Guard has to do with strengthening participation in pursuit of national objectives in the international arena. I feel that the Coast Guard can be utilized in a variety of ways as an instrument of national diplomacy. A very obvious example is the Caribbean area where many island nations, as they create a 200-mile economic zone and attempt to enforce maritime laws, need a Coast Guard-like Navy. We can help in that kind of endeavor. In the process of our reorganization, we moved the in- . ternational affairs function under the Department of State Political Advisor to the Commandant. Effectively that function now falls directly under me. I would expect that to continue until these initiatives get off the ground and running. Then perhaps we’ll relocate it once again somewhere else in the organization.
Proceedings: Could you address your roles and missions study and how it relates to long-range planning for the service?
Adm. Hayes: I think a number of pieces are falling into place very neatly. We now have a zero-base personnel study going on. It’s a study
being jointly managed by the Coast Guard, office of the Secretary of Transportation, and the Office of Management and Budget. Its purpose is to look at the Coast Guard’s missions and the program standards for each of those missions such as search and rescue, aids to navigation, commercial vessel safety, and so on. Under the premise there is no Coast Guard at all, the study is to derive the number of people necessary to fulfill each mission at an acceptable level of performance, and to identify the support needed for that level of operation. That will be completed in October. I will not at the moment second-guess its result because I really don’t know what it might be. I’ll just say I’ll be very much surprised if it doesn’t support my contention that we’re grossly undermanned at the present time.
Also, Admiral Hayward and I are initiating a wartime tasking review which we hope to have completed by the first of January. Both of these will then feed into a roles and missions study. My intention is to have the roles and missions study completed within a 12-month period. I honestly believe that study combined with the planning system we have in place now will support whatever level of activity is deemed appropriate for the Coast Guard during the coming decade. That’s why I’m placing so much emphasis on it. I’m not a strong believer in studies, but having participated m the first roles and missions study of the Coast Guard in 1962 and 1963» ^ know that it had a profound impact on the thinking of the executive branch of government and resulted m strong fiscal support for the Coast Guard. If the current study does not support our activities then it suggests that our contentions are wrong and priorities are being perceived differently. If that’s so, at least we’ll then know what missions not to perform