In transit off the mid-Atlantic coast, a former cruise shin radios for help. Manned by a skeleton crew of 34, one of her two engines has failed and water is flooding uncontrollably. Two HH-60 helicopters and two HC-130H airplanes are launched from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and head for the scene, more than 200 miles offshore. Seas are cresting at 50 feet and wind gusting to 70 knots. A rescue swimmer is lowered to the listing SeaBreeze I to calm the panicked crewmen and place them by twos in the rescue basket for the hoist up to the helo. Fearful that the ship could roll over at any time, there is no thought of stopping until there is either no more room or the lifting power of the helo is reached. After 26 crew members have been stuffed into the cabin, the swimmer is retrieved and the second helo moves in to repeat the process for the last 8 crew members. With the captain verifying that he is the last to leave, the helos head for dry land, more than two hours away.
On a relatively calm night over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, an HH-65 helicopter on a training flight hears, "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is the Ocean Crusader. I'm a [oil] rig. I'm on fire." In 15 minutes the helo arrives on the scene, 30 miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana. Fueled by natural gas, flames are coming from a well head on one side of the jackup rig. The pilot lands on the helo platform and the rescue swimmer gets out to keep some of the 51 rig workers from rushing to be first on board. Knowing that only four at a time can be shuttled by helo to the safety of a nearby rig, an evacuation plan is devised quickly, including using a crane and gondola to lower fourperson groups from the platform to a supply boat. All proceeds smoothly, and another HH-65 arrives to help. The first helo approaches the rig to recover the rescue swimmer when the rig erupts in a huge mushroom cloud of fire that soon turns to smoke. "You guys better come and get me out" comes over the radio. Miraculously, the rescue swimmer is still alive. The rotor blades beat back the smoke, the helo finds the platform, the swimmer dives into the cabin, and the full crew is reunited again for an uneventful trip home.
While these dramatic rescues understandably garner headlines, they constitute a small percentage of the 50,000 Coast Guard search-and-rescue (SAR) cases that save nearly 4,000 lives in a typical year. Hard-working crews operating 1,500 small boats on inland and coastal waters respond to more than 30,000 calls for assistance and conduct more than 36,000 boardings of private boats to check the condition of required safety equipment.
Reliable communications is a critical requirement in most situations involving people who need assistance. Group offices and small boat stations use systems that evolved piecemeal from nonstandard equipment. Some offshore areas are not adequately covered or have limited interoperability with other agencies. A long-- needed replacement for all such antiquated equipment is under way via the National Distress and Response Modernization Project. A design demonstration and validation contract was awarded to three companies in August 2000, with a phase 1 completion date of December 2001. The award of phase 2 is scheduled for September 2002 and initial operating capability set for 12 months later. Total system implementation, encompassing 45 group facilities, is scheduled in late 2006.
During Hurricane Floyd in 1999, an initial report of "five people stranded on a rooftop" quickly became 500, then 5,000 people known to be in need of immediate assistance or evacuation. The arrival of rescue aircraft from nearly every other military service quickly overwhelmed the capability for even rudimentary air space management by onscene commanders. That event highlighted the absence of a functioning plan for addressing mass rescue operations over land or sea, and rejuvenated the little-known Interagency National SAR Committee. The committee is chaired by the Coast Guard as the Department of Transportation (DoT) representative, with members or observers from the Departments of State, Defense, Commerce, and Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), the National Air and Space Administration (NASA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The quarterly meetings have resulted in much stronger coordination procedures.
With sole responsibility for SAR on, over, and under the water, the Coast Guard has close working relationships with cruise lines, where the possibility of a mass rescue effort is low, but the consequences are very high. More than 14,000 commercial vessels voluntarily participate in the long-standing AMVER (automated mutual-assistance vessel rescue) ship-reporting system, and the daily positions of some 3,000 are maintained at the Coast Guard AMVER center. Last year, 154 lives were saved by ships that were alerted and voluntarily became first responder to a distress situation.
Drug Interdiction
The United States now has 19 bilateral counter-drug agreements, primarily with nations in the western hemisphere, and negotiations are under way for several more. Each of the agreements authorizes specific actions to be taken by Coast Guard forces in the sovereign territory of the signatories, such as ship boarding, aircraft over-- flight, and pursuit of suspect vessels. Small detachments of Coast Guardsmen routinely embark on military ships of Belgium, Great Britain, and the Netherlands as they ply the waters of the Caribbean Sea. Last year, the Coast Guard's counterdrug strategy "Steel Web" netted a record amount of cocaine seized as a result of careful management of limited resources, exploitation of enhanced interagency intelligence sharing, and unprecedented international cooperation.
For the first time in its history, the Coast Guard deployed armed helicopters and fired both warning and disabling shots into go-fast boats that otherwise could have eluded interdiction because of their speed. The armed helicopters were successful in all six encounters, and approval was given for a permanent addition to the counterdrug assets. The first two of eight Augusta 109s, designated MH-68A, are completing flight and configuration testing. Equipped with radar, forward looking infrared (FLIR), night vision cockpits, state-of-the-art navigation and communications systems, and armed with machine guns, the helos will work with other maritime assets in the "end game" against go-fast boats.
Successes in interdicting drugs in the maritime regions of the Caribbean drove smugglers to the Eastern Pacific waters, farther from the United States and devoid of the "choke point" geography of the Caribbean. The trafficking in illegal drugs throughout the maritime regions continues. During five days in early February 2001, 30,437 pounds of cocaine were interdicted, nearly 25% of last year's record of 125,000 pounds for the entire year.
Migrant Interdiction
The flow of illegal migrants seeking a better life in the United States continues to grow. With the legal authority to enforce U.S. laws on the high seas and territorial waters, the Coast Guard provides what is essentially an at-sea Border Patrol. Many of the interdictions of illegal migrants begin as search-and-rescue operations to remove men, women, and children from boats or rafts that are not seaworthy. The cutter then provides food and shelter, while serving as a platform from which Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) representatives process those interdicted and determine their disposition.
Significant numbers of Chinese (who paid as much as $50,000 for the trip) were smuggled in small seagoing vessels that often spent many weeks or even months in transit. Coast Guard cutters were successful in locating those vessels and preventing them from reaching U.S. territory, even as far away as Guam. Closer to our shores, Cubans often were found in small numbers, floating in makeshift rafts or small boats, at the mercy of the sea and weather. Similarly, migrants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic attempted their voyages north or east in poorly equipped small boats.
Some methods have changed dramatically. Chinese migrants now may fly to Europe or South America as the first stop in their route to enter the United States via Mexico, Canada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico. Cubans are more likely to use a high-speed boat, traveling from the United States to pick up passengers on the Cuban coast for the return trip to the Florida Keys. Smuggling migrants is as lucrative as smuggling drugs, and penalties when caught are much less—sometimes nothing.
Despite very limited patrolling in the Eastern Pacific, more than 1,000 Ecuadorians were interdicted last year, en route to their first stop in Guatemala. On 26 March 2001, 225 Guatemalans and 9 Sri Lankans were found on one ship. The unrest in Haiti, following the disputed election of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, may trigger an increase in the number from that economically beleaguered country, and there are recent reports of many deaths by drowning or exposure of Dominicans attempting to reach Puerto Rico.
In a tragic accident during the early hours of 24 March 2001, while patrolling for migrants three miles from the mouth of the Niagara River in New York, the four-member crew of a Coast Guard 21-- foot boat was thrown into the icy water of Lake Ontario when the boat swamped. Two members died from hypothermia before they could be rescued.
Maritime Safety
After the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989, several states began issuing regulations for oil tankers entering their waters. The tanker industry group, Intertanko, claimed that regulation of tankers in that regard was solely within the domain of the Coast Guard. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed, firmly establishing the principle that only the Coast Guard may regulate the design, construction, equipment, operation, manning, personnel certification, and other aspects of vessels. States may put in place certain navigational requirements, but only to meet special local conditions in areas where the Coast Guard has no corresponding regulations. The clarification has had beneficial results. Many states, including Washington, Maine, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Texas, are working closely with the Coast Guard to achieve the common goals of protection of the marine environment, with minimum disruption in the flow of maritime commerce.
In September, during a routine inspection in San Francisco Bay, the Singapore-flagged crude oil tanker Neptune Dorado was found to have inoperable main fire pumps, sewage leaking into the bilges, and oil and vapors seeping into ballast tanks through structural cracks, creating a highly explosive atmosphere. The ship, filled with 580,000 barrels of crude oil, was a floating bomb. An investigation led to the conviction of the owners and master and $2.5 million in criminal fines and civil penalties.
The Coast Guard inspects foreign-flagged ships at least once each year. Recognizing that many of them have been found to have few or no discrepancies, the Coast Guard recently implemented a policy, called Qualship 21, to publicly identify such vessels and reduce the number or extent of inspections so long as the designation continues. While passenger vessels have an outstanding safety record in the United States and may earn the designation, they are not eligible for reduction in number or extent of inspections.
Icebreaking Responsibilities
Keeping shipping lanes free of ice in rivers, channels, and harbors has been a Coast Guard mission since 1936. Icebreaking cutters are charged with ensuring that waterborne commerce can continue during the winter months. From the metropolitan areas of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia to the island communities along the Eastern Shore of Maryland, supplies of heating oil and all manner of goods vital to the safety, comfort, and well-being of our citizens must be delivered, regardless of the severity of the winter ice conditions.
On the Great Lakes, the five 140-foot Bay-class cutters and the venerable 290-foot icebreaker Mackinaw (WAGB-83) assisted 397 vessels and succeeded in extending the period of shipping during the winter by two months. Replacement of the 56-year-old Mackinaw finally has been assured with $110 million provided by Congress in supplemental funding for fiscal year 2000. With an electric power drive, 360 deg azimuthing podded propulsion units, and fully integrated ship control system, the new Great Lakes icebreaker will be a multipurpose ship. Capable of breaking 32 inches of solid ice and working in dense brash ice up to 12-feet thick, she also will be a very capable buoy tender. Despite the addition of the second mission, manning is expected to be one-third less than currently assigned to the Mackinaw. Contract award is scheduled before the end of this fiscal year, with estimated delivery in late 2005.
In the two Polar regions, Coast Guard icebreakers provided services for the resupply of remote stations in the north (Thule Air Force Base) for national security reasons, and in the south (McMurdo Station) for research. The nation's Polar icebreaking assets were increased by 50% last year with the delivery of the Healy (WAGB-20), the first U.S. icebreaker designed from the keel up to be primarily a scientific research ship. Although capable of operating in the Antarctic, Healy is dedicated to spend 180-200 days each year in the Arctic under the aegis of the National Science Foundation. Her 30,000-shaft horsepower is less than half that of the Polar Star (WAGB-10) and Polar Sea (WAGB-11), but her performance has brought smiles to the faces of her Coast Guard crew of 57. Ice trials proved her capable of maintaining three knots in a continuous ice field four-feet thick, and ramming maneuvers defeated 45-foot thick pressure ridges. During both design and construction phases, the Coast Guard worked closely with members of the Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee, primarily scientists who will be the benefactors of the Healy's onboard facilities. The partnering appears to have been successful. Science trials also were conducted with participating scientists reported to be very happy with the ship.
Living Marine Resources
The new marine protected species strategic plan has been dubbed "Ocean Steward." The Coast Guard is responding to ever-increasing demands for monitoring vast reaches of the oceans, enforcing U.S. and international laws and regulations protecting manatees, sea turtles, right whales, coral reefs, and everything in between. In April 2001, a Coast Guard officer was part of the U.S. delegation to a meeting in Rome, called by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, to draft an international plan of action to halt illegal and unregulated fishing.
Law enforcement operations in the Bering Sea resulted in the seizure of 6 of the 26 foreign fishing vessels that were found illegally fishing on the U.S. side of the line of demarcation between the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Russia and the United States. These operations often occurred with the close cooperation and even participation in joint boardings of our Russian counterparts. The total number of foreign vessel incursions was down from the previous year, which may have been the result of the increased presence of Coast Guard 378-foot cutters in those inhospitable waters, plus frequent flights of HC-130 aircraft based in Kodiak, Alaska. Russian Federal Border Service enforcement of Russian waters continues to increase, however, and their stated intention to close their waters to all foreign fishing vessels will increase the likelihood of more incursions into U.S. waters.
The Russian Border Guard has employed lethal force on its side of the line, sinking one Russian vessel and firing on several others. The Coast Guard has not yet had to resort to such measures. To deter large trawlers from slipping into U.S. sovereign waters, the Coast Guard is borrowing an idea from the Norwegians and Canadians. Called a warp cutter, the device is essentially a large grappling hook with hardened steel cutters on its arms. This hook trails on a long cable from a law enforcement vessel, which then passes between the stern of the trawler and its submerged nets. The device hooks the warp (a steel cable by which the trawler tows its nets) and cuts it, sending the nets to the bottom. The Coast Guard is outfitting some of its cutters with the device and has informed the nations most likely to have fishing vessels in the Bering Sea of its intended use against violators.
A particularly egregious type of illegal fishing is done with monofilament nets. Many miles in length, they are deployed from a fishing vessel and then allowed to drift unattended for several days at a time. Notoriously indiscriminate in the types of fish (and mammals) they catch while adrift, their use has been banned worldwide. In the northern Pacific Ocean, south of the Bering Sea, the Honduran-- registered fishing vessel Arctic Wind was suspected of drift net fishing. She refused to stop for boarding by a Coast Guard team from the Sherman (WHEC-720), a 378-foot high-endurance cutter, until the cutter's five-inch main gun mount swung in its direction. The Arctic Wind was seized and subsequent DNA testing showed that much of the salmon found on board came from the Alaskan Basin. The fishing vessel was recently sold by the U.S. government for $250,000.
International Affairs
The Coast Guard's broad range of expertise provides a large inventory of training opportunities for smaller or developing nations. Mobile training teams conducted training in military, law enforcement, environmental, and maritime safety operations for more than 2,500 students during 52 separate country visits.
During his recent visit to the Republic of Georgia, Commandant Admiral James Loy was asked to meet with President Eduard Shevemadze (the former Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs). During their conversation, President Shevemadze referred to the work being done by a Coast Guard training team stationed in his country as "a miracle" and requested the loan of a senior Coast Guard officer to serve as personal maritime advisor to the head of his Border Guard. In a similar vein, a Coast Guard officer is assigned as long-term advisor to the Azerbaijan Border Guard. With State Department and other sources of funding, training teams currently are assisting in maritime-related training in Bolivia, Panama, Haiti, Peru, Antigua, and Costa Rica.
The cutter Gentian, a former 180-foot buoy tender, was commissioned in 1999 as the Caribbean support tender. Manned by a core Coast Guard crew, augmented by representatives from Caribbean nations, the tender provides maintenance training and logistics support for equipment and boats as she travels throughout the area. Based in Miami, Florida, the ship has made four deployments, with 24 visits to 12 different countries, delivering more than 150 tons of cargo, including boat parts, engines, construction material, and refurbished vessels. Currently, there are regular crew members from the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana on board.
More modern assets are replacing older Coast Guard patrol boats and small ships. These older vessels have been well maintained and are eagerly sought by many nations that are developing their own small navies or coastal marine forces. During the past four years, 68 vessels have been transferred to 20 countries.
Defense Operations
The cornerstone of the defense capabilities of the Coast Guard is the fleet of 12 Hamilton (WHEC-715)-class high-endurance cutters. At 378 feet, the 29-knot ships can sail as an integral part of a battle group and operate independently, performing such duties as enforcing U.N. sanctions against Iraq. Replacements for this capability are included in the Deepwater project, referred to as National Security Cutters, and will have interoperability designed to complement U.S. Navy warships as part of a National Fleet concept. Medium-endurance cutters of the 270-foot Bear (WMEC-901)-class routinely participate in joint and international exercises. 110-foot patrol boats are included in the war plans of commander-in-chiefs (CinCs). There are six port security units manned by 140 members of the Coast Guard Reserve that train as part of Navy Harbor Defense Commands and deploy to support the needs of CinCs in security for ships and waterfront facilities in foreign ports.
Deepwater
The Coast Guard of the future will evolve from the results of the ongoing Deepwater Project. Also referred to as the Integrated Deepwater System, the multi-year acquisition of a "system of systems" will replace essentially all of the current Coast Guard ships, offshore patrol boats, and fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Deepwater has been defined as operations that take place more than 50 miles away from land and that may require a considerable degree of sustainability in those operations, or operations a long distance away from home ports or stations.
The Coast Guard historically replaced categories or portions of assets as they became obsolete or insupportable, sometimes on a nearly one-for-one basis. Several years ago, the Coast Guard's leaders recognized that many of their major assets would be in need of replacement over a relatively short period of time. It would be best to take a broader look at what the future capabilities should be and then acquire a system that would provide those capabilities in the most efficient and effective fashion. There were no preconceived requirements for a certain number, or type, of surface or air assets. The Coast Guard provided performance requirements and competing industry teams will design their systems of hardware and C`ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) equipment to meet those requirements.
The initiation of a project with unknown cost estimates triggered a negative reaction from the Office of Management and Budget. The plan, which delegates to industry the primary role in proposing the number and scheduling the implementation of the performance-based assets, also met with no small amount of skepticism from the General Accounting Office (GAO). An Independent Agency Task Force (IATF) ordered by President Bill Clinton subsequently verified the Coast Guard roles and missions extending well into this century. In its report to the President, the IATF included unequivocal support for recapitalization of the Coast Guard's Deepwater capability as a "near term national priority" and strongly endorsed the "process and timeline" of the project. Deepwater project members now describe a very smooth relationship, working side by side with GAO representatives as the project enters its final 18 months.
The 20-year implementation of the project includes retirement of legacy assets, numbering more than 90 ships and patrol boats and more than 200 aircraft. The project began in March 1998, and is on schedule. Eighty percent design proposals were due in April 2001. Best and final offers, with final designs, are due in July, and contract award to a system integrator is expected in January 2002. The $350 million necessary for award of the contract is in the Deepwater budget request for fiscal year 2002. Thereafter, the annual level of funding is pegged at $500 million.
Personnel The Coast Guard has 35,000 men and women on active duty, 8,000 reservists, and slightly more than 5,700 civilian employees. Seven years ago, the then-Commandant carried out an administration mandate to trim the workforce by 1,000 a year. Some drastic measures were taken that resulted in overshooting the desired numbers by more than 1,000. At the same time, employment opportunities in industry were excellent and recruiting became very difficult.
When taking office, Admiral Loy made no secret that his number one priority was to restore the workforce before the end of 2000. Extraordinary efforts were expended. Recruiting duty, for the first time, became a career-enhancing assignment. The retention of qualified people completing their enlistments was given added impetus. Those who chose to leave active duty were vigorously recruited for continued service in the Reserve. The goals were reached by the end of 2000 for both active and reserve military members. Although the rate of civilian hiring is higher than normal, attrition and the conversion of some military jobs to civilian billets has made it impossible to fill the gap. There were still nearly 600 vacancies in mid-March.
Active-duty reenlistment rates have dropped slightly to 55% for first term and 88% for subsequent terms, and the annual active-duty recruit number of 4,000 is being met with no reduction in standards. The Recruit Training Center, Cape May, New Jersey, has sustained an enviable graduation rate of nearly 90%. Overall officer attrition is slightly less than 9%, but still the highest in two decades. The attrition of 20% at the lieutenant (junior grade) level—twice as high as the historical average—is of considerable concern. Accession of candidate officers from the civilian sector, direct commission from prior military service, and graduates of Kings Point and state maritime schools continue to fall short of desired levels.
Marking its 60th year, the Coast Guard Reserve has been integrated into the active-duty organization in a seamless fashion. More than 80% of the reservists' time is spent working side-by-side with active-duty counterparts, performing the day-to-day missions of the Coast Guard while developing and honing the skills they would need for mobilization.
"Future Force 21" is the Coast Guard's vision for its human resources system. The strategy is focused on how best to structure the workforce, best manage career entry and progression, and best manage the human resource system. The challenge for this ambitious five-year strategy is to maintain and adjust legacy human resource systems while creating the foundation for tomorrow's systems.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary is a unique civilian organization consisting of staunch supporters of the Coast Guard. Numbering more than 34,000, each year they perform more than 25,000 marine safety and regatta patrols in their own boats, fly more than 9,000 flight hours in their own airplanes, and account for more than 300 lives saved. As leading proponents for maritime safety in their local areas, they conduct more than 110,000 formal safety checks of recreational boats and personal watercraft and teach boating safety to 200,000 people. In recent years, they have done courtesy safety checks for nearly 25% of the U.S. commercial fishing fleet. Auxiliarists have served as interpreters for official visits of Russian delegations and have deployed on cutters patrolling waters where Spanish, Russian, and Japanese linguists are invaluable. On 1 February 2001, two auxiliarists were killed in the south Florida Keys while flying a single-engine airplane, simulating a drug-carrying aircraft during airborne intercept practice with a Coast Guard HU-25 Falcon aircraft. These were the first deaths of auxiliarist aviators during the performance of their volunteer duties.
The Commandant's View
During a wide-ranging interview with Admiral Loy, in preparation for this report, he strongly supported the initiatives of the new administration in reviewing and revalidating the National Security Strategy requirements prior to committing funds for major system procurements. He noted that the Independent Agency Task Force had done exactly that in its review and validation of the roles and missions for the Coast Guard at least out to the year 2020, and their report included an unequivocally strong endorsement of the Deepwater system acquisition as a near-term national priority. Calling the IATF report "a seminal document for the Coast Guard," Admiral Loy acknowledged that the report was called for and accepted by the previous Administration, and his immediate quest is to ensure that the new leaders of the many agencies that participated in the review will stand by the results.
The Commandant has completed nearly three years of his four-year tenure, and has overseen great strides toward rebuilding the depleted workforce he inherited. The immediate challenge is to restore the seriously reduced readiness of the individual units to perform their multimission tasks. With rising costs of sustaining the organization and conducting operations, he finds himself in the unenviable position of not being able to provide support for the very workforce he worked so hard to achieve. The ultimate concern for the well-being of Coast Guard people is manifest in his saying, "We have filled out the workforce, now they have to be paid." Semper Paratus.
Before retiring in 1991, Admiral Thorsen was Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, and Commander, U.S. Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic. He is a consultant, serves on the boards of several businesses and nonprofit organizations, and is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Naval Analyses.