The 378-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter Sherman (WHEC-720) was on the way to her home port when a frantic call for help came over the airwaves. A 33,000-ton car carrier had been disabled and was dead in the water in 30-foot seas, listing heavily and drifting toward a rocky shore only a few miles away. The Sherman arrived on the scene, quickly took the ship under tow, and held her in safe water until local tugs could relieve the tow. It was excellent seamanship, for certain, but nothing heroic. The local television and newspaper feted the crew, however, and gave the story front-page coverage. What was unusual was the location of the incident—off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa! The Sherman arrived home in Alameda, California, several weeks later, having deployed for six months as a member of a Navy task force in the Arabian Gulf, enforcing U.N. sanctions against Iraq.
Normal Operations
Before the morning of 11 September, the Coast Guard employed its limited forces in a multitude of law enforcement tasks. Cutters and aircraft were engaged in fisheries patrols in the Bering Sea, north Pacific Ocean, and off the coasts of New England and the Grand Banks, enforcing international agreements and national regulations aimed at ensuring a sustainable fish population and protecting endangered species. In the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific waters off Central America and Mexico, other cutters and aircraft, regularly aided by U.S. Navy aircraft and ships with Coast Guard law enforcement detachments embarked, carried out antidrug operations aimed at both interdicting and deterring the transport of illegal drugs by the sea. Patrolling vessels frequently identified small ships and boats carrying cargoes of migrants hoping for clandestine entry into the United States. The fiscal year (FY) '01 funding was inadequate for planned operations, so the Commandant had to order a 10% (and later another 25%) reduction in scheduled law enforcement patrols, and also take some aircraft and ships out of service permanently.
Search-and-rescue (SAR) efforts went on around the clock, in balmy weather and warm waters as well as in icy winds and freezing seas. More than 4,000 people are saved in an average year during more than 40,000 responses to calls for assistance.
Maritime safety activities included inspections of many of the thousands of commercial vessels that arrived in more than 350 ports. Dockside facilities received periodic safety inspections and there were occasional waterside patrols. Aids to navigation were serviced by buoy tenders and land-based teams, along the coasts, in the Great Lakes, and in major navigable rivers. Pollution investigators and, when necessary, Strike Force teams, responded to an average of 20 oil or chemical spills each day.
These tasks constituted only a portion of the routine, regular activity undertaken by the Coast Guard in the first three-quarters of the year.
The New Normalcy
Senior officers so frequently had described the Coast Guard as "a multimission, maritime, military service" that the phrase had become a near-mantra. The response of the men and women in uniform immediately following the attack on the World Trade Center displayed each of those elements, but the military characteristic emerged as the core of the service. Member of the Coast Guard were reminded that they are, first and foremost, sworn to protect and defend. Their show of discipline was manifest in the enthusiastic response to orders issued literally minutes after the terrorists' first strike.
Shortly after the first aircraft hit the World Trade Center, Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Jim Loy issued formal orders for Coast Guard field commanders to take all necessary actions to ensure the safety and security of the nation's maritime transportation system. These actions included controlling all vessel movements in navigable U.S. waters and out to three nautical miles from the shore, taking special security precautions in high-risk waterfront facilities and with all bulk oil, gas, and chemical tank vessels. Ships, boats, and aircraft already operating in scheduled law enforcement missions were diverted immediately to homeland security duties. While care was taken to retain some assets for SAR emergencies, all other missions became far distant in priority. Not since World War II had everything else taken a backseat to the imperative of homeland defense.
This response was aided by the legal authority that the Coast Guard carries. Since its founding in 1790 as the Revenue Cutter Service, the Coast Guard has received near-continual increases in legal authority and responsibility, including everything needed to provide for the port and waterways security mission. The Commandant, by law, is the commander of all Coast Guard forces, and he has the authority to direct immediate action of everyone down to the smallest unit in the field. The Coast Guard is uniquely empowered to be a major contributor in the homeland security mission because the Posse Comitatus act does not apply.
More than 100 security zones and naval vessel protection zones around U.S. Navy ships were established and patrolled. For a time, nearly every major port or waterway from Valdez, Alaska, to Miami, Florida, was closed, but it was crucial to national security to resume the flow of seaborne trade. A National Vessel Movement Center was established, and increased reporting requirements were imposed on all ships destined for U.S. ports. Cruise ships and some Navy ships were escorted when entering or leaving. Two days after the attack, some commercial vessels were allowed to enter New York Harbor. Personnel from the Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team and many reservists with law enforcement experience boarded high-interest vessels far offshore and, after verifying passenger and cargo manifests, maintained a security presence on the bridges and in the engine rooms until the ships were safely docked or moored. Augmented forces patrolled constantly-in one month, small boats accumulated more than a full years' normal underway-operating hours. On the Great Lakes, joint U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard teams boarded all foreign-flagged vessels entering the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Forty-five members of the National Strike Force were called to New York and performed a wide range of services, including setting up and supporting the command post, using the well-established Coast Guard Incident Command System procedures. Checking for oxygen levels and testing for hazards in the air in buildings damaged near Ground Zero, team members were reminded of the abruptness of the attack by the half-eaten bowls of cereal and full cups of coffee still standing on desks. Teams also inspected the Stock Exchange on Wall Street and verified the safety of resuming trading. (Later, Strike teams were called to Washington, D.C., and Boca Raton, Florida, in response to anthrax incidents at those locations.)
Personnel Issues
The active-duty Coast Guard numbers—approximately 36,000—the same size as 35 years ago. After suffering the effects of the loss of more than 4,000 authorized billets during the four years ending in 1998, the inadequate workforce levels were granted at least a modicum of improvement in the FY '02 budget. The majority of the 187 search-and-rescue stations have fewer than 30 people, but they account for more than 70% of the lives saved and boaters assisted each year. The requirement to have boats and crews ready to respond to SAR incidents now requires an average of 84 hours on duty each week for all personnel assigned. In the FY '02 budget, slightly less than 200 billets were added to the more than 4,000 small station billets—hardly a significant improvement, but at least an actual step toward recognition of the need and a commitment to correct the long-standing deficiency.
As is the case with all of the services, retention of enlisted members is a high priority, starting with a concerted effort to attract qualified recruits and then help as many as possible complete boot camp and fulfill their initial enlistment contracts. The decision made three years ago to raise the status of recruiting duty has paid dividends. The Coast Guard continues to accept only those with at least a high school-level education, and nearly 90% of recruits complete boot camp at Cape May, New Jersey, and are added to the active-duty force. First tour attrition of 25% still is viewed as unacceptably high. Various initiatives aimed at improving the leadership performance of the immediate supervisors of the lower ranks have been developed to reduce that number. Of those who complete their initial tours of duty, 50% choose to reenlist; after the second and subsequent tours of duty, the percentage opting to continue on active duty increases to 66%.
Much credit for improved retention is given to a pay bonus program that better acknowledges the different needs for the various rates and ranks; the sea pay rate is tailored to recognize the most arduous duty, for example. Under the Future Force 21 program, some ratings have been combined, with a goal of no more than 17 separate ratings by the summer of 2003. This has resulted in more efficient training programs and allows improved personnel practices using skill-based assignments and management.
Officer accession also is a challenge, and draws on Academy and Officer Candidate School graduates, plus direct-commission appointments from those with previous duty as commissioned officers in the other services. The Coast Guard Academy attracts a large number of applicants, drawn in part by the reputation of being the most selective of all small colleges and universities. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named a member of the faculty, Commander Vince Wilczynski, the 2001 Outstanding Baccalaureate College Professor. The Leadership Development Center, located at the Academy, includes the Officer Candidate School, and the Chief Petty Officer Academy.
Reserve Component
Shortly after the first airplane hit the World Trade Center, Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta exercised his unique recall authority to mobilize Coast Guard reservists. Before the end of that day, reservists were on duty in the Port of New York and New Jersey, working alongside the active-duty members with whom they routinely train and serve. During the next several days, nearly 2,800 members of the Selected Reserve were recalled for duty at small boat stations, in Marine Safety Offices, on patrol boats, in Captain of the Port offices, and as members of port security units (PSUs). Six months later, more than 1,600 reservists still were serving on active duty, and many will serve at least for one year.
The six 140-person PSUs are manned almost entirely by reservists. Subject to deployment on 96 hours notice, they are trained and equipped to provide security for ships and waterside support facilities in foreign ports as part of Navy Harbor Defense Commands, in support of theater commanders-in-chief. With six 25-foot Boston Whaler boats, powered by two 175-horsepower engines and mounting sufficient armament to dissuade small boat adversaries from attempting intrusion, their capabilities were sought quickly following the 9/11 attacks. As part of the Coast Guard's largest mobilization since World War II, PSUs were activated for homeland security duty in the ports of Boston, New York/New Jersey, and Los Angeles/Long Beach, as well as Seattle. PSU 305, based at Fort Eustis, Virginia, was sent to New York on 13 September, and provided around-the-clock enhanced waterside security for 35 days. On 16 January, members again were called for duty, this time to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to ensure the security of the approaches to the U.S. Naval Base. They expect to remain there as long as there are detainees in Camp X-Ray. PSU 311, based at San Pedro, California, patrolled the port of Los Angeles and Long Beach immediately after 11 September. A detachment from PSU 311 deployed overseas on 3 October to provide force protection in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Auxiliary
The 34,000 members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary provide an integral and increasingly important part of the service. Operating their more than 5,000 boats and nearly 200 aircraft, they traditionally have engaged in missions related to improving recreational boating safety and responding to boaters in need of assistance on the water. In 2001, they conducted more than 113,000 private boat safety examinations and assisted more than 4,000 vessels while rescuing nearly 500 people from peril. They work without compensation, and most decline even the allowed reimbursement for fuel and food consumed during their patrols or SAR missions.
In recent years, the scope of their support has been broadened to include active participation in all Coast Guard missions except those that require the carrying of arms. One striking example of filling a void in Coast Guard capabilities is the experienced cadre of 236 auxiliarists who are language interpreters. Some have deployed aboard Coast Guard cutters during scheduled law enforcement operations in the Bering Sea and the Caribbean area.
The Auxiliary compiled an impressive record, responding to the immediate need for greatly expanded maritime security operations under Operation Noble Eagle. Some 10,000 members contributed more than 150,000 hours of waterside patrols, communications watches, and backfilling active forces between 11 September and 31 December. Recognizing both the extraordinary voluntary response of its members and the continuing need for increased support, National Commodore Viggo Bertelsen issued the Auxiliary's first-ever Operational Order with the goal of moving the entire organization to an even higher level of readiness, with more capabilities for supporting maritime security surge operations. To better match and prioritize the availability of support, a senior-level auxiliarist has been designated for liaison with every Coast Guard unit in each geographic area.
International Affairs
Small in size, but broad in reach, the Coast Guard's involvement in the international arena continues to grow. Among many other activities, the Coast Guard issued a Combined Operations Manual to be used by Russia's Border Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard in Bering Sea fisheries law enforcement. In South America, the service signed a Maritime Counter Narcotics Cooperation Agreement with Nicaragua and a Personnel Exchange Agreement with Argentina. In China, the Coast Guard met with the heads of maritime safety agencies from 14 other nations to promote regional and international cooperation in passenger ship safety, safe movement of vessel traffic, and environmental protection.
During 2001, more than 300 foreign crewmembers were trained in conjunction with the transfer of 18 vessels to 9 foreign maritime services, for a total of 85 vessels to 23 countries during the past four years. In a first for the Coast Guard, the armed forces of Malta accepted a Foreign Military Sale of a new construction 87-foot patrol boat, with delivery scheduled for November 2002.
Intelligence
In the 2002 State of the Union, President George W. Bush identified four pillars of the homeland security mission: preparation for bioterrorism, emergency response, border security, and improved intelligence. The Coast Guard always has required an active "intelligence program" pursuant to its law enforcement and regulatory responsibilities, and works closely with many federal, state, and local government agencies in the sharing of information legally gathered about U.S. citizens, resident aliens, and foreign nationals. Just prior to the end of 2001, the President signed into law legislation amending the National Security Act of 1947, making the Coast Guard intelligence element a member of the intelligence community. This new role brings restrictions concerning information regarding the domestic activities of U.S. citizens. A senior executive, extremely well experienced in intelligence matters, has been brought on board to oversee and implement the additional authorities and restrictions, to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place while allowing the Coast Guard to fulfill its dual functions.
Law Enforcement
It is impossible to quantify the effect of having to eliminate nearly all law enforcement operations for several months, now only slowly moving toward pre-9/11 levels. Patrols were reduced by 90% in New England, Hawaii, and the Gulf of Mexico fishing areas, which accounted for half of the fish landed in the United States in 2000. After being signed by 30 nations, a recent treaty gives the Coast Guard additional authority to board and detain the fishing vessels of those nations if they are found to be poaching or taking protected species. Regulations and treaties are meaningless, however, without the presence of law enforcers. Interdiction of illegal migrants at sea also is dependent on presence, but generally it is conceded that any increase in the numbers of migrants is more dependent on conditions in their country of origin, rather than the number of Coast Guard ships patrolling.
The Coast Guard interdicted a record amount of cocaine last year, more than 138,000 pounds. Despite the near elimination of cutters and aircraft from such patrols for several months, and the assumption that traffickers would certainly increase their shipments by sea as a result, there are two factors that complicate any attempt at quantifying the impact of reduced enforcement presence. First, there is no credible measure of the total amount shipped by sea. Second, a few successful interdictions, totaling many pounds each, can distort even an apparent effect. The Coast Guard recently launched Operation New Frontier, with cutters on patrol carrying MH-60 armed helicopters and fast interdiction boats. Using these new assets, the go-fast boats—which carry up to three tons of drugs yet still are too fast for interception by cutters alone—have met their match. During three separate incidents in February 2002 with armed helicopters, more than 19 tons of cocaine was seized.
Maintenance, Logistics, and Acquisitions
Replacing aging equipment, operational assets, and shore capital plant is accomplished under the Acquisition, Construction, and Improvement (AC&I) portion of the annual budget appropriation. The amount funded for FY '02 was $644 million, a $230 million increase over FY '01. However, two new top-priority items accounted for more than half the total: the Deepwater program ($320 million) and the National Distress and Response System Modernization project ($42 million).
The Integrated Deepwater System project will replace the Coast Guard's fleet of cutters, patrol boats, aircraft, and communication components over a period of at least 20 years. Three industry teams are competing for a contract, to be awarded later this fiscal year, which will select the systems integrator who will work with the Coast Guard to determine the specific designs and timing for acquisition of assets, within the proposed $500-million per year budgetary limits. The critical nature of this program is highlighted by the fact that the medium- and high-endurance cutters—necessary for missions far offshore and the increased requirements for homeland security, including extending the defense of the U.S. shoreline farther out on the ocean-have an average age that ranks 37th oldest among the 39 naval fleets of similar size in the world. Operating and maintenance costs for obsolescent ships and aircraft continue to grow, even as their availability decreases.
The National Distress and Response System Modernization project will replace the existing conglomeration of antiquated and inefficient analog radio systems that are the lifeline for communications between shore units and boaters who find themselves in distress, as well as providing the infrastructure to support other Coast Guard operational missions. Three contractors have demonstrated designs capable of providing all the Coast Guard's requirements. System development and demonstration phase proposals were due in April 2002.
The long-awaited replacement for the venerable icebreaker Mackinaw (WAGB-83)—which has served the Great Lakes since being commissioned in 1944—marked a major milestone in October when an $82-million contract was awarded to Marinette Marine Corporation for design and construction of the new ship, which will carry the same name. A month later, the Coast Guard exercised contract options for the last two seagoing buoy tenders at a cost of $60 million. This marks the final step in replacing its larger buoy tender fleet, with the final two scheduled for delivery in 2004.
The Coast Guard operates a fleet of 27 C-130H long-range aircraft, some more than 30 years old and increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain. Many years of operating at low altitudes over water have taken their toll in corrosion of major airframe components, and a chronic shortage of spare parts reduced the availability to unacceptable levels. Three C-130s were removed from service during FY '01 because of their deteriorating conditions and insufficient money for the overhauls necessary to make them safe for operations. Some help is on the way—although several years will pass before any new aircraft are fully operational and able to contribute. The first of six C-130J aircraft, the most modem of the venerable Lockheed C-130 design, is scheduled to be accepted at the end of 2002 and is expected to enter the operational inventory in 2005.
Logistic support and some modernization for all floating and flying legacy assets are financed from operating expense accounts, which have been underfunded for many years. A lack of spare parts and delayed modernization of equipment has resulted in decreased readiness and more manpower expended for maintenance. Aircraft operating intervals between overhauls have been increased, which results in more equipment failures and corrosion repairs in the field. The lack of spare parts results in cannibalizing replacement parts from other aircraft. Twenty-two of the older 110-foot patrol boats have been found to be in need of immediate attention because of hull cracking. Supplemental funding in FY '02 provided a shot in the arm for some maintenance accounts, and over time some spare parts shortages will be lessened, but those funding increases must be annualized to prevent backsliding. The shore plant is in desperate need of recapitalization, having a backlog of more than $750 million and little likelihood of reducing that level so long as Deepwater and National Distress and Response System Modernization project continue to account for the lion's share of an Acquisition, Construction, and Improvement budget that appears to have been capped at an inadequate level.
Maritime Safety
The Coast Guard provides leadership in improving the safety of maritime operations in the United States and the international maritime community as the U.S. representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). In implementing the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), the Coast Guard will establish national guidelines by which the competence of mariners holding licenses issued by the Coast Guard will be measured through training, direct observation, and assessment of skills.
The Coast Guard has embarked on a major capitalization effort called Ports and Waterways Safety System that will upgrade all eight of the existing Vessel Traffic Service locations. Automatic identification systems have been used in various parts of the world for many years, permitting the voiceless exchange of navigation information between a ship and a vessel traffic center ashore. Newly adopted international standards allow for two-way communications, with greater frequency agility, more capacity, and various display options.
Prior to the attacks, Admiral Loy was quoted as saying that the safety of passengers on board large vessels was his number one maritime safety concern. While the cruise ship safety record has been outstanding, there is growing acknowledgment that in the event of a major conflagration at sea there are many scenarios in which the response capabilities for a mass rescue would be woefully inadequate. Reduction of such risk is an ongoing effort of the IMO, patterned after a Coast Guard-developed strategy focusing on ship survivability, fire prevention and protection, evacuation, lifesaving systems, and the human element, as well as design and equipment improvements for both future and existing passenger vessels.
The Future
A $209-million supplemental appropriation by Congress for the first six months of FY '02, with the assurance of an equal amount for the second half-year, brought some relief. A contract was awarded for 18 of the planned 90 response boats for the new Marine Safety and Security Teams (MSSTs), and new intelligence fusion centers and vessel-tracking capabilities will enhance maritime domain awareness. Additions to maintenance accounts have stemmed, for the moment, dangerously deteriorating logistic support for legacy assets. The President has submitted a record budget for FY '03, saying it "will have the largest increase in spending for the Coast Guard in our nation's history." Secretary Norman Mineta and Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson have praised the service's response to increased homeland security requirements and staunchly supported the Deepwater project, citing the increasingly critical importance of proceeding with the modernization of major operating assets.
If enacted by Congress, the $7.3-billion budget (a $1.96 billion increase over FY '02) will provide 2,200 new full-time positions, 1,000 reserve positions, fund 6 MSSTs, 72 armed small boats, 160 Sea Marshalls, and add 170 billets to small boat stations. Personnel increases are but the first of a three-year plan to bring the service up to more realistic manning levels.
But, on closer look, there is a certain amount of fluff in the fiber. For the first time the Coast Guard budget will include future personnel retirement obligations. Other costs, such as personnel pay increases and entitlements further reduce the actual amount available for mission-related operating expenses to less than $350 million. A portion of that amount will be used to allow for fully programmed operations, something not affordable for the past three years. The Acquisition, Construction, and Improvement portion of the budget does not have sufficient funds for well-established and documented needs, particularly for the shore plant.
Admiral Loy completes his four-year tour on 30 May. He has served the nation, and the men and women of the Coast Guard, with singular distinction. His speeches frequently begin with the telling of some story of an individual or group performing with unflinching bravery or loyalty under conditions of high stress, espousing by example the Coast Guard's core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty. History will afford him particular recognition for his untiring efforts to restore the readiness and shape the future of the Coast Guard. Through his personal, straightforward approach in addressing the needs of his service, he earned the respect and trust of those in the highest positions of leadership in government and business, at the same time retaining the support and confidence of everyone in Team Coast Guard. In his last State of the Coast Guard address, he said, "Let us not forget that our first order of business is to ensure that American citizens are secure from the harm that others would do. That is and always has been Job One." Well stated, and well done, Admiral!
Admiral Thomas H. Collins has been selected to be the 22nd Commandant of the Coast Guard. Admiral Collins is intimately familiar with the Washington scene, having served the past two years as Vice Commandant. He takes the helm at a time of unprecedented activity and some uncertainty regarding the future of the Coast Guard and its evolving role in homeland security. A sustained growth in both active duty and reserve strength will have to be expedited to meet known requirements, taxing a training system already running near full capacity. The first Deepwater replacement assets still are several years away, and legacy aircraft, ships, and boats need better support, now. Small boat stations need more people and new boats. Retention of trained and experienced people now serving has become even more imperative, and a huge negative factor is the inability to provide suitable working and living conditions ashore, because of a deteriorated shore plant. It will not be easy to take charge shortly before the Coast Guard will be given a budget thought by many to solve most of the service's problems. Welcome aboard, Admiral! Semper Paratus.