Coast Guard Deepwater Acquisition Programs: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress

reportActive / Technical Report | Accession Number: ADA504391 | Open PDF

Abstract:

The term Deepwater refers to a collection of more than a dozen Coast Guard acquisition programs for replacing and modernizing the services aging fleet of deepwater-capable ships and aircraft. Until April 2007, the Coast Guard pursued these programs as a single, integrated acquisition program that was known as the Integrated Deepwater System IDS program or Deepwater program for short. The now-separated Deepwater acquisition programs include plans for, among other things, 91 new cutters, 124 new small boats, and 247 new or modernized airplanes, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles UAVs. The year 2007 was a watershed year for Deepwater acquisition. The management and execution of what was then the single, integrated Deepwater program was strongly criticized by various observers. House and Senate committees held several oversight hearings on the program. Bills were introduced to restructure or reform the program in various ways. Coast Guard and industry officials acknowledged certain problems in the programs management and execution and defended the programs management and execution in other respects. The Coast Guard announced a number of reform actions that significantly altered the services approach to Deepwater acquisition and to Coast Guard acquisition in general. The Government Accountability Office GAO provided new assessments of Deepwater acquisition programs in a July 2009 report and April 2009 testimony. The Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security DHS, requested 1,051.5 million in FY2010 acquisition funding for Deepwater programs, including 305.5 million for aircraft, 591.4 million for surface ships and boats, and 154.6 million for other items.

Author(s):
O'rourke, Ronald
Author Organization(s):
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
Supplementary Note:
CRS Report for Congress.
Pagination:
0049

Security Markings

DOCUMENT & CONTEXTUAL SUMMARY

Distribution:
Approved For Public Release
Distribution Statement:
Approved For Public Release; Distribution Is Unlimited.

RECORD

Collection: TR
Identifying Numbers
Report Number(s):
CRS/DC-7-5700, CRS/DC-RL33753
Monitor Series:
CRS/DC
 Subject Terms
Joint Capability Areas:
JCA_4.2_Supply; JCA_4.2.1_Manage Supplies and Equipment; JCA_4.5_Operational Contract Support; JCA_3_Force Application; JCA_3.1.1_Maneuver to Engage; JCA_3.1_Maneuver; JCA_5_Command and Control; JCA_6.4.1_Secure Information Exchange; JCA_4.5.1_Contract Support Integration; JCA_4.6_Engineering; JCA_4.5.2_Contractor Management; JCA_4.5.3_Program Management; JCA_4.7.2_Installation Services; JCA_4.7_Base and Installations Support; JCA_4.6.1_General Engineering; JCA_6_Net Centric; JCA_6.4_Information Assurance; JCA_5.3_Planning; JCA_4_Logistics; JCA_5.4_Decide; JCA_8_Building Partnerships
Modernization Areas:
Autonomy; Cyber
Communities of Interest:
Engineered Resilient Systems
Descriptor(s):
*CUTTERS(VESSELS), *LEGISLATION, *COAST GUARD, *ACQUISITION, *PATROL CRAFT, *MILITARY BUDGETS, MANAGEMENT, AGING(MATERIALS), COSTS, HELICOPTERS, MISSIONS, UNMANNED, BOATS, DEEP WATER, PLANNING PROGRAMMING BUDGETING, SENATE, ACCOUNTABILITY, AIRCRAFT, INDUSTRIES, INTEGRATED SYSTEMS, SHIPS, HOMELAND SECURITY, TEST AND EVALUATION, CONGRESS
Field(s)/Group(s):
Marine Engineering, Military Forces and Organizations, Logistics, Military Facilities and Supplies, Economics and Cost Analysis
Keyword(s):
IDS(INTEGRATED DEEPWATER SYSTEM), OVERSIGHT
Report Date:
2009 Jul 22
Creation Date:
2009 Sep 09