Posted: March 3, 2016 2:58 PM
Coast Guard Budget Request Lower Than Lawmakers Would Like
http://www.seapowermagazine.org/stories/20160303-uscg.htmlBy JOHN C. MARCARIO, Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON — The Coast Guard’s four biggest acquisition programs took center stage as lawmakers peppered the service’s commandant, Adm. Paul Zukunft, with questions about risks and requirements during a March 3 hearing of the House Appropriations homeland security subcommittee.
The Fast Response Cutter (FRC), National Security Cutter (NSC), Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) and polar icebreaker programs are reshaping the service, but politicians sparred on funding and the exact number of ships that are needed.
The NSC program of record was supposed to eight, but $640 million was provided in an appropriations bill last year for a ninth cutter. Subcommittee Chairman Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, asked Zukunft if the Coast Guard needs additional NSCs. “Would [funding for] a 10th endanger other programs?” he asked.
The commandant said, absent top-line acquisition, funding and improvements (AC&I) relief, it would be difficult to add another major program to the budget. “I can’t accept risks if there’s a threat to the homeland,” he said.
He stressed repeatedly throughout the hearing that the OPC program was his top priority. The 25-ship program will be the most expensive program in history for the Department of Homeland Security, the agency that oversees the Coast Guard. Estimated to cost around $12 billion, Zukunft said he wants full-rate production to begin in fiscal 2023, with the first OPC delivered in fiscal 2021.
President Barack Obama’s $10.3 billion budget request for the service for fiscal 2017, made public Feb. 9, includes $1.1 billion for AC&I. The funding levels fall short of Congress’ enacted fiscal 2016 budget that provided the service with an overall budget of $11.1 billion and $1.9 billion in AC&I. In fiscal 2015, the service’s budget was slightly less than $10.3 billion, with $1.2 billion provided for AC&I.
The 2017 budget request calls for $100 million to support the technical review and analysis of preliminary and contract design phase deliverables for the OPC project. Funds also would be provided for procurement of long-lead-time materials for the lead ship. The OPC will replace the Medium Endurance Cutter.
Rep. David Price, D-N.C., said Obama’s budget request is lower than what the subcommittee would like to see and they will work on addressing it through legislation.
Zukunft said he’d ideally like to have an AC&I budget of around $1.5 billion per year.
The fiscal 2017 request called for funding four FRCs, down from six in fiscal 2016. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., asked that if the goal still was to build 58 of the ships, why was there a reduction in funding requested and will this delay the acquisition of the program?
Zukunft said, with an AC&I budget under $1.5 billion, some tradeoffs had to made, and this was one of them. He added that they want to reach the program of record.
The big surprise of the budget was $150 million being earmarked to complete the design work on a new icebreaker. The Coast Guard, which is responsible for the country’s icebreaking mission, currently has just one active heavy icebreaker, Polar Star, and one medium icebreaker, Healy, which is used primarily for scientific missions. A third heavy icebreaker, Polar Sea, suffered an engine casualty in June 2010 and has been non-operational since then.
A new heavy icebreaker is projected to cost between $900 million to $1.1 billion. The White House’s 2017 budget proposal said production activities on the icebreaker should begin by 2020.
Zukunft said he’d ideally like to have six icebreakers in the fleet, three heavy and three medium. He expects it will take around eight years to build, depending on the hull thickness and investment in technology they have to make.
