JUST IN: Coast Guard Cutter Program Isn't Cutting It, Watchdog Says
6/20/2023
By Cambrie Eckert
The U.S. Coast Guard’s $12 billion program to acquire 25 new cutters is taking on risk by constructing ships before finalizing the design and some of the critical technologies on the new ship, according to a government watchdog report.
The Offshore Patrol Cutter, or OPC, program began stage 1 construction with an “unstable design,” according to a 2020 Government Accountability Office report. Despite this, the Coast Guard further continued its efforts with this program, simultaneously “progressing through the technology development, design and construction phases,” according to a June 20, 2023, GAO report, “Coast Guard Acquisitions: Offshore Patrol Cutter Program Needs to Mature Technology and Design.”
The GAO determined the Coast Guard does not have a plan in place to ensure the new cutters — which are to replace the service’s aging fleet of 28 medium endurance cutters — will have a fully developed crane, or davit, that can deploy and retrieve a cutter’s small boats before a ship is constructed. “Nor has the program integrated and demonstrated the davit in a realistic environment. Without a plan to mature the davit and demonstrate it before delivery, the Coast Guard risks further delays and costly rework,” the report stated.
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