Subcommittee presses Coast Guard on Force Design 2028 and need for sustained funding
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Summary
Witnesses and lawmakers debated the Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028 vision, a one-time reconciliation infusion, and the need for predictable, ongoing appropriations to reverse a decades-long readiness decline.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation opened a hearing on the Coast Guard’s modernization agenda as members pressed Admiral Kevin Lundy, acting commandant, for details about implementing Force Design 2028 and the resources the service will need.
At issue was how short-term injections of cash would be matched by sustained annual funding. Chairman Sam Graves noted the House-passed reconciliation proposal—referred to in the hearing as “HR 1” and described by members as including roughly $21.2 billion for cutters, aircraft and shoreside assets—and asked how those dollars would reverse a readiness decline documented by the Government Accountability Office.
Why it matters: Admiral Lundy told the subcommittee that the Coast Guard faces a “downward readiness spiral” and that investments in reconciliation would “go a long way to stopping the downward spiral, but it will just be the beginning.” He said the FY2026 president’s budget increases key accounts but will need to be matched by ongoing growth in annual appropriations for procurement, construction, and improvements (PC&I) and operations and sustainment (O&S) to restore readiness.
Supporting details: Members referenced a GAO chart showing operational hours falling and maintenance costs rising as assets age. Lundy described crews “pulling apart critical supplies and parts” to keep cutters operational and warned the trend is “not sustainable.” He said the reconciliation package would allow the Coast Guard “to carry out its current program of record” but would not, by itself, fully fund the growth envisioned in Force Design 2028 unless the administration and Congress sustained higher top-line budgets.
Lawmakers pressed for accountability and deliverables. Chairman Graves and others asked for implementation plans and briefings on Force Design 2028 elements, including a proposed civilian Secretary of the Coast Guard. Lundy said the service is preparing a detailed implementation plan to brief the secretary and then the committee once it is approved.
What remained unresolved: Subcommittee members repeatedly urged clear, sustained funding profiles and more timely delivery of legally required reports. The chairman noted the Coast Guard “owes this committee more than 50 legally mandated reports,” some years overdue; Lundy committed to improved timeliness going forward.
Ending: The hearing made clear bipartisan interest in recapitalizing and reorganizing the Coast Guard, while members warned that one-time reconciliation funding must be paired with multi-year, predictable appropriations to reverse decades of underinvestment and stop the readiness slide.