House subcommittee warns Coast Guard faces $7 billion shore-infrastructure backlog, program delays

The subcommittee chairman told a Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing that the U.S. Coast Guard faces a $7,000,000,000 shore-side infrastructure backlog and shortages of seaworthy and air assets needed to carry out its missions.

"The Coast Guard faces a $7,000,000,000 shore side infrastructure backlog with barracks, hangars, and docks that are literally crumbling, leaking, or both," the subcommittee chairman said, and described aging cutters and aviation assets that are being pushed beyond planned service lives.

The chairman said the service is in the middle of a multi-decade modernization plan that has delivered response cutters and national security cutters, but that several programs remain behind schedule or face quality problems. He told witnesses the polar security cutter program "continues to crawl forward," and raised concerns about the offshore patrol cutter program as the lead ship is expected to be delivered late. He said the offshore patrol cutter lead ship would arrive "four years late and with a host of non‑compliant parts." The chairman also said new problems with the national security cutter program could result in receiving "one ship less than what Congress has appropriated."

The chairman said aviation modernization had suffered setbacks, with legacy platforms being retired earlier than planned. He raised the coast guard's ability to keep aging aircraft and ships operational despite shrinking margins for spare parts and sustainment.

He criticized the Coast Guard's planning and contracting processes, saying failures in contracting, planning and review had worsened the service's position. "These plans are not optional. They are required by law, yet the Coast Guard fails to produce them, and this is unacceptable," he said, referring to congressional requirements for yearly capital investment plans and major acquisition reports meant to support oversight.

The chairman said he is committed to reviewing the Coast Guard's contracting and planning efforts and to working with the service to improve them. He also praised the president's stated plan to establish a shipbuilding office to strengthen domestic shipyards and support the shipbuilding industry.

The hearing opened with the chairman welcoming witnesses including Vice Admiral Tom Allen, Acting Deputy Commandant for Operations, U.S. Coast Guard; Heather McLeod, Director of Justice and Homeland Security Programs at the U.S. Government Accountability Office; and Shelby Oakley, Director of Contracting and National Security Acquisitions at the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The chairman invited those witnesses to respond to the committee's concerns about schedules, parts compliance and shore infrastructure.

No formal votes or motions were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. The remarks in the excerpt were opening statements and oversight questions directed to the Coast Guard and GAO witnesses.