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House subcommittee lauds record Coast Guard seizures, questions readiness and spending plans
Summary
Witnesses and lawmakers highlighted record drug seizures and aggressive actions against 'dark fleet' tankers and IUU fishing, while GAO warned that maintenance, staffing and acquisition delays limit the Coast Guard’s ability to sustain those gains.
Lawmakers at a House subcommittee hearing on Coast Guard law enforcement praised record operational results but pressed witnesses on whether the service has the readiness to sustain them.
"The Coast Guard is our premier maritime guardian," Chairman McDowell said as he opened the hearing, before citing an offload of "over 49,000 pounds of illicit narcotics valued at more than $362,000,000" by Coast Guard Cutter Stone. Rear Admiral David Baratta, testifying for the service, credited those results to concentrated assets, tactical teams and international partnerships: "When we have the assets in place ... an asset like the national security cutter ... that has a law enforcement trained tactical team," he said.
The hearing focused on three law enforcement priorities: maritime drug interdiction, migration interdiction, and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Baratta…
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