GAO tells House subcommittee Coast Guard remains short of authorized positions; cutters and aircraft increasingly unavailable
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Summary
GAO Director Heather McLeod told lawmakers the Coast Guard faces staffing shortfalls, declining cutter and aircraft availability, and acquisition delays that together risk mission performance for specialized forces; GAO made multiple recommendations including a retention plan and improved acquisition management.
Heather McLeod, director on the Government Accountability Office's Homeland Security and Justice team, told the House Homeland Security Subcommittee that multiple, persistent problems constrain the Coast Guard’s ability to support deployable specialized forces.
"At the time of our review, the Coast Guard was short of its authorized positions," McLeod said, summarizing GAO’s finding that recruiting gains in 2024 had not fully closed workforce gaps identified in prior years. GAO found that specialized units can be underused while others are overtasked and said the service lacks a consistently right-sized mix of specialized forces to meet demand.
McLeod also testified that cutter and aircraft availability has declined while maintenance costs climb, citing GAO reviews that show key acquisition programs — the Offshore Patrol Cutter and the Polar Security Cutter — are years behind schedule and billions over initial cost estimates. "We've made dozens of recommendations on how Coast Guard can better manage acquisition programs," she said.
GAO recommended that the Coast Guard develop clear retention plans, address maintenance and depot challenges to improve asset availability, and strengthen acquisition oversight. Committee members asked for follow-up documentation, and the hearing record was held open for 10 days to allow written responses.
The Coast Guard’s Rear Admiral David Barrotta acknowledged the problems and pointed to Force Design 2028 and recent congressional resources as the path to remediate shortfalls. He said the service intends to use available funds promptly for maintenance, shore infrastructure and to acquire and operate new platforms.