The Coast Guard in 2023 saw recruiting setbacks that led to a service-wide pullback in responsibilities. The service also saw speed bumps in its Polar Security Cutter program and a victory in court over the Offshore Patrol Cutter program. The service also reckoned with the decades-long suppression of sexual assault complaints at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
Doing Less with Less
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan said the service was short 3,500 junior enlisted in October. The Coast Guard announced later that month that the service would scale back operations.
“The Coast Guard cannot maintain the same level of operations with our current shortfall – we cannot do the same with less. Conducting our missions is often inherently dangerous, and doing so without enough crew puts our members and the American public at increased risk,” reads a message from Fagan to the service.
As part of the initial announcement of the scaling back of the force, Fagan said there would be no cuts to search and rescue operations.
To save costs, the service layed up three medium-endurance cutters, seven 87-foot patrol boats and put five 65-foot harbor tugs on standby. In addition, two fast response cutters will be inducted into an overhaul period without their crew, according to the service.
The at-sea cuts will also come with additional cuts ashore. In her message, Fagan warned there could be more reductions.
“More mitigation efforts may be needed as we continue to evaluate Service readiness. This strategic approach to temporarily adjust operations will best position the Coast Guard for future operational capabilities,” reads the message.
“And the future is coming quickly.”
Argus Among Us
Eastern Shipbuilding in Panama City Beach, Fla., launched the first Offshore Patrol Cutter – the future USCGC Argus (WMSM-915) – on Oct. 27 amidst a legal dispute with the Coast Guard and shipbuilder Austal USA.
The Florida yard was awarded the four hulls of what the Coast Guard has called their most important acquisition program in 2016, but the work for future options was rebid after Hurricane Michael wreaked havoc on the yard.
Following the selection of Mobile, Ala.’s Austal USA shipyard in 2022, Eastern sued, but their protest was ultimately denied.
However, Eastern could potentially build more of the ships as part of a third phase of the 25 hull program.
“It’s very urgent we get those OPCs out there, and I would take any strategy that would get us [the] ships,” Rear Adm. Chad Jacoby, assistant commandant for acquisition, told Breaking Defense.
Polar Security Cutter Delayed
A Government Accountability Office report released in August estimated that the Polar Security Cutter design would not be completed until 2024 and the first hull won’t be delivered until 2028 – a delay of about three years.
The Coast Guard awarded the then-VT Halter Marine shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., the future USCGC Polar Sentinel (PSC-1) in 2020 but has seen delays in the production of the first hull. The yard was subsequently bought by Bollinger.
“Bollinger Shipyard representatives told [the GAO] that the biggest challenge they identified for the program since they took over the shipyard in November 2022 is advancing the engineering and design to a point where construction can begin,” reads the August GAO report. “They told us that they have embedded their own design experts with the design subcontractor to help work through issues and provide additional expertise.”
In the meantime, the Coast Guard has set aside $125 million to buy a commercial icebreaker to bridge the gap.
The Search for Titan
The Coast Guard was one of several international agencies who searched for days in June to find the missing submersible Titan built by OceanGate out of Seattle, Wash.
The carbon-fiber submersible dove to the wreck of RMS Titanic as part of a private expedition. The support vessel MV Polar Prince on the surface lost contact with Titan on June 18. After several days of searching, the Coast Guard confirmed that debris from Titan was found near the Titanic. The initial report indicated the submersible imploded under the intense pressure at 12,500 feet – killing the occupants instantly. The U.S. Navy’s underwater sonar network also picked up
The Coast Guard completed its recovery of the debris and remains from the site in October. In November, Coast Guard, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) and the French Marine Casualty Investigation Authority (BEAmer) met in Newport R.I., to hold the first review of the recovered evidence as part of an ongoing investigation into the submersible’s implosion.
Operation Fouled Anchor
CNN released an report in June on a previously undisclosed investigation into sexual assault from 1988 to 2006 at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy dubbed “Operation Fouled Anchor.”
The report concluded that for years the reports about the abuse had been suppressed and perpetrators unpunished.
Coast Guard leadership quickly issued a statement on the CNN report saying in 2014 Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) and confirmed the investigation.
“At the conclusion of CGIS’s investigation, the Coast Guard took action to hold accountable those known perpetrators who remained within its jurisdiction. In addition, we reached out to all known victims and offered them individual, in-person meetings to provide each of them with information on their specific cases and access to support services,” reads the statement from Coast Guard commandant Adm. Linda Fagan.
“The CGIS investigation was not widely disclosed at the time,” the statement continued. “We recognize transparency is critical to building trust not only of victims, but all cadets and personnel at the Academy and across the Coast Guard. Transparency helps drive accountability and the realization of the organization’s core values.”
The Coast Guard released an accountability and transparency report in December that examined sexual assault service-wide.
“Every Coast Guard member must adhere to our core values of honor, respect and devotion to duty at all times. There are no exceptions. In some places in our Coast Guard, there is currently a disconnect between the workplace experience we talk about, and the experiences our people are actually having,” wrote Fagan in her introduction.
“This disconnect between the core values we revere and the actual experience of each member of our workforce harms our people, erodes their trust in leaders, and undermines our readiness to execute our missions. We each must ensure EVERY Coast Guard workplace has a climate that deters harmful behaviors and gives everyone the positive Coast Guard experience they expect and deserve.”
