The U.S. Coast Guard cutter acquisition programs will undergo review next week at a hearing by the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA).
The recapitalization program would result in eight new National Security Cutters, 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters, and 58 Fast Response Cutters. These cutters would replace 90 cutters and patrol craft whose service is slated to expire. These older cutters require manual power, are increasingly faultier, and are costlier to maintain.
Since the 1990s, the Coast Guard has been recapitalizing its aging vessels and aircraft with a focus on safety -- replacing assets that carry out missions farther than 50 miles from shore -- and modernized technology systems to track coordinates.
Witnesses will include Rear Adm. Joseph Vojvodich, assistant commandant for acquisition and chief acquisition officer with the U.S. Coast Guard; Michele Mackin, director of acquisition and sourcing management for the U.S. Government Accountability Office; and Ronald O'Rourke, specialist in naval affairs for the Congressional Research Service.
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