New GAO Testimony, Arctic Issues Facing the Coast Guard

GAO testified at a hearing on "Protecting U.S. Sovereignty: Coast Guard Operations in the Arctic" before the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.  The GAO testimony, Coast Guard: Observations on Arctic Requirements, Icebreakers, and Coordination with Stakeholders (GAO-12-254T), can be accessed at www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-12-254T, and the hearing webcast (and access to the other witness statements) can be accessed at transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingdetail.aspx?NewsID=1458.  Beyond GAO, other witnesses included  Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Robert Papp, Alaska Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell, National Science Foundation Deputy Director of Office of Polar Programs Kelly Falkner, Shipbuilders Council of America representative David Whitcomb,  and Retired Coast Guard Rear Admiral Jeffrey Garrett.

The testimony updates the GAO September 2010 report…  Coast Guard: Efforts to Identify Arctic Requirements are Ongoing, but More Communication about Agency Planning Efforts Would Be Beneficial (GAO-10-870), www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-10-870. The testimony particularly focuses on the status and options related to Coast Guard icebreaker requirements.  Icebreakers are one of the key U.S. Government assets for asserting U.S. sovereignty in the Arctic.

GAO found that the Coast Guard has taken several steps to identify its Arctic requirements.  Routine operations have gathered information on cold-weather capabilities and overcoming logistical challenges due to long distances, while the establishment of seasonal operating locations and biweekly overflights have helped identify performance requirements and test personnel and equipment capabilities in the Arctic.  Furthermore, in order to assess Arctic capability gaps and their impact on future missions, Coast Guard contractors completed a High Latitude Study.  This study evaluates six different Arctic force mixes in comparison to its current baseline activity, and looks at alternative numbers of cutters, icebreakers, and forward operating locations.  The study then estimated the cost of each force mix, and estimates each force mix's ability to reduce maritime risks.  The key conclusions and force mixes from the High Latitude Study are summarized in the GAO testimony in appendices II and III.  Because of budgetary concerns and the Coast Guard's other acquisition priorities, it may be a significant challenge to acquire the assets recommended in the High Latitude Study.

Regarding icebreakers, three recent reports - the High Latitude Study, the Icebreaker Recapitalization Report, and a Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report - have highlighted the increasing obsolescence of the U.S. icebreaker fleet and the resulting difficulty the Coast Guard faces in meeting its statutory requirements.  Along with prior GAO work, these reports also show that the budgetary challenges in acquiring new icebreakers make it unlikely that the Coast Guard will be able to fund these acquisitions through its own budget or through alternative financing options, leaving the Coast Guard with significant challenges to meet its current and future icebreaking requirements.

The testimony also included the 2010 GAO report's positive assessments of the Coast Guard's coordination with various stakeholders.  Additionally, over the past year, the Coast Guard has partnered with the Department of Defense through the Capabilities Assessment Working Group to identify joint capability gaps as well as opportunities and approaches to overcome them, including recommendations for near-term investments.