Coast Guard funding takes off

It seems as if it was just yesterday that the U.S. Coast Guard was at the end of its rope. Underfunded and undermanned, it was the "sick man" of the military services. Lack of fuel to run its patrol boats, lack of spare parts for its aircraft and deteriorating housing conditions for its personnel made national headlines.

Today, in the aftermath of 9/11, the Coast Guard's FY 2005 budget is at $8.2 billion compared to $5.8 billion in FY 2002, up 51% since the terrorist attack.

By far, the largest portion of the Coast Guard budget is its operating expense (OE) account. These funds support the day-to-day operations, such as fuel and maintenance for ships and aircraft to support search and rescue, port security, aids to navigation, marine environmental protection and law enforcement missions. The Coast Guard OE budget has grown from $4.2 billion in FY 02 to $5.2 billion in FY 05.

More money for the Coast Guard's operating budget has translated into more people to implement the service's many missions. Over 8,500 personnel are in the process of being added. Surprisingly, nearly 70% of the Coast Guard's total operating budget is used to fund pay and allowances, travel, training, feeding and housing for over 48,000 military personnel and 6,000 civilian employees.

Recent funding increases have provided for more personnel to protect our borders and ports of entry such as the 11 new 72-man Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSSTs). More money has also been added to create sea marshals to ensure control over 21,000 vessels arriving and departing our major ports on a daily basis and to increase staff at the National Vessel Movement Center in Martinsburg, WV.

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Training costs were also substantially increased in the FY 05 budget. For example, $117 million, a 24% increase over last year, was added to fully train, support and sustain the reserves, including approximately 1,000 reservists serving on active duty and support the employment of Port Security Units (PSU) to protect essential commercial and military assets in ports and harbors nationwide.

Millions more have been spent just to meet the Coast Guard's added fuel expenses.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard's Acquisition Construction & Improvements (AC & I), or capital budget which is used to purchase ships and aircraft, etc. has grown from $718 million in FY 02 to $1.53 billion in FY 2005, an increase of more than 100%.

Most of these funds have been used for the Coast Guard's "Deepwater" modernization program. Launched in 1998, Deepwater consists of converting the Coast Guard's 110-foot Island Class patrol boats to a larger 123-foot Maritime Patrol Boat configuration and the construction of three classes of Maritime Security Cutters. A new fixed-wing Maritime Patrol Aircraft, a combination of new and upgraded helicopters and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) rounds out the modernization program.

"Morale is the highest that I've seen and our retention rate is at an all-time high of 88.3%," said the Coast Guard's Master Chief Petty Officer Frank Welch. "We have done extremely well in the post 9/11 congressional budgets because 9/11 gave us more visibility for our mission and that has translated into a better awareness of our value leading to increased funding, especially in pay and compensation," he said.

The picture is just as bright with the Coast Guard Reserves, whose number of personnel leaving the service was the lowest in seven years. "That number includes many reservists who have gone to the active component of the Coast Guard, either through enlistment, integration in the regular Coast Guard, or by signing long-term extended active duty contracts. Bottom line is some reservists like the Coast Guard so much, they opt to stay in full time," said LCDR Rob Hanley, Chief of Reserve Communications.

Satisfaction with Coast Guard life was evident during a recent visit by BoatU.S. to Coast Guard Station Sand Key, FL. During a tour of the facility and ride on the station's new 47-foot patrol boats, BoatU.S. Magazine had an opportunity to talk at length with St. Petersburg Group Commander, Capt. Daniel Neptun and Officer in Charge, Master Chief Boatswain Mate Charlton "Chuck" Winter. Both were quite happy with the Coast Guard's turnaround in recent years and optimistic about the future.

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