Coast Guard considers change

By Deirdre Fulton

WASHINGTON – Next month, the U, S. Coast Guard will move to the Department of Homeland Security, putting an amplified emphasis on port and homeland security. And that could create changes along Maine’s 3,500 miles of coastline.

The move will put a new focus on the Coast Guard’s homeland security role, which some experts worry will make it more difficult for it to fulfill its search and rescue, environmental protection and fishery management functions.

Adm. Thomas Collins, commandant of the Coast Guard, testified Wednesday at a hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Oceans and Fisheries, chaired by Republican Sen. Olympia J. Snowe. He assured the subcommittee that although the transition will require significant shifts in responsibilities, the traditional Coast Guard missions will remain intact.

“We are working very hard to make sure this transition goes smoothly,” Collins said, referring to the buildup of military and port security responsibilities that began on Sept. 11, 2001. “The Homeland Security Act of 2002 provides that the Coast Guard will remain a military, maritime and multi-mission service.”

Because of consistent budget support, the Coast Guard will be able to maintain full “operational excellence” in all its missions, Collins stressed.

“We must be able to balance the rigors of homeland security with the demands of other crucial missions,” he said. “We can, and we will.”

Missions such as search and rescue and fisheries enforcement – crucial in the state of Maine – will be able to endure because of a multi-mission force structure that allows complete sharing of technology and funds, he said, emphasizing the importance of these missions for American citizens.

Some of the tension between the new and traditional Coast Guard functions was dispelled last year when Maine Republican Sen. Susan M. Collins, along with Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens and Snowe, insisted that a provision be added to the Homeland Security Act ensuring the Coast Guard’s integrity as a separate entity. The provision, enthusiastically pursued by the Maine senators, guaranteed that while homeland security would require the Coast Guard to have a new focus, maintaining Coast Guard infrastructure would be a priority.

Collins, who chairs the Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees the Department of Homeland Security, has voiced her concerns about stretching the capabilities of the Coast Guard. She has stressed her commitment to maintaining full funds for the agency’s non-homeland securityfunctions.

“In Maine, the Coast Guard is called upon for nearly 300 search and rescue missions per year,” the senator said in a statement. “Whether people are on the water to earn a living or for recreation, it is imperative that there be someone out there in case of emergency, and the best people for that job are the men and women of the Coast Guard.”

Maj. John Fetterman, deputy chief of the Maine Marine Patrol, said in a phone interview Wednesday that he does not foresee any major changes in operation. He described the relationship between the state marine patrol unit and the Coast Guard as “closely aligned” and predicted that operational capabilities would depend on the nation’s overall alert status.

As for increased threats detracting from primary missions, Fetterman said, “I’ve seen it happen.” However, he said, if Coast Guard resources get overwhelmed, the marine patrol would willingly help to pick up the slack.

“Because of our close partnership, because of that cooperation that we have with them ongoing all the time, we can help backfill them,” he said. “We can help answer some of the search and rescue calls…. We can backfill for them and help pick up on some of the fisheries enforcement when they have to be on national security. We’re partners.”

JayEtta Hecker, director of the U.S. General Accounting Office’s physical infrastructure team, which has conducted a study of the Coast Guard’s transition, testified at the committee hearing and said such cooperation was a “critical success factor” for the transition.

“In the short term, there are numerous, complicated and significant challenges that need to be resolved, and they’ll take time and effort,” Hecker said, suggesting that approaches such as strategic planning, communication, partnership building and information management could help to ensure a successful reorganization.

Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.