Allen Makes State of the Coast Guard Address
CG ADDRESS
The New London Day
Renée Dudley
Boston University Washington News Service
13 February 2007
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13–Adm. Thad Allen, the Coast Guard Commandant, stressed the need Tuesday for overhauling the bureaucratic structure of the Coast Guard, but he did not offer a timeline for implementing the changes.
Giving his annual State of the Coast Guard address, Allen said that the Coast Guard has never been more “relevant and visible to the nation” but that the service as a whole faces its most daunting trials since World War II.
“We face significant challenges that are going to require us to think and act differently,” Allen said, noting the increased inter-agency cooperation in the post 9/11 world. “The world is changing and America’s Coast Guard is changing.”
He added: “This is a radically changed mission environment. The Coast Guard needs to evolve to keep pace.”
He said the Coast Guard needs to adapt its forces, command and control structure and mission support organization.
“We need a clear and coherent way to employ our forces to create a layered defense for the nation,” Allen said, proposing a blending of the current Atlantic and Pacific area commands into a single Coast Guard operations command. “It’s time to have one leader for mission support.”
“It’s time we have one commander in the field responsible for mission execution,” which, he explained, could improve global resource allocation.
In response to complaints of overwhelming bureaucracy that Allen said he heard during visits to Coast Guard stations throughout the country, the commandant proposed a more streamlined accounting system.
“We’ve been running some parts of the Coast Guard like a small business when we are a Fortune 500 company,” Allen said, adding that a single financial accounting system would help to better allocate resources and increase transparency. “It’s time to have one checkbook for the service.”
In response to recent criticism of lack of oversight in the design and construction of new ships under the Deepwater program, which is intended to replace the current Coast Guard fleet, Allen pledged increased cooperation and communication among the people responsible for overseeing the program..
“As the commandant, I am responsible for Deepwater, and we will get it right,” Allen said. In a press conference after the address, Allen said the Coast Guard was working to eliminate gaps in communication that have plagued Deepwater.
The Coast Guard will be able to award a new 43-month contract in June, Allen said, adding that the “general presumption” is that it will be re-awarded to Integrated Coast Guard Systems, a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
In the press conference, Allen said the Coast Guard Academy task force and review board is still under federal and external peer review. He said the results will be provided to the chiefs of staff in a couple of weeks.
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