The U.S. Coast Guard's Deepwater Force Modernization Plan: Can It Be Accelerated? Will It Meet Changing Security Needs?

Abstract

In November 2002, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) commissioned the RAND Corporation to assess its Deepwater program, an effort the USCG is undertaking to slowly, but steadily, replace or modernize nearly 100 aging cutters and more than 200 aircraft over the next 20 years. Known more formally as the Integrated Deepwater System program, this endeavor aims to equip the USCG with state-of-the-art cutters, aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned air vehicles. All of its activities will be orchestrated through an integrated Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) system and an Integrated Logistics System (ILS). The program, the largest and most complex acquisition effort in USCG history, was originally designed to maintain the status quo at the USCG as it pursues its traditional missions as part of its roles of maritime security, maritime safety, protection of natural resources, maritime mobility, and national defense. RAND's research is intended to help USCG decisionmakers evaluate whether the Deepwater program which was conceived and put in motion before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and before the USCG's subsequent transfer into the newly created Department of Homeland Security remains valid for the new and evolving responsibilities and missions that the USCG has been asked to shoulder. The events of September 11 gave new urgency to accelerating asset acquisition (Biesecker, 2004). RAND was asked to evaluate whether the current Deepwater acquisition plan will provide the USCG with an adequate number and array of cutters, aircraft, and other assets to meet changing operational demands.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2004
Accession Number
ADA449283

Entities

People

  • Brien Alkire
  • Carl Stephens
  • Gordon Lee
  • John L. Birkler
  • John Schank
  • Raj Raman
  • Robert Button

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • C4I
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Boats
  • Coast Guard
  • Congress
  • Cost Estimates
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Environmental Protection
  • Helicopters
  • Homeland Defense
  • Homeland Security
  • Law
  • Marine Transportation
  • Maritime Security
  • National Security
  • Security
  • United States
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Defense Technology Research and Development.
  • Maritime Security/Maritime Homeland Security

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy
  • Autonomy - UAVs
  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control