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Polar Sea (WAGB 11) Future Requirements Of Coast Guard Vessels by Admiral James S. Gracey Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard "The problem is change and how to cope with it. I have learned that 90 percent of problem solving is realizing that you have a prob- lem," stated Adm. James S. Gra- cey, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, at the 1983 Society of Na- val Architects and Marine Engi- neers' Spring Meeting/STAR Sym- posium in Washington, D.C. The Steering Committee for the Spring Meeting had asked Admi- ral Gracey to speak on: (1) what are the major changes affecting the Coast Guard, (2) what will be the impact of these changes on marine engineering, and (3) what are the likely Coast Guard re- quirements for the U.S. marine in- dustries over the next 10 years. The speaker found these ques- tions to be most apropos for the Coast Guard, stating: "With the Coast Guard, you have certainly come to the right organization to talk about 'change' ... if there is any institution that understands the meaning of the word, it is the Coast Guard. Over the years, we have grown from a single-mission service, the revenue cutter service created back in 1790 to enforce the revenue against smugglers bent on avoiding taxes, into a multi- mission armed force of the United States with tasks ranging from search and rescue to military readiness to environmental protec- tion. We have expanded and con- tracted, fought in every armed conflict of this nation, changed de- partments and coped with a num- ber of considerably different polit- ical philosophies along the way." Referring to the economy and the federal budget, Admiral Gra- cey spoke of the effect of inflation, the cost of people (wages) and the procurement of equipment. While cutting personnel expenditures is a major problem, according to the Admiral, he feels that the Coast 6 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
