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COAST GUARD Overview Of Coast Guard's Fiscal Year 1991 Request Table 1.—U.S. COAST GUARD FLEET Vessel Type Length Number (in feet) High Endurance Cutters 378 12 Medium Endurance Cutters 180-270 38 Surface Effect Ships 109 3 Buoy Tenders 65-180 79 Harbor Tugs 65 14 Icebreaker Tugs 140 9 Icebreakers 290-400 3 Patrol Boats 82-110 98 Training Cutter 295 1 Small Craft 16-63 2,000 TOTAL FLEET- 2,257 As tensions ease abroad, the U.S. Coast Guard's role in defense readi- ness increases in importance. In ad- dition, the service has a central role in several of the most crucial topics facing the U.S. today—marine safe- ty, oil spill prevention and drug smuggling. The following is an over- view of the Coast Guard's Fiscal Year 1991 Budget Request. Search & Rescue Operations Search and Rescue (SAR) is one of the Coast Guard's oldest mis- sions. Rescuing those in peril at sea has priority over all other Coast Guard peacetime missions. The Coast Guard keeps a nationwide system of boats, aircraft, cutters and rescue coordination centers on 24- hour alert, ready to respond to ves- sels in distress. The Coast Guard operates a mix of cutters, boats, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Table 1. shows the present fleet of vessels operated by the Coast Guard in U.S. coastal, harbor and inland waters. As a result of Coast Guard SAR efforts between 1984 and 1988, more than 29,000 lives and $4.8 billion in property were saved. The Coast Guard has requested $505.9 million for operating ex- penses for SAR, $70.9 million for acquisition, construction and im- provements (AC&I), and $5.9 mil- lion for research, development, test and evaluation. Items of particular interest listed by the Coast Guard to effectively conduct its SAR operations in FY 1991 are: motor lifeboat replace- ment acquisition, the 378-foot heavy endurance cutter (WHEC) FRAM (Fleet Rehabilitation and Maintenance), and 210-foot me- dium endurance cutter (WMEC) MMA (Midlife Maintenance Avail- ability). Environmental Protection Perhaps the hottest topic in the news, marine environmental protec- tion is one of the Coast Guard's top priorities. Marine environmental re- sponse and port safety and security are the two major missions of the Coast Guard's marine environmen- tal protection program. As part of marine environmental response, the Coast Guard must minimize damage caused by pollu- tants released in the coastal zone and reduce the threat of spills of oil or hazardous substances. Besides safeguarding shoreline property and facilities as part of port safety and security, the service must monitor oil transfer and haz- ardous cargo operations to prevent spills. The Coast Guard has requested a total of $222.3 million for opera- tions, acquisition, construction and improvements and research in this area. Among the topics under dis- cussion are the acquisition of Na- tional Strike Force equipment and research into pollution response. Law & Treaty Enforcement Between 1984-1988, the Coast Guard confiscated nearly 4,300 tons of marijuana, 42,800 pounds of co- caine, seized 854 drug smugglers' vessels and issued more than 2,500 citations for fisheries law viola- tions. The Coast Guard has requested $1.07 billion in operating, acquisi- tion and research funds for FY 1991. Among the main areas of interest are the patrol boat capability re- placement, the WHEC FRAM, WMEC MMA, and the develop- ment and evaluation of electro- optical sensor systems for USCG vessels. Ice Operations In the area of polar and domestic ice operations, the Coast Guard has requested $112 million in the FY91 budget. Polar icebreaker reliability improvement project, boat and cut- ter survey and design, C3 systems development and design (shipboard tactical information systems and lo- cal area network for cutters), the development of covert telecommu- nications and encryption systems and video sensor data transmission systems are among the major areas included in this program. Aids To Navigation The Coast Guard has requested a total of $546.4 million in the FY91 budget for the aids to navigation Table 2.—Overview of Coast Guard's Budget Authority Funding History program. Under AC&I, the service hopes to replace its current coastal and oceangoing buoy tender fleet. Marine Safety The Coast Guard's marine safety program consists of two major activ- ities: commercial vessel safety and recreational boating safety. The ser- vice has requested a total of $165.7 million to support such programs as marine fire research and develop- ment and fire safety engineering methodology in cutter design and modification. (Dollars in millions) 1984 Appropriation/Account Actual 1985 Actual 1986 Actual 1987 Actual 1988 Actual 1989 Actual 1990 Enacted 1991 Request +/(-) 90/91 Operating Expenses (1) $1,690.5 $1,753.6 $1,747.9 $1,907.3 $1,909.1 $2,122.4 $2,210.3 $2,391.4 $181.1 Acquisition, Construction and Improvements (2) 669.0 374.2 453.8 543.0 267.0 435.8 444.2 419.5 (24.7) Environmental Compliance/Ftestoration (3) - - - - - - - 7.0 7.0 Reserve Training 55.4 59.2 58.9 64.4 62.9 67.0 71.6 78.9 7.3 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation 22.5 23.0 17.8 20.0 19.0 18.8 20.5 23.0 2.5 Alteration of Bridges (4) 8.6 13.6 5.0 0.0 0.9 13.5 2.3 - (2.3) Boat Safety Account 12.5 28.6 33.1 32.6 22.5 29.0 29.9 30.0 0.1 Retired Pay 315.2 330.8 339.5 356.0 386.7 410.8 420.8 437.3 16.5 Pollution Funds 5.8 9.4 5.9 6.8 5.2 31.0 5.7 5.7 - Miscellaneous Funds 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 - TOTALS: Current Dollars $2,779.5 $2,592.4 $2,661.9 $2,930.1 $2,673.3 $3,128.3 $3,205.3 $3,392.9 $187.6 Constant 1991 Dollars $3,478.0 $3,147.7 $3,153.6 $3,386.6 $2,987.4 $3,357.9 $3,316.8 $3,392.9 $76.1 (1) Includes from DOD: $115.0 in 1986; $90.0 in 1987; $105.0 for 'services-in-kind" and $3.0 for 100 LEDETS in 1988; $140.0 for "services- in-kind,* $60.0 "cash* and $6.0 for 200 LEDETS in 1989; $140.0 for "services-in-kind" and $160.0 "cash" in 1990. Includes from Boat Safety: $15.0 in 1986 and 1987; $21.6 in 1988; $30.0 in 1989; $29.9 in 1990; and $30.0 in 1991. Includes $12.0 in new BA in 1988 from FY88 $60M Reprogramming Supplemental. Includes $16.0 in 1989 from Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. Includes $4.5 transfer from Acquisition, Construction & Improvements in 1989. (2) Includes from DOD: $300.0 in 1984; $235.0 in 1986; $245.0 in 1987; and $20.0 from Coastal Defense Augmentation Account in 1988. In 1989: includes $50.3 MilCon Appropriation for Shore Facilities and $100.0 from Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988; reflects transfers of $4.5 to Operating Expenses and $5.0 to Alteration of Bridges. (3) Prior to FY 1991, activities of this nature were included in the Acquisition, Construction & Improvements appropriation. (4) Includes $5.0 transferfrom Acquisition, Construction & Improvements in 1989; legislation is pending to transfer this program to the Corps of Engineers. If transfer legislation is not enacted, $6.4 will be required to fund this program in FY 1991. 36 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
