GAO Report on Coast Guard Defense Missions

The following is the September 15, 2021 report, Government Accountability Office, Coast Guard: Information on Defense Readiness Mission Deployments, Expenses, and Funding.

From the report

One of six armed forces, the US Coast Guard is a multi-mission maritime military service within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is responsible for implementing 11 statutory missions. One mission, Defense Readiness, requires the Coast Guard to maintain the training and capabilities necessary to integrate with Department of Defense (DOD) forces.

The Coast Guard deploys ships, aircraft and personnel to support DOD’s geographic fighter commands. For example, the Southwest Asia Coast Guard Patrol Forces Command in Bahrain, the largest unit outside the United States, supports the US DOD Central Command with six cutters and the personnel to operate them. and nurturing them.4 The defense role of the Coast Guard has gained attention in recent times. years. Notably, in May 2021, one of its Bahrain-based cutters fired warning shots at Iranian Navy ships while escorting a Navy submarine through the Strait of Hormuz.

Section 8247 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 included a provision allowing GAO to review Coast Guard resource allocations for its defense readiness mission.5 In response to this provision, This report describes the deployment of ships and aircraft by the Coast Guard and the associated operating expenses for the defense readiness mission compared to those of its other statutory missions for fiscal years 2011 to 2020 – and how they relate to its funding for those years.

To determine Coast Guard deployments, we analyzed data on hours of operation of Coast Guard vessels and aircraft for each of its 11 statutory missions and force engagements to support DOD combat commands for fiscal years 2011 to 2020. We also analyzed documentation, such as annual Coast Guard operations. plans. To determine the Coast Guard’s operating expenses and funding, we analyzed the service’s mission cost model operating expense estimates for its 11 DOD statutory missions, credits and reimbursements for fiscal years 2011 to 2020. We determined that quality control activities and information were important to ensure data reliability. We interviewed the heads of the relevant agencies, reviewed the related documentation, and assessed the data for missing data and obvious errors. We determined that the ship and aircraft hours of operation data and mission cost model estimates were sufficiently reliable to analyze resource use over time.

We also interviewed officials from Coast Guard Headquarters and its Atlantic and Pacific Zone Commands for their views on defense readiness deployments, operating expenses and levels of funding, as well as the reasons for any trends over the period.9 We interviewed DOD officials to get their views on the Coast Guard. support for DOD.

We conducted this performance audit from January 2021 to September 2021 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. These standards require that we plan and perform the audit in such a way that we obtain sufficient and appropriate audit evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the audit evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

The Coast Guard Defense Readiness mission is to ensure that Coast Guard personnel, vessels and aircraft are capable and equipped to support DOD operations, particularly those identified in a Memorandum of Understanding of 2008 between DHS and DOD. As part of its defense readiness mission, the Coast Guard conducts operations and exercises, including securing Washington, DC airspace and protecting Navy forces.

The Coast Guard funds its defense operations through appropriations for operations and support (operations), appropriations for defense-related activities, and DOD reimbursements. Notably, the Coast Guard does not set its operating budget – the section of the Coast Guard budget that it uses to fund operations – by mission. Rather, it bases the budget on categories of costs, such as ships, aircraft and personnel. Officials explained that this is because they are key cost drivers and fulfill multiple statutory missions.

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