[Senate Hearing 117-779]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




                                                        S. Hrg. 117-779

                         COAST GUARD OVERSIGHT

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               before the

  SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEANS, FISHERIES, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND MANUFACTURING

                                 of the

                         COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
                      SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                            OCTOBER 19, 2021

                               __________

    Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation




                 [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]





                Available online: http://www.govinfo.gov

                               ______
                                 

                 U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

54-183 PDF                WASHINGTON : 2023










       SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                   MARIA CANTWELL, Washington, Chair

AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota             ROGER WICKER, Mississippi, Ranking
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut      JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii                 ROY BLUNT, Missouri
EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts         TED CRUZ, Texas
GARY PETERS, Michigan                DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin             JERRY MORAN, Kansas
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois            DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
JON TESTER, Montana                  MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona              TODD YOUNG, Indiana
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada                  MIKE LEE, Utah
BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico            RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Colorado          SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West 
RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia                 Virginia
                                     RICK SCOTT, Florida
                                     CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming

                 Melissa Porter, Deputy Staff Director
       George Greenwell, Policy Coordinator and Security Manager
                 John Keast, Republican Staff Director
            Crystal Tully, Republican Deputy Staff Director
                      Steven Wall, General Counsel

                                 ------                                

          SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEANS, FISHERIES, CLIMATE CHANGE, 
                           AND MANUFACTURING

TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin, Chair      DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska, Ranking
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut      TED CRUZ, Texas
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii                 DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts         MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
GARY PETERS, Michigan                RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico            TODD YOUNG, Indiana








                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page
Hearing held on October 19, 2021.................................     1
Statement of Senator Baldwin.....................................     1
Statement of Senator Sullivan....................................     2
Statement of Senator Blumenthal..................................    19
Statement of Senator Wicker......................................    21
Statement of Senator Cantwell....................................    24
Statement of Senator Johnson.....................................    27
Statement of Senator Duckworth...................................    29
Statement of Senator Blackburn...................................    38

                               Witnesses

Admiral Karl L. Schultz, Commandant, United States Coast Guard...     4
    Prepared statement...........................................     6
Master Chief Jason M. Vanderhaden, Master Chief Petty Officer, 
  United States Coast Guard......................................    11
    Prepared statement...........................................    13

                                Appendix

Response to written questions submitted to Karl L. Schultz by:
    Hon. Maria Cantwell..........................................    41
    Hon. Tammy Baldwin...........................................    48
    Hon. Tammy Duckworth.........................................    49
    Hon. Ted Cruz................................................    52
    Hon. Dan Sullivan............................................    54
    Hon. Marsha Blackburn........................................    55
    Hon. Todd Young..............................................    57
Response to written questions submitted to Jason M. Vanderhaden 
  by:
    Hon. Dan Sullivan............................................    58








 
                         COAST GUARD OVERSIGHT

                              ----------                              


                       TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2021

                               U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change, 
                                 and Manufacturing,
        Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:35 p.m., in 
room SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Tammy 
Baldwin, Chair of the Subcommittee, presiding.
    Present: Senators Baldwin [presiding], Cantwell, 
Blumenthal, Duckworth, Sullivan, Wicker, Blackburn, and 
Johnson.

           OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. TAMMY BALDWIN, 
                  U.S. SENATOR FROM WISCONSIN

    Senator Baldwin. I call the Subcommittee to order. And I 
want to thank you for attending this afternoon's hearing on the 
Coast Guard. It is an honor to take the time to--in the Oceans 
and Great Lakes Subcommittee to hold this important hearing. 
This committee and the Senate are working on a number of 
important initiatives that impact the Coast Guard, including 
the Fiscal Year 2022 funding bills, historic investments in 
American jobs in the infrastructure bill, and protecting 
against the impacts of climate change through the build back 
better budget. Finally, work is already underway on drafting 
the next Coast Guard authorization bill.
    The Administration's budget request for the Coast Guard for 
Fiscal Year 2022 seeks to make significant investments to 
improve the readiness and capabilities for the Coast Guard and 
to improve the quality of life for Coast Guard members and 
their families. Of the $13.1 billion requested for the Coast 
Guard, $1.6 billion is included for procurement, construction, 
and improvement accounts. I will be interested to hear from you 
whether this funding level is sufficient to support one of the 
largest acquisition periods in Coast Guard history, which 
includes programs like the offshore patrol cutter and the polar 
security cutter.
    Unfortunately, this budget request does not adequately plan 
or budget for the impacts of climate change, particularly for 
construction of Coast Guard facilities that have long been 
underfunded and are in need of replacement due to the effects 
of climate change. This concern also extends to the fact that 
the budget does not include funding for an additional Great 
Lakes icebreaker. Increasing ice breaking capacity on the Great 
Lakes is critical to facilitating commerce and transportation 
in winter months, and icebreakers also play a critical role in 
preventing flooding, which has been exacerbated by extreme--
extremely high water levels, as well as irregular and large ice 
flows made worse by climate change.
    Additionally, I am concerned with the Coast Guard's recent 
approach on Buy America policies. I am discouraged by the 
direction the Coast Guard is taking on procuring critical 
components like engines and shipboard service. Diesel 
generators on programs like the Polar Security Cutter, and I 
will be interested to hear how the Coast Guard is considering 
the health of the American supplier, our industrial base, and 
the total lifecycle costs associated.
    This will continue to be a priority for me as Chair. 
Finally, while the U.S. Coast Guard has made commendable 
progress in areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion, women 
make up only 23 percent of the officer corps and only 15 
percent of the enlisted workforce. I will be interested to hear 
in your testimony and answers about the progress made on 
improving representation of women, as well as racial and ethnic 
diversity within the Coast Guard. As Chair, I will make it a 
priority to ensure that we are conducting oversight on all 
Coast Guard issues from acquisitions like the future Great 
Lakes icebreaker to personnel issues, including diversity and 
support for women and families. Accordingly, today's hearing 
will be a little different.
    We will hear testimony from both the Commandant and the 
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, Master Chief 
Vanderhaden. Admiral, thank you for being here today. You are 
no stranger to this committee. And Master Chief, welcome. I 
look forward to hearing from you about how Congress can invest 
in the Coast Guard's most important resource, its people. Thank 
you for--both for being here today. And with that, I will hand 
it over to a great advocate for the Coast Guard and great 
colleague, Ranking Member Sullivan.

                STATEMENT OF HON. DAN SULLIVAN, 
                    U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA

    Senator Sullivan. Well, I want to begin by thanking Chair 
Baldwin and congratulating you, my colleague, on the 
chairmanship, and I look forward to working with you again as 
we have as Chair and Ranking in past Congresses. So, thank you. 
I think we are off to a great start, and I want to thank our 
two distinguish witnesses today, the Commandant of the United 
States Coast Guard and the Master Chief Petty Officer of the 
U.S. Coast Guard.
    Gentlemen, welcome and thank you for your service and for 
the great men and women you are privileged to lead. You know, 
Congress has given the Coast Guard a wide range of missions 
from search and rescue, icebreaking, marine environmental 
protection, port security, drug interdiction, international 
crisis response, and readiness to support Department of Defense 
operations. Maritime security and safety issues of National 
Security are essential to our economic security and our 
National Security. Global stability is dependent on safe and 
unfettered access to the maritime domain.
    I have great appreciation for the work that you two 
gentlemen do and that the men and women of the Coast Guard do 
for this Nation and for my state. During my time as Chair of 
the Subcommittee in the 116th Congress, we held, I think it was 
seven hearings on the work the Coast Guard does day in and day 
out, so other members of the Senate and the American people 
could get a better sense of the great work that you and the 
members of the Coast Guard do for our country. Many of these 
hearings focused on the Coast Guard's efforts in Alaska.
    With more coastline than the rest of the country combined 
and a large portion of our ocean and fisheries, that discussion 
in the hearings often focused on the need to expand Coast Guard 
assets and resources in a region of growing global and 
international focus, and that is the Arctic. I am pleased to 
say Congress has made significant progress in this area.
    In just the last few years, we have authorized six polar 
security cutters, the two of which are now fully funded, and we 
are working to fully fund a third. We have invested over $513 
million for Coast Guard infrastructure in Alaska and continue 
to fund new classes of vessels, all of which will aid in the 
Coast Guard's mission, whether in the Great Lakes, in the 
Arctic, or projecting power across the globe where we need it 
most.
    The Arctic has quickly shifted, I have a couple of slides 
here, from an area isolated from the rest of the world to what 
is now clearly referred to as the region of the next great 
power competition with regard to Russia and China. Both 
countries are all in on the Arctic. Russia has over 50 
icebreakers, while China has--is building their fourth. They 
claim there are near Arctic nation, whatever the heck that 
means, because they are not that close to the Arctic.
    Russia, in addition to over 50 icebreakers, has opened 16 
deepwater ports, 14 airfields, built Arctic military bases, and 
even formed a new Arctic Northern Command all in the Arctic 
region. Vladimir Putin has called the Northern Sea Route the 
next ``Suez Canal'' in terms of its importance for shipping and 
has threatened to sink any foreign vessels that do not have a 
Russian pilot aboard or a Russian escort vessel. We have seen 
U.S. fishing vessels, legally fishing in our own EEZ, forced 
out of our own EEZ by armed Russian warships and aircraft.
    We have also recently observed three Chinese warships 
patrolling off our Alaskan coast. Without persistent U.S. 
presence in the Arctic, we risk leaving an opening for these 
type of aggressive actions to continue from these two countries 
in particular. This next graphic depicts the Arctic and shows 
the two prominent opening sea routes because of the receding 
sea ice, the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route.
    It is an expansive area that is remarkably difficult to 
operate in, incredibly remote, and while operating, is still 
often covered in very thick sea ice. The Coast Guard's Arctic 
strategy states, ``the Coast Guard must be able to provide 
physical presence at will to uphold sovereignty, carry out 
operational missions, promote freedom of navigation, and 
fulfill other national and international obligations. I could 
not agree more. It is foolish to think, however, that the U.S. 
is currently able to have the ability to operate in the Arctic, 
particularly when compared to Russia and even China. We don't. 
And that needs to change.
    That said, the Coast Guard is making progress at closing 
this gap, with the leadership represented here today, with 
consistent deployments to the Bering Sea, updates to shore 
facilities and capabilities in ensuring robust international 
partnerships in the region.
    I was happy to see the success of the HEALY's current 
transit through the Northwest Passage. These types of 
deployments demonstrate our ability to operate in the region 
and our commitment to ensuring a free and open Arctic region. 
These operations must not only continue, but I believe must 
increase.
    That is one of the reasons why I will soon be introducing 
legislation to increase the influence and capabilities of our 
United States Coast Guard in the Arctic through persistent 
presence in that critical region. Without further investment in 
our polar capabilities and without continuous U.S. presence in 
the Arctic, our adversaries' influence will grow. If their 
influence is allowed to continue unchecked.
    We risk the ability to protect our vessels, U.S. vessels, 
conducting commerce, conducting fisheries activities, enforcing 
international law, and therefore we need the Coast Guard more 
than ever.
    I want to thank our witnesses again for participating in 
this hearing today and thank the Chair for her leadership on 
calling this important hearing. Thank you.
    Senator Baldwin. Well, thank you, Ranking Member Sullivan. 
We will now turn to our witnesses for their opening testimony. 
We will start with Admiral Schultz, and then I will call upon 
Master Chief Vanderhaden. We will include your full testimony 
in the Committee's record, so please try to keep your remarks 
to 5 minutes in length.

STATEMENT OF ADMIRAL KARL L. SCHULTZ, COMMANDANT, UNITED STATES 
                          COAST GUARD

    Admiral Schultz. Well, Madam Chair, Ranking Member 
Sullivan, and it is an honor for the Master Chief and I to 
appear before you today, and before two great supporters and 
advocates for the men and women of the United States Coast 
Guard in the missions we do across the globe and across the 
Nation.
    United States Coast Guard remains keenly focused on the 
three strategic priorities or lines of effort mapped out in our 
2018 to 2022 strategic plan. And those are first, maximizing 
readiness today and tomorrow, addressing the Nation's complex 
maritime challenges, and delivering mission excellence anytime, 
anywhere. Let me start by thanking the Committee for your 
enduring support of the U.S. Coast Guard and our efforts to 
tackle these strategic priorities.
    The Fiscal Year 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act helped 
sustain critical momentum to address service readiness, 
specifically noting attention to Coast Guard surface and 
aviation fleet recapitalization, the injection of much needed 
funding to improve our aging shore infrastructure and 
information technology, and essential investments in our Coast 
Guard workforce.
    Building off this momentum, the Fiscal Year 2022 
President's budget request reflects the same readiness 
priorities as we look to provide our workforce with the capable 
assets, the resilient infrastructure, and modern systems they 
need to conduct operations and meet both current and future 
mission demands.
    To close the Coast Guard readiness gap, we need sustained 
operations and support budget growth of about 3 to 5 percent on 
an annual basis. With your support, we continue to build the 
Nation's first new heavy polar icebreakers in nearly half a 
century.
    Completing the Polar Security Program of record will 
provide the global reach in the ice breaking capability 
necessary to ensure sustained operations in the polar or the 
high latitude regions. The polar security cutters will enable 
the United States to project sovereignty, protect natural 
marine resources, counter malign actors, and respond to new 
mission demands caused by receding ice. Continued progress on 
the offshore patrol cutter program is vital, as these cutters 
will replace our legacy fleet of 210 and 270 medium endurance 
cutters, which have served with distinction but so for many 
decades.
    Yet, they are becoming increasingly expensive to maintain 
and require extraordinary efforts by our personnel. Despite 
these Herculean maintenance efforts, this fleet of medium 
endurance cutters has lost roughly 11 percent of its 
operational capacity over the past 2 years, and that is a 
degradation of the front line mission performance. I am 
increasingly concerned about our ability to sustain operations 
with our legacy rotary wing, MH-65 and MH-60 helicopters, as 65 
Dolphin parts are increasingly hard to locate. And so the Coast 
Guard must immediately transition toward an all MH-60 Jayhawk 
fleet.
    To meet today's standards for both energy efficiency and 
resilience, we must update our shore facilities. The Fiscal 
Year 2021 appropriation provided substantial support here, and 
the 2022 budget request makes continued investments in this 
important infrastructure. The Coast Guard must also keep pace 
with the industry's technological advances, particularly those 
confronting the marine transportation system, a key economic 
engine for our Nation that generates $5.6 trillion of annual 
economic activity and supports more than 30 million jobs. We 
must ensure the MTS's safety, security, and its reliability.
    Today, our service remains at an inflection point with 
respect to service readiness. Modern assets, facilities, and 
technology will help close our readiness gap, enable our 
workforce of 54,000 active, reserve, and civilian members to 
focus their efforts on operations in the solving of complex 
problems to deliver mission performance.
    On top of the day to day operations across our large 
mission portfolio, the Coast Guard is increasingly called upon 
to respond to significant incidents, accidents, contingency 
events, and new mission demands created by climate change that 
have major impacts on our Nation.
    Between the year 2015 and 2020, the Coast Guard search 
personnel and assets responded to 12 major hurricanes as 
Category 3 or larger and numerous other tropical storms 
impacting the homeland. Wildfires in Oregon and California, 
flooding in the heartland, emergency at the Southwest border, 
and support to operation allies welcome, not to mention support 
to the Bahamas in 2019 for Hurricane Dorian, and this past 
summer's earthquake on the South Claw of Haiti.
    Our complex operating environment and challenging missions 
makes it critical that we harness the full power of the 
background, experience, and imagination of every member of our 
Coast Guard workforce. Myself and senior leaders across the 
organization remain fully committed to fostering an environment 
that provides an inclusive and rewarding journey for all Coast 
Guardsmen, in our quest to be a service increasingly reflective 
of the American public we are honored to serve.
    We must position ourselves to be an employer choice in a 
highly competitive marketplace for talent. I could not be 
prouder of your Coast Guard men and women executing their 
multi-mission responsibilities both at home and abroad, 
particularly against the backdrop of the ongoing global 
pandemic. They stood the watch with both peak professionalism 
and unmatched resilience, and with your continued support, we 
will remain Semper Paradis, always ready. Thank you very much, 
and I look forward to your questions.
    [The prepared statement of Admiral Schultz follows:]

      Prepared Statement of Admiral Karl L. Schultz, Commandant, 
                            U.S. Coast Guard
Introduction
    Chair Baldwin, Ranking Member Sullivan, and distinguished members 
of the subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to testify today and 
thank you for your enduring support of the United States Coast Guard. 
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act sustains 
critical momentum for Coast Guard surface and aviation fleet 
recapitalization, injects much needed funding to improve our aging 
shore and information technology infrastructure, and makes essential 
investments in our workforce. Today, I look forward to addressing how 
the Administration's FY 2022 budget request provides a favorable 
trackline for the Coast Guard our Nation needs.
    Amidst the unique challenges presented by the global pandemic these 
past 16 months, your Coast Guard continued to answer the call and 
deliver mission excellence. Coast Guard forces responded to new threats 
in the cyber domain, interdicted 130 foreign vessels engaged in illegal 
fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, conducted 16,000 search 
and rescue cases, and responded to the most active Atlantic Basin 
hurricane season on record with 30 named storms, 12 making landfall in 
the contiguous United States, six at hurricane strength.
    This year, for the first time in nearly 40 years, the Coast Guard's 
sole heavy icebreaker--the 44-year-old POLAR STAR--deployed to the 
Arctic in the winter, overcoming treacherous environmental conditions 
and engineering casualties to advance America's sovereign interests and 
conduct vital scientific research. Coast Guard cutters on patrol in the 
Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Basin interdicted 158 metric tons 
of illegal narcotics worth $5.6 billion, reducing Transnational 
Criminal Organizations' illicit profits, as well as helping to 
attenuate the ``push factors'' that trigger migration and fuel violence 
and instability across Central America. National Security Cutters 
(NSCs) STONE, BERTHOLF and KIMBALL, and Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) 
OLIVER BERRY and JOSEPH GERCZAK worked with strategic partners in 
Oceania and Latin America to combat the threat of Illegal, Unreported, 
and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. IUU fishing creates ecological damage to 
the marine environment, jeopardizes food access and sustainable 
fisheries, threatens the economies of fragile coastal states, and 
undermines the global maritime rules-based international order. This 
spring, two of the Service's newest FRCs, CHARLES MOULTHROPE and ROBERT 
GOLDMAN, made a trans-Atlantic voyage to their new homeport in Manama, 
Bahrain. En route, the FRCs conducted strategic engagements in Rota, 
Spain; Tunis, Tunisia; and the Port of Piraeus, Greece, bolstering 
regional cooperation.
    These vessels replace two of the Service's six legacy 110-foot 
patrol boats stationed at Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, 
where they provide support to U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet operations in the 
Arabian Gulf. The Coast Guard also served at the forefront of 
strategically important multi-lateral venues, such as the operationally 
focused Arctic Coast Guard Forum and the highly effective North Pacific 
Coast Guard Forum, promoting dialogue across shared areas of common 
interest with the seven other Arctic nations, as well as North Pacific 
fisheries partners--Canada, Japan, Russia, China, and South Korea.
    Maritime security is national security, and across the globe the 
Coast Guard is in high demand as an instrument of international 
diplomacy. Oftentimes viewed as the U.S. maritime service with the most 
relatable mission profile to many nations' maritime forces, the U.S. 
Coast Guard is often replicated and considered to be a tremendous 
partner to our like-minded friends and allies.
    I am extraordinarily proud of our workforce and remain humbled to 
serve as their Service Chief. I would contend that it is a 
transformational time for our Service as we become a true 21st century 
Coast Guard--one that stands ready to operate in an increasingly 
complex, inter-connected, and technologically sophisticated maritime 
domain. This transformation hinges on sustained momentum to restore 
readiness and continued strategic investments in the Coast Guard the 
Nation is calling for. With the support of both Congress and the 
Administration, we will continue to recruit, train, and retain a new 
generation of Americans who better reflect the demographics of the 
public we serve; we will recapitalize our surface and aviation assets; 
we will revitalize our aging shore infrastructure; and we will invest 
in modern technologies. The FY 2022 President's Budget request is a 
direct reflection of those priorities.
Restore Readiness
    Support the Mission Ready Total Workforce: At the core of our 
mission success resides extraordinary people--the world's most capable 
and talented Coast Guard comprised of over 56,000 Active Duty, Reserve, 
and Civilian personnel, supported by 25,000 Auxiliary volunteers. The 
Coast Guard entrusts and empowers its personnel at every level to lead 
with a bias for action--taking on-scene initiative and delivering 
solutions to complex problems. While extremely valuable in executing 
the Service's missions, these traits may also serve to veil the true 
impacts of the Coast Guard's readiness challenges. As Coast Guard men 
and women take it upon themselves to accomplish the mission, the 
thousands of added hours required to overcome asset, technology, and 
infrastructure readiness issues drive workforce fatigue, and can often 
come at the expense of training and critical skills retention.
    Going forward, I remain committed to providing our dedicated and 
talented workforce with the tools, resources, and policies that will 
enable them to professionally thrive and personally grow. Our FY 2022 
budget requests $170 million for pay and benefits; and $44 million to 
address workforce gaps, to modernize the Service's antiquated training 
system, to enhance recruiting and retention initiatives, to expand 
diversity and inclusion efforts, and to continue the transition to 
electronic health records. This funding is vital to continue the 
progress we are making due in no small part to your support in the FY 
2021 appropriation. This year we have continued the critically 
important transition to electronic health records, bolstered our 
childcare subsidy program, accelerated the modernization of our 
training system, invested in critical course development, hired 
additional recruiters, increased resources to support workforce mental 
health needs, and made substantial investments in family housing 
projects in Kodiak, Alaska and Staten Island, New York.
    As the Coast Guard brings new assets online, it becomes 
increasingly critical that we remain focused on our personnel. The FY 
2022 budget allows the Coast Guard to continue to pursue policies and 
practices that enable the Service to recruit and retain a highly 
talented workforce increasingly representative of the American public 
we serve. I remain committed to creating an environment that attracts 
the best of our Nation's diverse talent and experience, and provides an 
inclusive and rewarding journey that positions the Coast Guard as an 
employer of choice in a highly competitive marketplace for talent. The 
budget we will discuss today highlights that commitment.
    Modernize and Sustain Operational Capability: The Coast Guard is in 
the midst of the largest recapitalization effort in our history. Until 
the work to recapitalize is fully completed, service members must 
continue to conduct missions with legacy assets, many of which are over 
50 years old, like our Reliance Class 210-foot medium endurance cutters 
and our construction and inland waterways tenders. The Service must 
also sustain our legacy fleet until new assets come online. This 
recapitalization and sustainment balance is not only applicable to our 
surface and aviation assets, but also for our shoreside and waterfront 
infrastructure, where every mission begins. With the support of 
Congress, we have seen significant increases to our shore 
recapitalization funding in recent years; however, our ten-year average 
recapitalization rate is at only 0.4 percent. A healthy organization 
recapitalizes its infrastructure at a rate of 2 to 4 percent. Our 
current pace equates to full replacement of the Coast Guard's shore 
plant every 267 years.
Surface Assets
    With the strong support of the Administration and Congress, we 
continue efforts to acquire the Nation's first new heavy polar 
icebreakers in almost half a century. The $555 million provided in the 
FY 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act funds construction of the 
second Polar Security Cutter. The FY 2022 request of $170 million will 
sustain the program and procure initial long lead time materials for 
the third. When fully operational, these Polar Security Cutters will 
provide the global reach and icebreaking capability necessary to ensure 
sustained operations in the Polar or High Latitude Regions, access 
which is critical to projecting U.S. sovereignty and protecting our 
national interests, countering malign actors, and responding to new 
mission demands created by climate change.
    The FY 2021 Coast Guard appropriation included $546 million for the 
Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC), one of the Service's highest acquisition 
priorities. Continued progress on the OPC program is absolutely vital 
to recapitalizing the capability provided by our legacy fleet of 210-
foot and 270-foot Medium Endurance Cutters (MECs). The FY 2022 request 
provides $597 million for construction of the fourth OPC and long lead 
time materials for the fifth. The OPC program is for 25 hulls. The 
legacy assets the OPCs will replace have been workhorses for over 50 
years and have served the Nation with distinction, but the MEC fleet is 
becoming more difficult and expensive to maintain, and we continue to 
see increasing degradation in its operational availability. Despite the 
extraordinary efforts of our men and women, over the last two years 
alone, our MEC fleet has lost nearly 500 annual patrol days due to 
unplanned maintenance and repairs, the equivalent of 11 percent of our 
MEC fleet capacity. To address this critical loss of operational 
capacity, the FY 2022 President's Budget requests $60 million for 
additional shore-side support personnel and funding to improve vessel 
readiness across the Coast Guard's surface fleet due to deferred 
maintenance, reduced dry docks and dockside availabilities, and rising 
costs for parts and services.
    We are also making progress on the recapitalization of our fleet of 
inland tenders--some of which have been in service since the 1940s, 
shouldering the herculean responsibility of maintaining both fixed and 
floating aids to navigation on the U.S. Marine Transportation System 
(MTS)--the 25,000 miles of rivers and navigable channels that support 
$5.4 trillion in annual commerce and 31 million jobs. The MTS is the 
lifeblood of the U.S. economy, supporting 26 percent of our Nation's 
Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The FY 2022 request for $67 million would 
allow the Coast Guard to award a detail design and construction 
contract, with delivery of the first Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) 
anticipated in FY 2024, maintaining momentum from the $25 million 
provided in the FY 2021 appropriation. These cutters--which will 
replace our legacy inland tender fleet--will feature modern designs for 
propulsion and crew habitability, as well as enable gender equity in 
this segment of our cutter forces community for the first time in 
history.
Aviation Assets
    Like my concerns with our aging surface assets, I have become 
increasingly concerned about our ability to sustain operations with our 
legacy rotary wing fleet. Our current fleet includes 98 MH-65 Dolphin 
and 48 MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters. Both helicopters are undergoing 
essential Service Life Extension Programs (SLEP) to push current 
capabilities into the mid-2030s. However, the rapidly declining 
availability of MH-65 parts is revealing that SLEP alone will no longer 
ensure MH-65 readiness that far into the future. Even if a healthy 
supply chain existed, the MH-65 fleet will exceed its service life well 
before 2040 and the expected arrival of Future Vertical Lift 
capability. Conversely, DoD operates more than 4,000 H-60s and is 
poised to continue H-60 operations until Future Vertical Lift 
technology is fully deployed. Combined with the rapid growth in use of 
the H-60 variant in the civil aviation sector, the domestic H-60 supply 
chain will remain viable well past 2040. Hence, while completion of the 
MH-65 and MH-60 SLEP remains an imperative to meeting current mission 
demand, the Coast Guard must immediately begin transitioning towards a 
single airframe rotary wing fleet comprised of MH-60 helicopters. The 
FY 2021 appropriation contained $29 million to enable the Service to 
convert Air Station Borinquen, Puerto Rico, a critical first step 
towards that transition.
    The FY 2022 request proposes $83 million to expand the Coast 
Guard's fleet of MH-60T helicopters with the conversion of low hour 
former Navy air frames at our Aviation Logistics Center. The request 
also supports the transition of Air Station New Orleans, Louisiana from 
MH-65 to MH-60 helicopters using aircraft currently in the Coast 
Guard's inventory. Lastly, to address broader aviation readiness 
concerns and improve the operational availability of both our fixed and 
rotary wing aircraft, the FY 2022 request includes $97 million to help 
arrest the growth of aviation maintenance backlogs, rebuild critical 
parts inventories, and enable avionics upgrades that ensure asset 
airworthiness.
Shore Infrastructure
    I am also particularly mindful of the condition of our aging shore 
infrastructure and the adverse effects it has on readiness across all 
mission areas. We greatly appreciate the $363 million provided by 
Congress in FY 2021 to support critical shore facility investments in 
Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North 
Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and 
Washington. While these investments enhance the resilience of our 
infrastructure portfolio, we still have more work to do as our 
facilities face new threats from natural hazards and the impacts of 
climate change. Sustaining this momentum going forward is essential to 
providing our Coast Guard men and women with the modern facilities 
necessary to support 21st century Coast Guard operations.
    The Coast Guard has been slowly recapitalizing our shore 
infrastructure, updating and where possible replacing legacy military 
housing and support facilities, and modernizing waterfront facilities 
to accept new assets. Despite these efforts, the Service has a $2 
billion infrastructure recapitalization backlog. Additionally, we have 
accrued nearly $1 billion in deferred, depot-level maintenance projects 
on our shore facilities. The FY 2022 budget supports the Coast Guard's 
efforts to address the $1 billion deferred shore facility depot 
maintenance backlog with targeted investments to improve the condition 
and energy efficiency of shore facilities, and expedite the divestiture 
of excess real property.
    Improve Information Technology Reliability: We are now a year into 
our ``Technology Revolution''--a ``Whole of Service'' effort to ensure 
that our dedicated workforce is supported by a reliable, mobile, and 
integrated information system. With your support in the 2020 
Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Coast 
Guard was able to make over $85 million in investments towards crucial 
modernization efforts, from hardware and network upgrades that 
facilitated remote work and telehealth capabilities, to modern data 
analytics tools whose versatility helped Coast Guard leaders mitigate 
the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic with accurate and 
up-to-date personnel protective equipment and vaccine tracking and 
distribution information. Furthermore, with the more than $100 million 
provided in the FY 2021 appropriation towards our ``Technology 
Revolution,'' we continue investments in software modernization and 
network defense, replacement of obsolete hardware, enhanced 
connectivity aboard our cutters, and we will begin the transition to an 
enterprise big data platform to better inform future operations and 
enhance our already stellar mission effectiveness.
    To stay ready, the Coast Guard must keep pace with the 
technological advances occurring across the maritime sphere, from the 
cyber domain to renewable energy, and increased space operations, in 
order to ensure a safe and secure Marine Transportation System. The FY 
2022 budget request continues to make critical investments in the Coast 
Guard's network, hardware, and software--including $17 million to 
increase cyber hardening and improve the reliability and integrity of 
Coast Guard information technology networks; $54 million to address 
infrastructure shortfalls and communications equipment obsolescence, as 
well as build resilient network delivery architecture that ensures no 
single point of failure; and $22 million to transition to modern 
software and provide mobile tools that improve the efficiency and 
effectiveness of operators in the field. To have a truly 21st Century 
Coast Guard, we must build off the momentum of previous Congressional 
support and accelerate our efforts.
Conclusion
    The Coast Guard is America's maritime first responder and must be 
prepared for natural and manmade disasters, while also conducting an 
array of steady state missions that enhance economic prosperity, 
safeguard our environment, and advance the security of our homeland and 
broader national security interests. New assets alone are insufficient 
to sustain a mission-ready Coast Guard. A ready Coast Guard requires 
operational platforms, reliable infrastructure, and above all else, a 
well-trained and diverse workforce properly equipped with state-of-the-
market technology to enable mission performance.
    With the continued support of the Administration and Congress, your 
Coast Guard will live up to our motto--Semper Paratus--Always Ready. 
Thank you for your enduring support of the men and women of the Coast 
Guard.
                                 ______
                                 
                       FY 2022 BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
BUDGET PRIORITIES:
    Restore Readiness_The Coast Guard must maintain momentum to 
        restore Service readiness. More than ever, the Nation needs a 
        ready Coast Guard with the tools and support systems necessary 
        to operate in the increasingly complex, interconnected, and 
        technologically advanced maritime domain.

    Recapitalize Legacy Assets and Infrastructure_The Coast 
        Guard is in the midst of the largest recapitalization effort in 
        its history--an effort critical to building the Coast Guard the 
        Nation needs. However, until recapitalization is fully 
        completed, service members must continue to conduct missions 
        with legacy assets, some of which are over 50 years old.

    The FY 2022 Budget requests $9.02 billion for Operations and 
Support (O&S) and $1.64 billion for Procurement, Construction and 
Improvements (PC&I). Budget highlights include:
RESTORE READINESS (O&S):
Support the Mission Ready Total Workforce
    $127 million for requisite military pay and allowances per 
        National Defense Authorization Act requirements, maintaining 
        parity with the military branches within the Department of 
        Defense, and $43 million for civilian pay and benefits (O&S).

    $44 million for workforce readiness, including recruiting, 
        retention, diversity and inclusion, training, and healthcare 
        (O&S).
Modernize and Sustain Operational Capability
    $194 million to address Coast Guard depot maintenance 
        backlogs, including: $97 million for fixed and rotary-wing 
        aircraft maintenance and critical parts; $60 million for vessel 
        deferred maintenance and shore-side support personnel; and $37 
        million for shore infrastructure depot maintenance backlogs and 
        divestiture of excess real property.

    $93 million for new assets including: operations and 
        maintenance (O&M) funds for Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) #47-51 
        and OPC #1; crews for FRCs #49-54, OPC #2, and NSC #10; 
        shoreside personnel and support for FRCs #48-53 and OPC #1; 
        support for NSC capabilities, including tactical cryptology and 
        small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS); crew and O&M for three 
        HC-130Js; O&M for a new C-37 Long Range Command and Control 
        Aircraft; and funds to operate and maintain new and improved 
        facilities at Air Station Ventura, California; the first OPC 
        homeport in San Pedro, California; a new aircraft simulator 
        building at Aviation Training Center Mobile, Alabama; and 
        family housing in Perry, Maine.

    $23 million to transition Air Station New Orleans, 
        Louisiana from MH-65 to MH-60 helicopters and crew and O&M of 
        MH-60T hull #49 to continue the Coast Guard's efforts to 
        transition to a single-frame helicopter fleet.
Improve C5I Reliability and Performance
    $54 million to address critical shortfalls in the Coast 
        Guard's IT hardware and infrastructure.

    $22 million to transition to modern software and provide 
        mobile solutions for the workforce.

    $17 million for improved cyber hardening to ensure 
        resilience, reliability, and integrity of Coast Guard IT 
        networks.
RECAPITALIZE LEGACY ASSETS AND INFRASTRUCTURE (PC&I):
    $1 billion for vessels, including: $597 million for the 
        construction of OPC #4, as well as long lead time materials for 
        OPC #5; $170 million for PSC including project management for 
        the construction of PSCs #1-2 and initial long lead time 
        materials for PSC #3; $78 million for post-delivery activities 
        for National Security Cutters (NSCs) #10-11; and $67 million 
        for the Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) initial detail design 
        and construction contract award.

    $280 million for shore infrastructure improvements to 
        support new acquisitions and the execution of Coast Guard 
        operations including: PSC homeport in Seattle, Washington; 
        recruit barracks at Training Center Cape May, New Jersey; 
        continued buildout of the consolidated operational base in 
        Charleston, South Carolina; and other infrastructure repairs 
        and upgrades.

    $222 million to recapitalize and sustain fixed and rotary-
        wing aircraft including: sustainment of the current MH-60T 
        helicopter fleet and initial funding for fleet expansion; 
        modernization and sustainment of MH-65 helicopters to extend 
        service lift into the 2030s; and continued missionization of 
        HC-27J medium-range surveillance aircraft.

    Senator Baldwin. And now, Master Chief Vanderhaden.

 STATEMENT OF MASTER CHIEF JASON M. VANDERHADEN, MASTER CHIEF 
            PETTY OFFICER, UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

    Chief Vanderhaden. Thank you, Chair Baldwin, Ranking Member 
Sullivan, Ranking Member Wicker. Thank you. Just 
coincidentally, my last two trips were to Alaska and to 
Wisconsin, so I feel like I--it is good to sit in front of 
you--yes.
    [Laughter.]
    Chief Vanderhaden. I want to join Admiral Schultz and 
extending my utmost gratitude on behalf of the men and women of 
the Coast Guard for your enduring support of our efforts to 
restore service readiness. We are an armed force of the United 
States and the Nation's lead maritime enforcement agency, and 
we are a maritime safety and regulatory agency.
    The men and women that I represent today truly make up the 
finest Coast Guard in the world. Our dedicated Coast Guard 
members are on the front lines every day, carrying out 
operations globally and protecting our Homeland's maritime 
domain from constantly evolving threats. Your support ensures 
they can focus each day on those difficult missions with the 
full knowledge that their housing, health, and family are well 
taken care of.
    I am extremely proud of the entire Coast Guard workforce 
and their ability to persevere through the COVID-19 pandemic 
and the myriad of challenges we face as a Nation. As I travel 
around the country and speak with the troops, our morale is 
high. Our dedicated workforce understands the importance of 
their service to their Nation and the challenges we must 
overcome. The current challenge I am most concerned about is 
our ability to recruit and retain the workforce needed to 
operate our cutters and boats and aircraft.
    As we replace our aging assets, the new cutters, 
helicopters, and planes being built require us to grow our 
workforce now so that we are prepared to operate and maintain 
these technologically advanced resources when they arrive. 
Although today we enjoy the highest retention rate of all the 
military services, we will need to retain the future workforce 
at an even higher rate to meet the increasing demand both 
domestically and abroad.
    Coast Guard leadership is taking a proactive approach to 
implement--to improving our retention by analyzing, evaluating, 
and mitigating the causes that may lead members to leave our 
service early. We have contracted with outside agencies for 
several studies to provide the Coast Guard with recommendations 
to remove retention barriers and to provide a better quality of 
life for all our members. Based on these recommendations, we 
implemented several workforce initiatives, including adjusting 
assignment policies to facilitate the co-location of dual 
military families and modernizing the body composition program 
to adopt a compliance method similar to what the Air Force and 
the Navy are using.
    We also updated our parental leave policy to allow for 120 
days of leave for a primary--any primary caregiver and created 
a program where Coast Guard reservists can be called active 
duty to backfill members when they go on prenatal, maternity, 
convalescent, and primary caregiver leave. These updates 
definitely enhance the quality of life for our members while 
maintaining our high standards of readiness.
    Policy changes are just one avenue to improve retention, 
but policy change alone is not enough to retain our best and 
brightest. We developed an action plan to reinforce the 
importance of inclusive leadership at all levels, especially 
leadership by example, and we started at the top the top of our 
enlisted workforce to demonstrate our commitment to good 
leadership.
    We completely changed our advancement process to Master 
Chief Petty Officer, and this new process includes a panel that 
conducts a thorough review of our members' records, with an 
emphasis on selecting proven leaders who exemplify our core 
values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty. We have also 
stepped up our leadership game by expanding the availability of 
mentoring. Our Office of Leadership recently launched a new 
mobile enabled mentoring program to connect mentors of mentees 
through traditional one on one mentoring on a global basis. 
This industry proven app-based mentoring program provides 
flexibility to people searching for a mentor.
    This technology enables mentors from across the service to 
connect with--mentees from across the service to connect with 
mentors of their choosing and gain valuable advice and insight 
to better manage their careers. I recently spoke to the Chief 
Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Chief JoAnne Bass, and the 
Air Force is evaluating the use of the same mentoring program.
    Not often the Air Force copies the Coast Guard, but I think 
we hit a home run with this one. As we build the Coast Guard 
workforce of the future, we recognize the importance--the 
important imperative to be an employer of choice that reflects 
the public we serve.
    This summer, the Rand Corporation finalized a study to 
identify barriers and recruitment retention of underrepresented 
racial, ethnic, and general minorities in the active duty 
workforce.
    We are already implementing initiatives to ensure members 
from underrepresented minority groups can thrive and our senior 
enlisted leaders are excited to roll out these vital 
improvements.
    Your Coast Guard is hard at work to attract a talented and 
diverse workforce, and I appreciate this committee's commitment 
to create a Coast Guard ready to protect and defend America's 
maritime domain. Thank you for inviting me to testify today, 
and I look forward to answering your questions.
    [The prepared statement of Chief Vanderhaden follows:]

Prepared Statement of Jason M. Vanderhaden, Master Chief Petty Officer, 
                            U.S. Coast Guard
Introduction
    Chair Baldwin, Ranking Member Sullivan, and distinguished members 
of the subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to testify today and 
echo the Commandant's appreciation for your enduring support of the 
United States Coast Guard. This is likely my final appearance before 
you due to my impending retirement from the Coast Guard after 34 years 
of service, and I would like to personally thank each of you for your 
efforts on behalf of our workforce. Throughout my career I have been 
fortunate to serve alongside some of the most capable and dedicated men 
and women in the U.S. Government, and I am thankful for the privilege 
to discuss their needs with you today.
    The Coast Guard is America's oldest continuous seagoing service. We 
are one of the six Armed Forces, and the only one located within the 
Department of Homeland Security. We are responsible for the safety and 
security of the Nation's maritime domain. The Coast Guard's day-to-day 
operations include saving lives of those in peril at sea, enforcing 
maritime law, protecting the environment, and defending the Nation at 
home and abroad alongside the other Armed Forces. In the last 19 
months, however, we have added the complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic 
to these demanding missions.
    I am extremely proud of our workforce and humbled to serve as their 
Senior Enlisted Leader through these especially trying times. Over the 
first nine months of this year, the Coast Guard responded to more than 
12,500 search and rescue cases resulting in 3,755 lives saved; removed 
111,000 kegs of cocaine, 40,000 lbs of marijuana, and detained 430 
suspected smugglers during at sea drug interdictions; interdicted 2,600 
migrants at sea; and responded to 8,500 pollution incident reports, 
mitigating the impacts of 85,000 gallons of oil and 14,000 gallons of 
hazardous substances discharged within the coastal zone. All of those 
missions were executed in demanding, oftentimes harrowing conditions. 
As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, ``a smooth sea never made a skilled 
sailor.'' Your ``Always Ready'' Coast Guard lives this each day. Across 
the heartland, in the ports, on the seas, throughout cyberspace, and 
around the globe, we are the world's premier maritime Service, 
positioned to protect and ready to rescue.
Restoring Readiness
    We are committed to ensuring that our workforce is prepared now and 
in the future. Our people deserve operational assets that are equipped 
to meet twenty-first century standards and requirements. However, 
updated assets alone cannot overcome the readiness challenges we face. 
In my 34 years of service, I have been astounded by the wealth of 
character present at every level of our organization. Powerful traits 
like devotion to duty, bias for action, and on-scene initiative are 
cultivated at each level of the chain of command. These traits serve 
our ``always ready'' mentality and are integral to our international 
reputation as the world's greatest Coast Guard. But when resources are 
lean, the same bias for action and devotion to duty can place the 
strain of mission execution on the backs of our people. Countless times 
I have witnessed our dedicated workforce sacrifice their well-being, 
health, and home-life to ensure mission success.
    That is why we must furnish our talented workforce with the tools, 
resources, and policies that enable them to carry out their diverse and 
dangerous missions. The President's FY 2022 budget requests increases 
of $170 million for pay and benefits as well as $44 million to address 
workforce gaps that will modernize the Service's antiquated training 
system, enhance recruiting and retention initiatives, expand diversity 
and inclusion efforts, and continue the transition to electronic health 
records. The FY 2021 appropriation enabled us to begin these updates, 
and the FY 2022 budget builds upon that support to address workforce 
mental health needs, hire additional recruiters, strengthen our 
childcare subsidy program, and invest in distance learning course 
development while accelerating the modernization of our training 
system.
Recruiting a Diverse Workforce
    As with the other Armed Services, the COVID-19 pandemic hampered 
our efforts to meet recruiting goals. By the end of FY 2021, the 
enlisted active duty workforce will be approximately 900 personnel 
below target strength compared to our Personnel Allowance List. Our FY 
2021 Enlisted Training and Accession Plan called for an Active Duty 
Enlisted accession of 4,000. Demonstrating remarkable resolve and 
resourcefulness, Coast Guard recruiting command was able to add 3,200 
new recruits in FY 2021, but reducing the gap of nearly 800 new 
recruits is a top Service priority to resolve in FY 2022. To that end, 
we have made great investments in recruiting, amounting to $10 million 
over the last two years, and launched a mobile recruiting app, tailor-
made to engage the next generation of Coast Guard leaders. The FY 2022 
President's budget includes $2.7 million to license, host, and support 
this app.
    We are making a sustained effort meet our overall recruiting 
targets but are also focused on increasing the percentage of female and 
underrepresented minorities (URM) entering the Service to meet our 
diversity and inclusion goals. Over 17 percent of our active duty 
accessions were women and 35 percent of our active duty accessions were 
from diverse communities in FY 2021. We are making progress, but this 
mission is not complete.
    Last year, we convened a study with the RAND Corporation to 
identify barriers in recruitment and retention of underrepresented 
racial, ethnic, and gender minorities in the active-duty Coast Guard. I 
am happy to report that the URM study was delivered in August, and we 
have started to implement policy changes based on its findings and 
recommendations. In an effort to recruit diverse future leaders, we 
have assigned new recruiters in Washington, D.C., Hampton Roads, 
Atlanta, Miami, and New Orleans.
    We look forward to implementing these and many more initiatives to 
ensure members from URM groups can thrive in the United States Coast 
Guard.
Retaining our Diverse Workforce
    In order to remain a premier maritime Service and an employer of 
choice, we must be the world's most inclusive and increasingly diverse 
Coast Guard. A Coast Guard where every member can contribute the full 
power of their diverse backgrounds, experiences, and thoughts. Anything 
less, and we will fail to garner the talent, innovation, creativity, 
and performance necessary to meet the challenges of an increasingly 
complex and technically sophisticated maritime operating environment.
    The previously mentioned URM study also indicated access to mentors 
is important. In response, our Office of Leadership launched a new 
``mobile enabled'' mentoring program to better connect mentors with 
mentees through traditional ``one-on-one'' mentoring. The ``app based'' 
mentoring program allows flexibility to foster inclusion and connection 
within and across our many Coast Guard communities.
    Another essential element of our approach to achieve the highest 
levels of recruitment, retention, and mentorship, is our robust 
partnership with affinity groups. These diverse groups provide support 
for individuals entering the service through Coast Guard recruitment 
programs. Overall, affinity groups enrich the personal and professional 
development of all Coast Guard employees by fostering an inclusive 
community that values the rich diversity of the United States. We 
recently updated our affinity group policy, and I am impressed at how 
these groups are providing real solutions that increase recruiting and 
retention of a more diverse Coast Guard.
Housing
    Housing remains a major issue for our military members and their 
families, and the historically challenging economy we face today places 
extra stress on our workforce. We are grateful for your continued 
support of annual basic allowance for housing (BAH) review. Adequate 
BAH permits our members and their loved ones to obtain housing on the 
local economy, which in turn reduces the need for Coast Guard owned and 
leased housing. We also appreciate the flexibility granted by the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 that allows the Service to 
reinvest funds deposited in the Coast Guard's Housing Fund from the 
sale of excess property back into military family and unaccompanied 
personnel housing. With the funds deposited in FY 2021 we have 
identified 14 projects throughout the Nation that will have a positive 
impact on over 200 Coast Guard families and single active duty members.
    The state of Coast Guard-owned housing continues to be of 
particular concern to me. While the vast majority of Coast Guard 
personnel reside in private sector housing, there are locations where 
the private sector inventory is insufficient and necessitates that the 
Coast Guard provide housing for its members. Currently, the Coast Guard 
owns approximately 3,200 family housing units and 1,523 rooms for 
permanent party unaccompanied/single personnel at 94 facilities 
throughout the United States. The average age of Coast Guard housing 
exceeds 50 years, and we have been challenged to keep up with 
maintenance and recapitalization needs. Importantly, the FY 2022 
President's budget contains $7 million to address a critical housing 
project in Houghton, MI, for our members at Coast Guard Station 
Portage.
    The safety and habitability of Coast Guard housing facilities 
depend on an agile approach to timely maintenance and repair, 
especially for smaller and more remote housing sites. Certified, 
deployable housing maintenance teams enable the Coast Guard to improve 
living conditions for service members and their families by addressing 
critical maintenance and repair concerns. The FY 2022 President's 
budget includes $1.1 million to support these teams in Districts 1 (New 
England Region), 13 (Pacific Northwest), and 17 (Alaska).
Healthcare
    Available healthcare, and more importantly access to available 
healthcare, is one of the most important issues affecting Coast Guard 
families today. Military healthcare is the cornerstone of our quality 
of life benefit system and is critical to our people. The U.S. Coast 
Guard is unique among the armed services in that our mission set often 
dictates that a very high percentage of our workforce is geographically 
spread out, sometimes at very small commands in especially remote 
locations in the country. Approximately 50 percent of our members and 
their families are located more than an hour from the nearest 
Department of Defense (DoD) military treatment facility, and are 
reliant upon Tricare Prime Remote.
    In these unique and demanding times, access to and availability of 
healthcare is a challenge for many. The mental health of our workforce 
is a particular concern to me. The appropriations you provided in FY 
2021 expanded access to mental health resources, including licensed 
social workers and nurse case managers dedicated to the management of 
behavioral health cases.
    Additionally, we were able to make investments in our new 
telehealth program, which allowed high quality healthcare to continue 
to be delivered to our workforce despite the unprecedented challenges 
of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year we deployed a new, web-based 
telehealth solution called Coast Guard Care Anywhere (CGCA) across 42 
clinics and 160 sickbays, including those members enrolled in Tricare 
Prime Remote. Accessible by Internet browser on personal computing 
devices or Coast Guard-issued iPad, this app enables a Coast Guard 
Health professional to care for those members and families in remote 
locations.
Child Care
    Available, affordable, and accessible childcare is another serious 
quality of life issue for Coast Guard personnel. As previously noted, 
due to the locations in which we serve, our people are very often 
located in remote, high-cost areas. High child care costs impact our 
workforce throughout all geographical areas, but particularly those 
without access to DoD or Coast Guard Child Development Centers. This 
makes it difficult, if not impossible, to maintain parity with the 
other armed services with respect to providing our people with quality 
and affordable child care options.
    We thank the committee for their advocacy in the Senate's 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The $120 million included in 
the bill to build Child Development Centers would be a profound and 
sustainable benefit to Coast Guard members and their families.
Conclusion
    Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you and for all that 
you do for the men and women of the Coast Guard. I am honored to have 
had the privilege to serve with and represent our workforce during the 
last four years and am grateful for your support and understanding of 
the importance of our mission and the people who execute it. I am very 
proud of the accomplishments of our service members.
    The Coast Guard succeeds through the courage, sacrifice, and 
devotion of our people. We ask and expect much of our Coast Guard men 
and women. By asking more of them, we are also asking more from their 
families. We must continue to evolve our work life programs and 
initiatives as the needs of our families change, and your enduring 
support has been vital to our continual evolution.
    I look forward to answering any questions that you may have.

    Senator Baldwin. Thank you. I want to start this round of 
questions by talking about the Great Lakes ice breaker. Climate 
change does not mean the end of cold winters in the Great 
Lakes. In fact, three of the worst Great Lakes ice seasons of 
the past several decades have occurred during the last 7 years. 
By one estimate, these three winters cost our region's 
economic--economy approximately $2 billion, with 10,000 jobs 
lost due to reductions in maritime commerce and the resulting 
impacts on manufacturers in the region.
    Climate change is also contributing to more extreme weather 
events, larger quantities of precipitation, and higher lake 
levels. During the winter, this results in greater risk of 
flooding because ice collects in rivers to form ice dams. Our 
communities rely on Coast Guard icebreakers to break up these 
ice dams and prevent flooding in our communities.
    From transportation to saving lives and property from 
flooding, we need more icebreakers. And that is why I am 
fighting for a new Great Lakes icebreaker to be funded in our 
current budget reconciliation bill. Admiral Schultz, yes or no, 
do you support funding for a new Great Lakes icebreaker in the 
reconciliation package?
    Admiral Schultz. Madam Chair, funding in the reconciliation 
package--absolutely, in support of that.
    Senator Baldwin. Great. I appreciate your support, Admiral. 
During the time--during the Lake Michigan ice jam caused 
flooding last winter, the Coast Guard's only Great Lakes heavy 
icebreaker was not available, and smaller ice breaking cutters 
struggled to break through that ice jam. While the Coast Guard 
eventually accomplished their mission with the current assets, 
if a second heavy icebreaker had been available last winter, 
the Coast Guard could have provided more flood relief more 
quickly. Would you agree?
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, I don't have all the specifics 
around that. I would say clearly more capacity and a bigger 
breaker versus a small breaker that sort of common sense. I 
would say, you know, depending on what is going on at the time, 
we could find one breaker, you know, in one part of the Great 
Lakes--having sailed up, there is quite a great distances. But 
I think additional capacity, additional heavy capacity, 
capability is probably a positive there that could have lend to 
better outcomes there, yes.
    Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Admiral. Now I wanted to turn 
to the importance of Buy America policies. Initial procurement 
costs for major programs like shipbuilding are only a part of 
the total life cycle cost. In fact, probably less than one-
third of the cost, which--with sustainment being a significant 
portion of the overall cost.
    Over the last 18 months, we have also seen complications 
arising from the disruptions in supply chains when foreign 
sources are involved. With nearly all of the Coast Guard's 
assets undergoing transition to new platforms, this is really 
an opportunity to assess how the Coast Guard is making 
acquisition decisions with total lifecycle costs and the health 
of the domestic industrial base in mind. Some past decisions on 
sourcing critical components have resulted in or are likely to 
result in more money being spent to support unproven components 
than what might have been saved in initial acquisition.
    I am concerned that recent decisions on components for the 
polar security cutter are heading down the same path. Would you 
be willing to commit to working with me and the Ranking Member 
and the Committee to ensure that your acquisition plans take 
into consideration the entire lifecycle costs and recognize the 
value and importance of our domestic industrial base?
    Admiral Schultz. Madam Chair, let me start sort of in the 
reverse order of the question. So that your last point, we 
absolutely recognize and support, you know, the United States 
industrial base, specifically with respect to the polar 
security cutter. You know, we will certainly explore the 
ability support, you know, the engining, the major components 
through the full lifecycle cost. We do believe the plan we have 
with the Cat, MaK engines, you know, that have already been 
purchased through long lead time material, and we have 
assurances that we will have sufficient engines through the 
building of the three polar security cutters. A 30 year plan to 
support those engines, given the complexity in the build and 
how that ship is built around those engines, it would be a very 
difficult stage if we are talking about revisiting that 
decision.
    If we are talking about, you know, other places and other 
fleets, possibly medium breakers, the Great Lakes icebreaker, I 
think very much that conversation--I think it is a difficult 
conversation on a ship that we, you know, through a 
consolidated contract award, we have actually slipped the 
delivery date to the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2025.
    But that is, you know, some part injected by the fact we 
haven't built an icebreaker in a half century, the COVID 
complications, a lot of international collaboration that really 
didn't lend itself to Zoom type calls or face to face. We are 
trying to do a very ambitious program of building a heavy 
icebreaker, again undone so in 50 years, on a compressed 
timeline. I think that engine decision will be very one to--
very difficult to reopen at this point without tremendously 
long delays.
    And I believe there is a support system for the full 
lifecycle cost that platform. That will be that Cat's a very 
much established distributor, but on a broader case, to your 
question, yes. To that specific one, I think that is a little 
bit of more challenging conversation to open up at this point.
    Senator Baldwin. Alright. Ranking Member Sullivan.
    Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Madam Chair. Admiral, I want 
to talk, begin the discussion, talking about IUU fishing. And 
as you know, that is not simply illegal fishing. It is a 
resource problem, a security problem. And it is often 
intertwined even with human rights violations.
    And I know that the Coast Guard has been working hard on 
this issue, but it is a challenge, and we are seeing 
increasingly that it is a challenge particularly as it relates 
to the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese fleets that are 
literally scouring the world and often trying to hide their IUU 
involvement.
    Can you just give me an update on what the Coast Guard has 
been doing, and are there things that we can do, we the 
Congress, to bolster the Coast Guard's ability to counter IUU 
fishing to better expose those responsible? There is a lot of 
bipartisan interest in this issue. The reason I just mentioned. 
And we are going to be working on legislation, but we certainly 
want the Coast Guard's input.
    Admiral Schultz. Ranking Member Sullivan, thanks for the 
question, and you are absolutely correct. IUU, illegal, 
unregulated and unreported fishing, is a global challenge. You 
know, and I was up in Newport with the world's Coast Guard, the 
Navy, in 2018. That was sort of the epiphany for me as services 
and many of the world's navies looked more like the Coast 
Guard. I was bombarded with questions about, how do we work 
together on this? Less about common----
    Senator Sullivan. And other countries need our help, 
smaller countries.
    Admiral Schultz. Yes, sir. Not about CT, not about counter-
narcotics. They want to talk about fish. And I was back there 
this fall with the CNO on more of that again. So there is 
ecological, you know, damages that some near--you know, coastal 
states, their resources are harvested, and those benefits do 
not make it back to the coastal nations, those benefits make it 
out to a trans----
    Senator Sullivan. Hurts the ability for sustainable 
fisheries----
    Admiral Schultz. Yes, sir, sustainable fisheries. It is a 
food sustainment issue. When you look at the rise and projected 
growth on the African continent, population wise, 40 percent of 
the protein derives from the ocean there. This is a global 
problem, sir. What we have done in 2019--excuse me, in 2020 in 
September we issued what we call a 10-year strategic outlook. 
And this is not positioning the Coast Guard to be the world's 
fish cops because we don't have the capacity for that. We are 
trying to take a lead role to stitch together like-minded 
thinkers, like minded nations.
    We need to partner with NGO, we need to partner with 
academia. There is a lot of capabilities out there. We need to 
figure out how we share information and how we illuminate that. 
We have, if you look in the East and West coast of the African 
continent, East and West coast of South America, you know, we 
saw the 350 China flag and, or China characteristic maybe South 
American flag, but probably in opaque processes, we sent a 
National Security cutter down there, in the course of three or 
fourth days identified at least a couple of dozen vessels where 
their, you know, AIS, their automated information system didn't 
correlate with their activities or position.
    We see the same challenges off the African continent. So I 
think what we can do is elevate that. I think what the Congress 
can do is articulate the importance of this. It has been 
mentioned in the NDAA before. I think it is about 
collaborating. I think when I go back to just the projected 
operations support budget for the Coast Guard, that steady 
growth for the Coast Guard allows us to attenuate this on a 
global scale.
    It is a big fight we are taking off, but I think, sir, we 
are a recognized leader. We bring a voice of credibility to 
that. And what we want to do is take a Nation like China, and 
we say responsible flag states don't send their vessels 9,000 
miles away and have no coast--China coast because they are sort 
of making sure they follow the rules.
    Senator Sullivan. And try to hide what they are doing.
    Admiral Schultz. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
    Senator Sullivan. Well, look, we look forward to working 
with you on this. I think there is a lot of bipartisan support 
for this kind of action in the Senate. And we will be reaching 
out to you and your team on help, on next steps in terms of 
legislation. I mentioned in my opening statement the issue of 
monitoring foreign military exercises.
    As you know that massive Russian exercise in the American 
Alaskan EEZ in 2019 was quite disturbing. And it, you know, I 
mentioned some of what happened. What, have you done, what has 
the Coast Guard done in terms of lessons learned from that? And 
do you think there were some things in which the Coast Guard 
was a little bit late to the game in terms of informing our 
fishing fleet? What are the kind of lessons learned, and what 
is the Coast Guard's plan to protect U.S. fishing fleet if 
similar events were to occur in the future?
    Admiral Schultz. Yes, sir, Ranking Member Sullivan. So, I 
would say yes, there are things we learned. You know the 
Russians, as a nation, have the right to exercise international 
waters as they are doing----
    Senator Sullivan. But they don't have the right to shoot 
off----
    Admiral Schultz. No, sir, they did issue----
    Senator Sullivan.--Alaskan fishing vessel----
    Admiral Schultz.--issued what is called the hydroland, 
which is what they are supposed to do. We realized between the 
fishing community and that product for, you know, advance 
notice of what you are doing, there are some communications 
breakdown.
    So, we are working in that middle space, you know, that--I 
think at that point, an uneducated crowd up there that is just 
legitimately fishing has a right to expect to continue to fish 
and do so. It was a function of people not having situations--
--
    Senator Sullivan. You are not kind of besmirched in the 
fleet, you are saying they just didn't know?
    Admiral Schultz. I am saying because they didn't know, I 
think they got caught up in the situation where, hey, they felt 
like they are being muscled out of there and they were. And had 
the system worked and they have been educated, hopefully they 
might have chosen to not fish in that hot area and we could 
have alleviated all that. But that said, we need to recognize 
the rights of the Alaskan fishers. And if the Russians are 
operating and exercising in places where they didn't do the 
correct notifications, there is obviously a rub that we need to 
be cognizant of. I think some of that is a presence 
conversation.
    You know, are we up there actively? It is how do we work 
that middle space to ensure a hydroland actually gets in the 
hands of an Alaska fisherman operating on the Bering Sea, and 
that is the place where we have some opportunities for 
improvement, sir. So, we want to try to avoid that tension 
point.
    And again, I am not here substantiating what Russia is or 
isn't doing. I am saying they did not do anything that is 
internationally in violation because they filed the right 
notification. It was a breakdown in process, and we have tried 
to sort of walk that back and address that going forward. 
Hopefully, it doesn't repeat itself.
    Senator Sullivan. Good. Thank you.
    Admiral Schultz. Yes, sir.
    Senator Baldwin. Senator Blumenthal.

             STATEMENT OF HON. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, 
                 U.S. SENATOR FROM CONNECTICUT

    Senator Blumenthal. Thanks and welcome to both of our 
witnesses today. Thank you for your service to our nation, your 
extraordinary commitment to the Coast Guard. Commandant 
Schultz, I just want to make sure that I know the answer to 
this question, I think I do. The Coast Guard Museum is a 
continuing priority and will work with us in seeking additional 
funds, correct?
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, I am absolutely committed to the 
establish of a National Coast Guard Museum in New London. We 
are working with the National Coast Guard Museum Association, 
yourself and your Senate counterpart, Senator Murphy and the 
rest of the Connecticut delegation. Yes, sir.
    Senator Blumenthal. Thank you. I have been disturbed by 
reports that I have seen just recently about merchant marine 
cadets who have been victims of sexual assault while at sea. 
And I realize the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is separate from 
the Coast Guard, but the Coast Guard is responsible for 
investigating these incidents.
    And I wonder if you could tell us whether you have seen an 
increase in the numbers of reports, whether you are disturbed--
I would guess you are disturbed by any report of sexual assault 
at sea. But has this problem been increasing in number of 
incidents reported?
    Admiral Schultz. So Senator Blumenthal, I am absolutely--it 
is abhorrent behavior, to think about someone, whether it is a 
member of our naval services or someone that is a merchant 
mariner, would be assaulted, sexually assaulted at sea. So, I 
take great offense with it. We have had less than 10 cases--
over the last 10 years, less than 10 cases, less than one case 
here--it is actually been five cases. So, it is not a lot of 
cases that are making it to the Coast Guard.
    We have investigated each of those five. We referred them 
to the U.S. Attorney's Office for further action. We had one 
case where we went after an organization, a shipping company 
that didn't timely notify. But I suspect there is probably a 
gap there between actual behaviors occurring at sea and in the 
manner of reporting.
    So I think there's some opportunities to work 
collaboratively with MARAD and Department of Transportation and 
shipping companies to make sure these, you know, terrible 
actions are being reported and then being actioned. But we 
stand postured to action with our Coast Guard investigative 
services.
    What is difficult is, you see, these sea ships are at sea, 
rotational crews sometimes 300 days a year. So, things about 
gathering everyone when we have a case, you know, getting to 
the ship, preservation of evidence, there is a lot of 
complexity. But that said, I think there is an area where we 
all need to do better.
    Senator Blumenthal. And probably also in preventing them in 
the first place.
    Admiral Schultz. I think clearly prevention is the most 
important part of this. And then when we have to respond, we 
have to be aggressive and accountable, hold people accountable.
    Senator Blumenthal. Thank you. I understand that you are 
committed to implementing the goals and objectives of the 
recent Rand report--there was a report in August released by 
the Rand Corporation. It found a need for more diversity, 
equity, and inclusion. I wonder if you could update us as to 
the progress on recommendations focusing on outreach and 
recruiting career development, advancement promotion, those 
goals within the Coast Guard?
    Admiral Schultz. Thanks, Senator. We are absolutely 
committed. The underrepresented study by Rand was the second. 
We did a holistic women's study previous years and that has 
helped us, and we have closed retention gaps. We are stepping 
out with equal vigor. We have sustained--my first year in 
office, we created the Personal Readiness Taskforce so studies 
weren't just shelved, where they were actually things that we 
would action. We have maintained that into the fourth year of 
this tenure to action, the URM study in specifics.
    We have a cross-functional team that has broken this down 
into chunks, and we are going to go down every specific 
recommendation and try to drive them over the goal line. We 
have invested, sir, from about $600,000 in DNI initiatives back 
around 2017 to more than $12 million right now. And we are 
serious about this. It kind of reflects back to both the 
Master's and my statement about being a Nation that is served 
by a Coast Guard that is more representative of the Americans 
we serve.
    There is no military service that interacts more with the 
public than the United States Coast Guard. So we got to get 
this right, and that is absolutely my and the entire top 
leadership team's stop to attention.
    Senator Blumenthal. And I am assuming that the commitment 
extends the Coast Guard academy and outreach and recruitment, 
as well as working toward inclusion----
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, absolutely. You know, our 
academy, the class of 2025 is 40 percent women, it is 38 
percent underrepresented minorities. We have the highest both 
women and underrepresented of any of the service academies. But 
we were driving toward a 50 percent that reflects for women, we 
are driving toward--you know, we are still in terms of African-
Americans in service, we are about 5.5, 6 percent and we need 
to drive that closer to the 11 or 12 percent that represent 
society with a propensity to serve. So, we are trying to 
recruit in different places.
    We have stood up five new recruiting officer sites to get 
to places we haven't success recruited, and we absolutely want 
to make, you know, our academy that really not just the service 
academy part, but every Coast Guard officer that commissions 
goes to New London. So that is a touchpoint.
    We want to make sure they are educated leaders, they have 
an open mind, they leave the fleet with, you know, no biases, 
no unconscious biases, and they want to be tremendous 
contributors to our United States Coast Guard going forward.
    Senator Blumenthal. Thank you. Thanks very much.
    Senator Baldwin. Next, I call on the Ranking Member of the 
Full Committee, Senator Wicker.

                STATEMENT OF HON. ROGER WICKER, 
                 U.S. SENATOR FROM MISSISSIPPI

    Senator Wicker. Thank you, Madam Chair. And I do appreciate 
the two witnesses being here. And thank you, Admiral Schultz, 
for pointing out that the Coast Guard Academy actually leads 
all of the federally sanctioned service academies in terms of 
diversity. You are not where you would like to be, but in terms 
of the academy, you are further down the road toward 
accomplishment than everyone else. Some--all the diversity has 
not translated to the enlisted ranks.
    I have got a bill that would require the Coast Guard to 
partner with institutions such as the historically black 
community colleges and universities in order to increase 
diversity in the enlisted ranks. What do you two gentlemen 
think about that, and was that one of the recommendations that 
the Rand study mentioned? So we will start with you, Master 
Chief.
    Chief Vanderhaden. Thank you. Thank you, sir. I appreciate 
it. So, we will take--we are grateful for all the support we 
get from the Committee. You gave us the opportunity to bring on 
some new recruiters this year and we are expanding our Junior 
ROTC programs. We didn't--we had like one Junior ROTC program, 
and the Commandant, through his support and through the support 
for the resources we have got, we have been able to expand that 
Junior ROTC.
    So, I think we are going to do a better job of getting into 
these high schools to start to tell the Coast Guard story. I 
visited with some of our members on the Hill and they say, you 
know, the Coast Guard is the best kept secret. We don't want to 
be the best kept secret. We want to be well known.
    So, we are doing a lot better job of getting out and 
telling our story. And so we are grateful for this--you know, 
community colleges are a great place to attract folks who 
perhaps might could use the GI Bill, might--could use some help 
from the GI Bill. So, we are grateful for any support that we 
can get. And you are giving us the ability to also get more 
folks through Cape May.
    This Fiscal Year 2022 budget looks--it looks really good 
for being able to build out our training center or a boot camp 
in Cape May so we can get more folks through. That is going to 
be critically important, and then the training centers as well. 
You have also given us opportunity to improve quality of life 
at the mobile stations, which helps us to retain folks that we 
do recruit.
    So, I am grateful, and you know, I wish I had another year 
of service because I think we are going to make it, we are 
going to eat into this pretty good, and we are going to make a 
difference here soon, so thank you.
    Senator Wicker. Well, I am glad to hear that you are 
enthusiastic about Junior ROTC. I am an ROTC graduate myself. 
But actually, the Rand Corporation has also done extensive 
studies about the effectiveness of JROTC. And it is way more 
than a recruitment tool for the military or for the Coast 
Guard.
    It is a way for a subset of a high school to do better than 
their peers, to graduate at a higher rate, to make better 
grades, and to do better upon graduation. So, to hear JROTC be 
mentioned in a favorable light is absolutely music to my ears. 
And I can tell you Senator Sullivan and I and others on the 
Armed Services Committee have done our best to help--to fund 
more opportunities.
    And I have never found--I have never found a superintendent 
or principal that did not respond favorably when I asked how 
JROTC is at their school, or would you like one at your school? 
They all say yes. So, that is encouraging. Rather than shift to 
you on that question, Admiral Schultz, let me just ask, you 
know, Senator Sullivan believes in showing off the Coast Guard 
in Alaska, and the best way to--the best way to understand 
something is just to go there.
    And he took me all over the place from North to South and 
out on the Aleutian. We went to Kodiak. And there was a 
refueling pier there used by the Coast Guard to refuel cutters. 
On more than one occasion, the Coast Guard has had to stop 
using the pier for fueling operation because high winds put 
excessive strain on its structural integrity.
    Is this an isolated example, Admiral, or what other sorts 
of operational safety hazards do they face? And what in the 
world are we going to do about this $3 billion backlog?
    Admiral Schultz. Yes, sir, Senator, thank you----
    Senator Wicker. You have got 2 seconds.
    Admiral Schultz. I got 2 seconds. Yes, sir, we are going to 
do something about it. So, we got about $2 billion in 
infrastructure backlog, about $1 billion----
    Senator Wicker. $2 billion?
    Admiral Schultz. $2 billion of infrastructure. About $1 
billion of maintenance and other things. That pier in Kodiak 
absolutely needs to be replaced at some point. The unfunded 
priority list has been a very effective tool that members of 
the Senate on both sides of the aisle have championed topics 
for us. So, it has allowed us to get after some of those 
things.
    Sir, we do have infrastructure challenge across the Coast 
Guard. What we are going to continue to do is voice into that. 
That is part of the readiness there. These are things that 
detract from the Coast Guard's ability to provide the Nation 
with the service we need to get after all the challenges 
America wants its Coast Guard to do. So, you have my 
commitment, the Master's commitment to put our voices against 
this.
    Take folks out from the Hill that want to see things, from 
the Administration, show them the challenges, show them what we 
can do and how we can respond to a Hurricane Harvey from a new 
facility in Houston, Galveston, where we have a new facility 
and go rescue 11,000 people off streets of America when there 
is 52 inches of rain and, you know, 36 hours.
    Had we done that from an old facility, that would have been 
a very different set of circumstances. So modern facilities, 
modern piers, continued support from the Administration in the 
Senate allows us to buy down some of that challenge.
    Senator Wicker. But an infrastructure bill that addressed 
this type of hard asset construction would be a godsend----
    Admiral Schultz. Sir, your legislation, sir, that gets 
after, you know, support for the Coast Guard, which is some 
really niche stuff. And I know you just visited. You get after 
some things by recruiting in a more inclusive the Coast Guard. 
You talk about, you know, the pay and a potential shutdown, and 
the gap in appropriations. That legislation is very helpful, 
sir. And if I could take 10 seconds, the JROTC program, Jim 
Clyburn, very helpful.
    We got a new program in Northern, North Charleston, not his 
district, but North Charleston. We have got one in Pinellas 
County, Florida. That is two on top of one in Miami and out in 
Camden County, North Carolina. But I think providing up a 
couple of salaries, maybe some former Coast Guard, and we can 
touch schools and STEM communities, and I see 4 becoming 8, 
becoming 30 in the coming year.
    So, we are very excited about the new authorities to the 
Junior ROTC. So, I think it is going to get us places we 
haven't been before.
    Senator Wicker. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    Admiral Schultz. That was more 2 seconds. I apologize, sir.
    Senator Baldwin. Next, I will call on the Chair of the Full 
Committee, Senator Cantwell.

               STATEMENT OF HON. MARIA CANTWELL, 
                  U.S. SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON

    The Chair. Thank you, Chair Baldwin, and thanks so much for 
holding this important hearing. Admiral Schultz, you probably 
could not get a more dedicated group of people on this side of 
the dais to the missions of the Coast Guard. We are all big 
supporters of making sure the Coast Guard has the resources 
that it needs, so it is good to see you and Master Chief 
Vanderhaden here, so thank you. I want to follow up on my 
colleague, Senator Blumenthal's questions about sexual assault.
    You know that I sent you this letter just recently about 
sexual assault. I want to say we have worked together on 
childcare in the Coast Guard and appreciate those efforts. 
Expanding health care in the Coast Guard. Definitely appreciate 
those efforts. We have worked with you on paid family leave. 
Very proud that the Coast Guard was leading the way on getting 
paid family leave. I think you recognized that 40 percent of 
your workforce being women, that you had to have better 
policies, and so we appreciate working there.
    I think the issue of sexual assault is the next area where 
you need to spend some time because I am not sure with this--I 
would also say it is also clear the Coast Guard has many, many 
missions and very hard to meet all those missions. But this 
one, this oversight of other vessels and those vessels and what 
they are doing, particularly when we are putting young women on 
those vessels to do research.
    So, basically, they are students, and now they are on these 
vessels. And so, I just want to go back to this issue of, you 
know, the accounts we have had by Kings Point midshipmen and 
others about, you know, questions about the Coast Guard, the 
investigations of U.S. flagged ships. So, I know there are 
fines. You can issue fines.
    But I want to know whether you believe that we need a more 
aggressive enforcement plan of sexual assaults at sea and the 
actions that should be taken when we hear of or find incidents?
    Admiral Schultz. Well, Madam Chair, I absolutely think it 
is abhorrent behavior, and we absolutely need to be aggressive. 
I think what we have had is we have had 10 cases, less than 
10--we have had 5 cases over 10 years. So, there is not a lot 
of cases making to that. We have investigated and referred each 
and every one of those to the U.S. attorney in the appropriate 
district.
    We had one case where we had a shipping line that was not 
responsive and we went after them through administrative 
suspension and revocation process, finding process. So, I would 
say I suspect there is probably more activities that are going 
undetected out there, unreported. So, I think we need to----
    The Chair. Exactly.
    Admiral Schultz. We need to get out--we have got to sea 
just tips line and we are trying to push it out there. We have 
gone to the various maritime journals and other things to say, 
here, and here is whom you contact. So, I think there is an 
education piece. You have absolutely my commitment. We are 
doing a lot of things. I love to come back and brief the 
Committee on some of the things our Coast Guard Investigative 
Service is doing. And then there is some challenges with 
evidence collection.
    These big ships, you know, ply the oceans 320 days a year, 
rotational crews. We find out after the fact. So getting 
evidentiary matters--we are trying to model some things. We do 
some of these telephonically, tele-wise, but you need our 
medical experts. So, we are looking at different ways to be 
able to gather evidence, but there is some room for definite--
--
    The Chair. Well, I do not think investigation at sea is 
very hard. And the reason why when you say you think there is 
probably more there that is undetected, I am saying exactly 
because we are hearing from them----
    Admiral Schultz. Yes, ma'am. You have my commitment.
    The Chair.--as whistleblower. So to me, when I look at the 
fine of $5,000 to $10,000, certainly not enough. I think we are 
going to have to look at increasing that. But as we diversify 
this workforce, we have to make sure that women are safe at sea 
and that we have the resources and infrastructure to oversee 
the operations of these ships that you have oversight over and 
make sure that we are--that we have a very aggressive action 
plan to get the behavior that we want from those parent 
companies. The parent companies have to take this very 
seriously.
    Admiral Schultz. Yes, ma'am. They take it seriously when 
they feel like there is accountability.
    The Chair. Yes, we are in agreement on that. OK, so I will 
look forward to an action plan and a formal response to our 
letter. On the issue of the California oil spill and this issue 
of congestion, it seems to me that a new phenomenon has 
happened, right? We have--we are parking a lot of ships, right, 
because of whatever you want, lots of different reasons related 
to the pandemic, and so there has been as many as 100 vessels 
drifting off the coast, the West Coast, resulting in anchorage 
areas. So, I know that--I was surprised to learn that the 
anchorage directly adjacent to the pipeline that we were 
talking about in the California oil spill had a categorical 
exclusion under the National Environmental Protection Act, 
which meant it did not go through full environmental review.
    So, I am asking this question, we are parking lots of 
ships. Do we know where we are parking them? And are we parking 
them too close to these pipelines? And I would hope that you 
would not--I mean, I am not trying to catch you off guard 
today. I know you have new informal drift zones to help 
accommodate more vessels, and I know you are looking at the 
impacts of this.
    In our state, we have anchorages throughout Puget Sound, 
Homes Harbors being used for the first time in over a decade, 
which is causing air pollution and noise pollution to 
communities. And so I just want to know what you are doing to 
help manage the situation and help protect wildlife in these 
areas.
    Admiral Schultz. Yes, Madam Chair, you are absolutely 
correct, there are challenges with the volume and the backlogs, 
and some of that is, you know, that is obviously not in the 
Coast Guard lanes attenuate, but managing the risks that goes 
with shipping, that is squarely in our wheelhouse.
    So we are looking at, you know, obviously the case in L.A., 
the oil spill, we are investigating that, and we are 
investigating, you know, cause of the factors, was there a ship 
involved? You know, we made one shipping company and owners and 
operators party to the investigation here in recent days. But 
that is just the start of the conversation.
    We need to look at that. You know, when you declare an 
anchorage that is Coast Guard captain of the port 
functionality, working with the state, working with the 
localities. We partner through the Harbor Safety Committee. We 
try to make informed decisions.
    The anchorage in question here with this pipeline was an 
anchorage created back in 2006, and it was created because of 
the size of larger vessels. You know, these vessels now 
thousand plus feet that carry 13,000 up to 18,000, soon 20,000 
TEU containers on the back, so----
    The Chair. But we did not--I do not know that we did the 
environmental review because we didn't know this was going to--
--
    Admiral Schultz. Well, that is what I am saying, ma'am. I 
think it is the complexity in the changing landscape. So, we 
need to use this case, I think, to really dive in. You know, I 
think all our cap of the ports are managing this to a different 
degree in different places. We have got to make sure, you know, 
we are at the level of safety we think we are, and we need to 
look at where--make sure we look, go back and look at where any 
of these pipelines are approximately. I think there is some 
learning. I can't attribute, you know, this oil spill yet to a 
ship situation, but it is a plausible scenario.
    We have a vessel that we have made a party to that because 
it could be the case and we got a lot more investigative work 
to do, so I don't want to get ahead of red lights on that, but 
we are absolutely looking, and Senator, you have my commitment 
to make sure we are--you know, we want to keep the environment 
safe. We want to make sure it is not collisions at sea, ships 
drifting offshore. That creates different problems. We have 
got, you know, we got whales, great whales.
    You know, in your area off of L.A., we changed the shipping 
channels when I was 11th District Commander out there to 
accommodate the whales in safer fashion and find some mutually 
compatible places. But this is challenging us in different 
ways, bigger ships, more ships just in time delivery systems. 
So ship doesn't want to sit at shore, maybe misses its turn to 
the dock.
    So, there is a lot of moving parts that we have got to work 
with the other stakeholders on and understand and make sure we 
understand, you know, that we are doing this as responsibly as 
a Nation as we can. And there is a Coast Guard piece of that 
from a safety perspective, absolutely.
    The Chair. Well, I think you need to think about whether we 
do an environmental impact or the impact on the wildlife, as to 
these anchorages.
    Admiral Schultz. I am not--the abbreviating that, so I will 
go back and get smarter.
    The Chair. Thank you.
    Admiral Schultz. I don't have an answer for that, ma'am, 
but I will look at that.
    The Chair. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    Senator Baldwin. Next, Senator Johnson.

                STATEMENT OF HON. RON JOHNSON, 
                  U.S. SENATOR FROM WISCONSIN

    Senator Johnson. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. First of all, 
gentlemen, thank you for your service. Admiral Schultz, on 
August 23, the FDA approved the Comirnaty vaccine, but the 
extent of the use--the extent of the authorization under 
emergency use for the other Pfizer vaccine.
    On August 24, Secretary Austin issued his memorandum on the 
mandate for the military. I think later that month, the Coast 
Guard said you would follow that basic procedure. Is that 
correct?
    Admiral Schultz. That is correct, Senator. We are mandated 
vaccine, as is the Department of Defense, that is correct.
    Senator Johnson. Now the other branches have listed their 
deadlines. You are a component DHS. The rest of the Federal 
Government, the deadline for the mandate is November 22. Is 
that your deadline as well?
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, I have not publicly stated a 
deadline yet. I guess by default, as a member of DHS, it would 
not be disingenuous to say the 22nd, but I have actually sort 
of removed that decision space to sort of see how things 
unfold. And we are driving in the right direction toward 
compliance, but I have not put out a firm date to our Coast 
Guard men and women yet.
    Senator Johnson. OK. In the August 24 letter from Secretary 
Austin, he said the mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 will 
use only COVID-19 vaccines that receive full licensure, in 
other words, full FDA approval, in accordance with FDA approved 
labeling and guidance. At the same time, when the FDA on the 
23rd, when they did their distinct approval for Comirnaty, or 
how we pronounce that, and the extent of the emergency use.
    The FDA said there is not sufficient approved vaccine 
available for distribution of the Comirnaty. So there just was 
not--as a matter of fact, on September 13, NIH published a 
statement that Pfizer does not plan to produce any product with 
these new--of the new version over the next few months, while 
the EUA authorized product is still available.
    So, it does not sound like Comirnaty is going to be 
available. I have written to the Secretary, I have written to 
the President, you know, whether that is going to be the case. 
Are we going to mandate and force members of the military to 
take a vaccine that is not fully FDA approved? So have you or 
have you secured enough product of the COMIRNATY to utilize in 
the forced vaccination program?
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, I believe the answer to that is, 
yes. I believe we have sufficient holdings of the approved 
vaccination, but I will double check on that and circle back to 
that, but I believe that is the case.
    Senator Johnson. OK. I would definitely appreciate that. 
And quick follow up, what are you going to do with the 
remembrance Coast Guard that refuse to take the vaccine? What 
is going to be your procedure?
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, what we are trying to do right 
now is we are trying to drive folks toward understanding the 
benefit of the vaccine, the risk to the force from a readiness 
standpoint, education. We have had folks to come in--there is a 
lot of information out there. Folks come in, they want to see 
the vials and we bring them into the clinic. We show them the 
vials. We make the Chief Medical Officer or staff available to 
answer questions.
    And I would hope we--you know, we are about 92.2 percent 
for shots, so about 90 percent for total vaccination across the 
active force, a little lower percentage in the reserves, but 
some challenges as reserves are spread all over and 
disaggregation. So, we continue to educate. We have put some 
mitigating strategies in place. So, if you are not vaccinated, 
you may not attend an advanced training course or curriculum 
until you get vaccinated.
    In terms of, you know, discharging, those things within on 
the active side somewhere just south of 3,000 unvaccinated 
folks. You know, there is some portion of that that have 
religious accommodations. We have--we are still processing 
those. Everyone will go through a chaplain. We have not acted 
on them yet. There are medical waivers in there.
    So, we are trying to really get our arms around what those 
specific numbers are, and then the courses for it. We have not 
made any decisions regarding administrative decisions, but we 
are looking like the other services at those actually.
    Senator Johnson. Thank you. We are getting an awful lot of 
letters and e-mails from people pretty concerned about this 
mandate, so I hope you take that in consideration. Let's shift 
gears in terms of the Southern border. I know that the Coast 
Guard works within DHS, primarily drug interdiction. Let me 
first ask you, because I have asked this question of Secretary 
Marcus, do you believe the Southern border is secure?
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, you ask me that question through 
the specific lens of narcotics smuggling or just writ large?
    Senator Johnson. Just secure--when we are, you know, 
encountering 200,000 people per month, over 600, 700 per day, 
that is overwhelming the systems. It is opening up channels for 
drug trafficking, other human trafficking. Do you believe the 
border is secure?
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, I would say that----
    Senator Johnson. Otherwise, do you believe the border is 
closed? I think that is the terminology the secretary uses.
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, I think it would be disingenuous 
to say the border is closed. I mean, we clearly have seen 
numbers come in, you know, unaccompanied children and some 
types of families. So, we know there are numbers, tens of 
thousands and thousands coming in on a monthly basis.
    I would not say the border is closed. In terms of the 
decision about what type of Nation and border policy want, that 
is above my pay grade. I would say when there is more traffic 
at the border and the Border Patrol is stretched thinner, there 
is a higher propensity for illicit activity occurring at the 
border, I think the answer to that is clearly, yes.
    Senator Johnson. So my concern is how are we utilizing 
personnel between the Coast Guard, between DHS--DHS also helps 
in drug interdiction, and they had to pull those people off of 
drug interdiction, as the Coast Guard, provide personnel to 
just deal with the enormous flow? I know there is one report 
where a Coast Guard was helping evacuate, to airlift some of 
the illegal immigrants off the border into the interior. So 
what could you just comment on in terms of what the personnel 
movement has been?
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, I would say when you are dealing 
with, you know, a couple of hundred thousand people a month at 
the border, it is an all hands on deck evolution, so it is a 
capacity challenge. We assisted the Department of Homeland 
Security for about 6 days.
    We moved, I believe the number was up around 1,390 folks 
from Del Rio to other processing sites in Texas. We had 29 
flights. We had three C-130 aircraft, and one C-27 fixed wing 
that were supporting that mission. So, it was less than 
probably three dozen Coast Guard men and women to support that. 
But that was a department challenge, and the Coast Guard 
clearly, part of the DHS team, stepped in to help on that.
    Is that a place where I see Coast Guardsmen being involved 
all the time? No, but that was a mission that I felt we brought 
some unique capabilities to. In terms of other challenges at 
the border, I have had medical people down there supporting 
Border Patrol, so that frontline Border Patrol men and women 
could get to the border.
    We have had some general purpose Coastees there to allow 
frontline border people to get to the border. So, I think there 
is an ongoing role. It is sort of episodic right now for the 
Coast Guard.
    Senator Johnson. OK, well thank you for that. I am out of 
time.
    Senator Baldwin. Next, Senator Duckworth will be 
participating remotely, as I understand.

              STATEMENT OF HON. TAMMY DUCKWORTH, 
                   U.S. SENATOR FROM ILLINOIS

    Senator Duckworth. Thank you, Madam Chair. It is a pleasure 
to join you today. And I want to thank our witnesses for being 
here. And gentlemen, if you are looking for places to put JROTC 
programs, I invite you to come to Illinois and all of my 
communities of color along the Mississippi River, not the least 
of which Cairo, Illinois, was a major Port, Union port from 
Union logistics during the Civil War. Another community of 
color that is struggling and sure could use a JROTC program for 
the young people growing up there.
    But I would like to--my first question to be an 
international one. Like a number of my colleagues on the 
Commerce Committee, I also serve on the Senate Armed Services 
Committee, and I am particularly interested in the Coast 
Guard's engagement with our allies and partners in the Indo-
Pacific region through joint operations, exercises, and 
training. The Coast Guard has, for example, sent two cutters, 
given two cutters to Vietnam, another one to Sri Lanka, and 
many other nations around the world, but also an Indo-Pacific.
    Admiral Schulz, can you explain how the Coast Guard's 
international partnerships strengthen our Nation's readiness to 
engage in great power competition in the Indo-Pacific region?
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, absolutely. Thank you for the 
question. Thank you for your service. We, recently the CNO, 
Admiral Gilday, myself, and General Berger, you know, back in 
the late part of calendar 2020, put out tri-services, maritime 
advantage at sea, and it tied together about the unique 
complementary roles of how we bring all domain capability, 
naval capability against challenges around the globe and a big 
part of that was oriented around the Indo-Pacific part of the 
world.
    You know what we have, ma'am, is we support the Indo-
Pacific 7 fleet Commander with National Security cutters. On 
occasion, we have the Coast Guard cutter MONROE that is just 
wrapping up a multi-month deployment there. She exercised a MOA 
with Taiwan that was penned here in late March. She exercised 
with the Japanese Coast Guard and Japanese Self-Defense Naval 
Forces. We worked with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement 
Agency. The Indonesian BAKAMLA is their equivalent to the Coast 
Guard. So, we can do a lot of capacity building. We have Coast 
Guard liaisons, attaches in that part of the world.
    We have a new attache going to Singapore next summer. We 
partnered also with the MONROE, with the Australians, and 
multiday multi-Australian naval forces working with our Coast 
Guardsmen. I broaden that out a little bit and look across the 
Indo-Pacific region outside of the South China Sea, East China 
Sea. We put new, three new fast response cutters, 154 foot 
patrol craft in Guam, and I was out there for the 
commissioning. They are stretching about 10,000 miles of 
nautical mile range.
    Sometimes teamed up with the Coast Guard Buoy Tender, 
another platform that extends their ability for logistic 
support. And they were just doing some work out there in the 
region with a Nation. This Nation had a Australian provided 
patrol boat that went aground, so we helped them cover down in 
some of their fisheries enforcement efforts here in that gap. 
So, I think you are going to see an increasing demand--so, I 
know you are seeing an increasing demand signal from my DOD 
shipmates, colleagues, and Indo-Pacific for more high end 
National Security cutters to operate in the region, more 
extended operations across the vast Oceanic region, where there 
is a great competition for, you know, checkbook diplomacy of a 
China versus human to human interaction, you know, sort of 
beholden to the like-minded, partner-shared view of free and 
open oceans.
    I think that is where the Coast Guard brings some unique 
capability. China uses its Coast Guard, and its maritime 
militias are actioning on it, and they sit back and say, we are 
not militarizing the Indo-Pacific, it is the United States 
Navy, you know, it is other allied partners.
    I would tell you, yes, you use your Coast Guard and who 
better to call out those behaviors by their Coast Guard than 
the United States Coast Guard, that I think is a recognized, 
you know, global force of good here.
    Senator Duckworth. Thank you, Admiral. And if you could 
provide me an answer within written format because we are 
running out of time here. Could you give us a potential update 
to the fleet mix and what specific actions to that fleet mix 
would you recommend Congress consider as we seek to empower the 
Coast Guard to expand its presence operations in the Indo-
Pacific region? I just want to touch on affordable housing for 
Coastees. I am a Coastees family.
    Now, my brother was a Coast Guardsman of color, Asian-
American, who dropped out of the Coast Guard, who wanted to be 
a lifer but left and because he just couldn't sustain the 
lifestyle and he needed to go make some more money. And so, I 
am concerned that it is very difficult for service members in 
the Coast Guard to be able to afford rent, affordable housing 
in areas of families must compete with tourism and growth of 
online homestay services such as Airbnb's. And so, I would like 
to have a conversation with you about that in terms of what we 
can do to help you with this matter.
    And then finally, I do want to close by saying that I have 
received feedback that the lack of basic support, such as 
lactation accommodations for female Coastees, contributes to a 
sense that female service members might choose between serving 
in the Coast Guard and starting a family. And I will submit 
those questions for the record to address that issue. Thank you 
and I yield back.
    Admiral Schultz. Thank you, Senator. Good to see you, 
ma'am, and we will circle back with your staff and try to 
address all those issues you raised there.
    Senator Duckworth. Thank you.
    Senator Baldwin. We are going to start a second round of 
questioning. And in honor of the Democrat, Republican 
tradition, I am going to call on my Ranking Member first.
    Senator Sullivan. Well, thank you, Madam Chair. And 
gentlemen, let me dig into a little bit more. I talked about 
the icebreakers, the polar security cutters. And Admiral, you 
and I have talked about what is a concern of mine, I think it 
is a concern of yours, which is a gap in coverage, given that 
the fire aboard the HEALY, you know, that left us, our country, 
with one capable icebreaker. You and I talked about this idea 
of--on the unfunded priority list for an immediate lease of the 
potential for a capable vessel.
    There was some progress being made. I think it has kind of 
been stalled. And then more specifically or longer term as we 
build these polar security cutters. My own view, which I know 
you are very familiar with, is that at least one of these 
should be actually home ported in the Arctic. We have 
authorized six, we are building three. Now there has been some 
discussion recently of home porting perhaps the HEALY in 
Alaska. Can you touch on both of these short-term leasing 
issues?
    Have made progress on those? And then the longer term 
basing issues. Again, I just think it makes complete strategic 
sense to have icebreakers home ported in the place that they 
are going to be operationally most relevant, which is the 
Arctic, which is Alaska. I know that in the lower 48 it can 
take up to 2 weeks. It certainly--I know from your perspective 
you want to put those where there are currently some, and I 
think that makes sense. But if we have more, with the option of 
the HEALY, I would like your views on both of those topics.
    Admiral Schultz. Yes, Ranking Member Sullivan, thank you 
for the question and the questions plural. I would tell you, in 
terms of the conversation about leasing an available 
icebreaker, sir, those conversations continue. I think we have 
pivoted the conversation from potentially a lease to maybe a 
purchase scenario, and we remain engaged with the 
Administration and National Security staff----
    Senator Sullivan. Do we need to do anything here, we the 
Congress? Again, I think you are seeing here Coast Guard 
assets, Coast Guard infrastructure, Coast Guard icebreakers, 
whether in the Arctic or on the Great Lakes, is really 
bipartisan. So, you know, if you have asks that can help us 
accelerate that, please let the Congress know. Is there things 
that we----
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, I will tell you in that I think 
the conversation, the energizing, the conversation about the 
geostrategic importance of the high latitudes, keep that voice, 
keep amplifying that. I think it is important. I do not have 
the wherewithal in my budget as we are building, you know, five 
different capital ship programs right now from MECs, OPCs, fast 
response cutters, waterways commerce cutters, and port security 
cutters. To lift the, an icebreaker purchase and or lease, 
there was talk about potentially the Administration lifting 
that. You know that piece seems to be on little less firm 
ground right now.
    So, I think how we would fund that, I think we included a 
wedge on the unfunded priority list to the tune of $150 
million. That would procure the vessel or maybe start initial 
lease. I think in my mind that the smart way forward in terms 
of return on taxpayers investments, probably to procure that 
vessel, keep it in our inventory, but we would need sustainment 
funding on that so there is clearly a piece for the Congress.
    In terms of the broader conversations, sir, about ice 
breaking capacity, future home ports, I owe you some feedback 
from our Alaska homeporting study, that is in final iterative 
review inside the headquarters. It hasn't made it up to the 
front office yet. I believe it is in cutter forces, have coming 
out of the engineers and things on that, so I believe we will 
be able to give you some feedback on that. Sir, we have talked 
about different options in the Arctic.
    You know, I have consistently talked about a 6-3-1 
strategy, you know. That one was getting going. So PSC number 
one, under-construction a lot of goodness there. We talked 
about a minimum of three heavies. That has been the 
conversation. You know the story there. And then there is a 
conversation about what is beyond that.
    We did some upgraded homework after the high latitude, the 
High MAR studies. Arguably, you can make a good business case 
for six to nine breakers for the Nation. Right now, our focus 
is on----
    Senator Sullivan. Look again, Russia has 50, and 54 is a 
number I know and many of which are nuclear, some of which are 
heavily weaponized, so we are way behind.
    Admiral Schultz. So I think there is conversation about 
what is in the beyond three--and then what is in the beyond 
three, where do you cite those? You know, when we look at 
Alaska, you know, we have had the conversation, you and I, 
about potentialities in Kodiak. You know Kodiak has some 
challenges with the water depth. They have some challenges with 
limited pier space, you know. But was there a conversation 
about medium breakers? Different water depths might be a 
different conversation there. You have talked about Seward 
before. I think there is some conversation here.
    Something like the HEALY--or the HEALY. That is 145 crew 
members. You have been very generous, the Committee here on 
support for housing in Kodiak, and we are three phases sort of 
through the wire on funding with the Committee support. We 
would have to have a similar kind of lift, I think, to do 
something in Seward in terms of the soft support. Then we look 
at the maintenance support for a ship like that.
    You know, the HEALY is now coming in, you know, approaches 
25 year marker in the not too distant future. I think there is 
conversation, sir, that align with your interests when we bring 
that conversation beyond the three polar security cutters, and 
we are committed to continue the dialogue and keep an open mind 
on that.
    Senator Sullivan. Right.
    Admiral Schultz. Thank you, sir.
    Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    Senator Baldwin. Thank you. Master Chief Vanderhaden, I 
recently traveled to the Coast Guard station in Sturgeon Bay, 
Wisconsin, and met with the crew on the Coast Guard icebreaker 
MOBILE BAY. And it was very clear to me that ice breaking, and 
buoy tending are both very hard work. While that mission will 
never be easy, it seems to me that there are opportunities to 
make life a little bit easier for Coast Guard members and their 
families. So, I am going to touch upon the housing issue as 
well as a few others.
    In addition to career development and training, I've heard 
from Coast Guard members and their families stationed in 
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, about the challenges with their aging 
facilities, which I will add were originally built in 1886, 
when it was still called the U.S. Lifesaving Service, and also 
the lack of childcare availability and the difficulty in 
finding housing.
    One Coast Guard member who was recently assigned there said 
that she camped for most of the summer with her children. They 
enjoyed it, but they won't in the Wisconsin winters. And a 
place like Sturgeon Bay, where the existing housing stock is 
quite expensive because it is also co-located with an area of 
lots of tourism that people enjoy that area. So, this is an 
issue Coast Guard wide, not just on the Great Lakes. I am sure 
it is apparent in Alaska and on both salty coasts.
    So, I am working hard to secure funding to rebuild stations 
like Sturgeon Bay in the reconciliation package. But I wonder 
if you can talk a little bit about the basic allowance for 
housing. The basic allowance for housing, BAH, is often not 
sufficient to cover the costs of rent or a mortgage.
    And it seems to me that that model is really designed for 
the Department of Defense and isn't working for many Coast 
Guard families. So have you observed members struggling to 
afford housing? And what do you think can be done to address 
these challenges?
    Chief Vanderhaden. Well, thank you very much. Master Chief 
Olson said he really enjoyed your visit. He got a lot out of 
that, and the head of the crew really appreciated your 
attention to them. So, and then the MOBILE BAY, same thing. I 
was kind of on your heels a little bit for that trip and they 
loved it. I tell you, that station is just amazing, an old 
lifesaving station. They have really kept it together with 
bubble gum and baling wire and done a magnificent job of 
continuing to do great operations out of there.
    And they are grateful for your support, and they are 
getting some funding for that to update that station. DOD funds 
BAH at 95 percent of the actual costs for the military housing 
area, and DOD is really the one that can move the needle in 
big--where there is a lot of DOD--if they are not collecting 
data where you are, they are not going to, you are not going to 
enjoy the--it is not going to work for you.
    So, we are doing a really fine look at the military housing 
area and our policy of how we draw our military housing areas 
and then where we can--if there is a neighborhood that is 
potentially not where we would want our folks to live, that we 
can exclude--we are looking at exclusion zones.
    So, we are--and COVID. You know, of all the bad things of 
COVID, this is one that really caused us to stop and take a 
look and say, wow, housing costs really went up. So, our 
housing office has been thoroughly examining every military 
housing area. Now the interesting thing about the Great Lakes 
is there is something called the Coast County area and some of 
them are not--BAH is not derived by a military housing area, 
but by the county. And it has to do with other statistics that 
I am not exactly sure how that is done, but we are really 
looking at every housing.
    I met with my service senior enlisted, and they are 
committed to--DOD personnel and readiness is committed to 
really fine tuning their data collection. And they have 
increased the BAH in 56 military housing areas preliminarily 
this year and a temporary basis. They are optimistic that the 
data is going to show that we need to raise the BAH.
    Now, sometimes I can give you all the money in the world 
you want, but if there is no inventory, it is not going to help 
you. It sounds like in Sturgeon Bay that that was the case, 
that it didn't matter what your housing allowance was if we 
need to work on--we need to work on perhaps Government leases. 
We need to work on perhaps even working with community leaders.
    In Seward, I visited Seward and Governor Doug Levy is 
working with some of the builders to say, hey, we have got 
Coastees here. They need to live here. They are going to be 
here for a long time. Why don't we build some apartment 
complexes and some condos and things like that so that--and we 
can almost guarantee that they are going to occupy those, and 
it is going to be a win-win for everybody.
    So, we are working with local elected leaders to try to 
increase the inventory in these areas. And so we are we are 
committed to trying to help our people. And really, Admiral 
Schultz directed our budget folks to divert some funds into our 
housing office so that we can get after some more Government 
leases. So, I appreciate your support and we looking at every 
option to try to help our folks.
    Senator Baldwin. Thank you. Senator Sullivan.
    Senator Sullivan. Great. Thanks, Madam Chair. And I do 
think between the Chair and myself, you will see really strong 
support on the housing issue. I just want to end this hearing 
and thanks again for the testimony, two quick questions. 
Admiral one for you. As you know, we recently passed 
legislation making it easier for vessels home ported in Alaska 
and other places to contract repairs in the local shipyards. 
That is an issue for us, and I am pretty sure it is an issue in 
Wisconsin as well. I recently had a meeting with some of your 
senior staff voicing concerns over the lack of utilization of 
that new legislation. It was a constructive meeting so, you 
know, I don't want to be complaining here.
    The vision, I think, you know, and you and I have talked 
about it, which makes sense all around for the local economies, 
for the Coast Guard, because you would save money as opposed to 
sending ships for heavy maintenance down to Alameda and other 
places, you could do it locally, the crews would be closer to 
their home ports.
    Do you have any updates on that or just--I know, you know 
that it is a priority? We got the law change, working with 
your--actually your staff to help us on the language. But any 
updates on that, sir, that you want to----
    Admiral Schultz. Yes, sir. I know you and I have worked on 
this for a long time long. We got to the place. We have got it 
all times. And then some of the timing when they want to do the 
fishing fleet, the timing of us, the sort of us operating on a 
1-year budget cycle. And really, we have we have sort of ceded 
the first quarter of the Fiscal Year, almost to the first and 
second quarter sometime because of the uncertainty with annual 
appropriations.
    So, we try to pack a lot of work into almost the last 7 
months of the year or the second half of the year. We have got 
some 2 year ability for forex maintenance funds. That was very 
helpful, and we have got to continue to renew that. So, we are 
looking at four potential ship contracts that could be done in 
Alaska in 2022. So, I think there are some opportunities for us 
here to continue to work. We will make sure your staff is up to 
speed. I think there is a possibility that we could, you know, 
steer some of that work to a shipyard up there.
    There is obviously just the timing of when our ships come 
up in the budget--there is the availability of the shipyard to 
do that kind of work. But we understand the intent. I think we 
were committed to trying to still get a successful outcome here 
where, you know, work--and from our crews, you know, you send 
men and women to sea for some portion, 185 days a year.
    You know, being down somewhere in the lower 48, just is a 
tougher challenge in terms of quality of life and family 
separation generally. You know, summer months, kids are out of 
school. You are sailing a lot, so there are definite upsides 
for us when we can do the work closer to home. So we need----
    Senator Sullivan. You know, the Admirals that I have talked 
to in District 17 think it is a cost saver, a pretty 
significant cost saver for the Coast Guard, too. So, I look 
forward to working with you, continuing to work with you on 
that. I think we have made good progress. And Master Chief, I 
was glad to hear you mentioned in your opening testimony morale 
is high. That was going to be one of my questions, given how 
close you are to it. And that you strategically visited 
Wisconsin and Alaska before this hearing.
    That is really good staff work, whoever made that happen, 
so well done. But my question for you is just a general one. In 
your travels, both to Wisconsin, Alaska and beyond, you are the 
senior enlisted for the whole service. What were you hearing 
that were good things? You know, you say morale is high. Why is 
it high? I love hearing that. What are the problematic issues? 
What are the issues that are keeping the Coast Guard men and 
women up at night and their families? We want to make sure we 
are taking care of the families as well.
    Chief Vanderhaden. Thank you both. So, morale is high 
because they love--people love what they do. They have a very 
rewarding mission. We empower our junior members to make a 
difference as I go around and you probably when they put 
people--it is younger--it is the young folks that are the ones 
that are being recognized because they are just doing 
tremendous work.
    So, I think there is a sense of pride and the knowledge 
that they are making a difference the minute they show up at 
their unit. So, that is a good thing. The challenge--so our 
computer systems and some of our technology, we haven't been 
able to make investments in. Our servers are max capacity, and 
we are eating in, we are doing what's called the ``tech 
revolution'' thanks to support from this committee and support 
from the Congress. We were able to leverage technology.
    We really, you know, it is kind of funny that, you know, 
they don't have any problem communicating on their on their 
personal devices. But when they try to log on to some of our 
Coast Guard workstation, our software programs and things like 
that, they are they are just difficult. And they are difficult 
in Wisconsin and Alaska, because the bandwidth, the bandwidth 
challenges we have and things like that. So, we are really 
making a significant and a committed investment to improving 
our C5I, our computer systems, trying to increase the 
efficiency so that like if our folks go out and do a boarding, 
a law enforcement boarding, they will have mobility where they 
can do that, they are not just handwriting things anymore.
    They are actually typing into a tablet and coming back and 
uploading that information instead of having to write 
everything out and come back. And so, we are trying to leverage 
technology, and I think that is the biggest thing that we can 
do to help our people right now because they know it is out 
there, we just haven't been able to get it to them. But thanks 
to you we will.
    Senator Sullivan. Great. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, I think it is those enabling 
things--if you don't, if I can----
    Senator Baldwin. Yes, you go ahead.
    Admiral Schultz. I think those enablers, the housing, the 
childcare, you know, we have 10 CDCs across the Coast Guard. 
Thinking about infrastructure, we would like to have more. And 
you know, we are looking as we go big and Seattle and 
Charleston that we clearly want to upgrade facilities, build 
new facilities.
    I think in the interim periods, you know, we have gone 
from, you know, up about $13 million if you include where we 
hope to come out of the 2022 budget for childcare subsidies, 
that allows us to drive down some of these immediate needs. But 
there is a lot of uncertainty out there. So, the housing costs 
have never been more challenging. Some of the temporarily fare 
through the end of December.
    You got to go to make the business case and, you know, you 
have to show your costs. Those are on people's minds. And then 
we are in an environment now as of one January 2018 and this 
new blended retirement, maybe not a 2021 conversation, but you 
sort of fast forward a young Coast Guard man or woman or dual 
military couple, they are paying themselves first. They get to 
that 12 year point in the last move they had was very 
difficult, a lot of out of pocket expenses.
    You know, they are having a hard time finding childcare and 
someone looks and says, hey, boy, you are kind of a skilled 
American. Why don't you come join my team? I see what 
Vanderhaden, and Schultz are paying, and they go right down the 
table years, and they offer you a $30,000 increase in pay and 
you stay put, childcare. It is a competitive place. So, I think 
it is all those enabling functionalities where the Congress can 
continue to help. People love their work. People love being on 
the Coast Guard team. We got challenges and we are working 
those challenges.
    But I think it is those enabling things that allow us to 
compete and keep the Coast Guard an attractive place to work. 
It is going to get increasingly more important. I say to folks, 
the biggest challenge facing the organization for the 27th, 
28th, 29th Commandant is going to be challenge management and 
human capital retention.
    Senator Sullivan. Well, keep us posted on those, you know, 
legislatively or, you know, just administratively. I remember a 
couple of years back, the DOD came out with that policy that 
was put in the Coast Guard and a women in the back of the line 
on the CDCs. I was like, are you kidding me? So, those are the 
kind of things keep us posted on. We want to make sure we are 
helping.
    Admiral Schultz. No, DOD partners have been great partners. 
So we are working, I think, better than we ever had before. But 
thanks for helping us.
    Senator Sullivan. Yes, absolutely.
    Admiral Schultz. Thank you.
    Senator Baldwin. I understand Senator Blackburn has joined 
us remotely. Let me see if that is still the case.
    Senator Blackburn. Yes, I am here.
    Senator Baldwin. Alright. Senator Blackburn, you are 
recognized.

              STATEMENT OF HON. MARSHA BLACKBURN, 
                  U.S. SENATOR FROM TENNESSEE

    Senator Blackburn. Well and thank you all for the hearing. 
I have just really one thing, Admiral Schultz coming to you. We 
have just recently celebrated the commissioning of the Coast 
Guard station in Memphis, and we are certainly looking forward 
to that. And our--would love to hear from you on the record. I 
mean, people in Memphis are really thankful and excited about 
this, and I think it speaks to the growth of the mission of the 
Coast Guard. But for the record, I would love to hear from you 
what your expectation is for that facility and for their 
ability to serve the Coast Guard in the future?
    Admiral Schultz. Well, Senator, good to see you, and thanks 
for your continued support of the men and women in uniform and 
all the armed services. You know, ma'am, we turned the 
operations, the boat operations are sort of from a boat house 
into a station. The station means you have an officer in charge 
and that is a position that goes with broader authorities.
    And I think that allows us to better address the maritime 
challenges, whether that is search and rescue on the riverway 
system there, whether that is, you know, responding to 
security, hazardous material transit, some waterways 
challenges. There is always different things that impact the 
waterways in the heartland region there.
    I think actually designating that as a station and giving--
you know, it is a First Class Petty Officer that leads that 
station. Given him or her the requisite authorities is a better 
operation than we had there before. We had sort of an 
amalgamation of sort of a boat forces operation with less clear 
construct on what authorities they had to do the missions. I 
think it is cleaner for the partners in the region. And I think 
will be a more effective Coast Guard there because of this 
change, ma'am.
    Senator Blackburn. Well, I think there are plenty of people 
at the Port of Memphis that agree with you, and they are just 
really very hopeful for what having this new station is going 
to bring their way. There is just one other question that I 
have had as I have listened to some of Senator Sullivan's 
questions and the conversation that has ensued.
    And this would be for either of you. As we look at great 
power competition and as we look at how things--how we address 
the Arctic governance, is there any aspect or any area where 
our interests align with China and Russia?
    Admiral Schultz. Senator, I would say. You know, the 
Senator kind of chuckled and he talked about self-declared near 
Arctic Nation when he mentioned China's interests in the 
Arctic. You know, China had one research vessel they got from 
the Ukrainians, the Snow Dragon one. They built the second one 
in China. They are now building, you know, building heavy 
breakers, whatever that means. They have even entertained the 
conversation of a nuclear breakers. I think we have to pay 
attention to what is China's interest in the Arctic.
    We have seen them up off the Pacific or Alaska Arctic for 8 
or the last 12 or so years. And I think, you know, arguably 
they are down there surveying where we have undersea cables and 
they are up there paying attention to us, citing fifth 
generation fighters in places like Iceland. They are clearly 
interested in the trillion dollars of minerals that are on the 
ocean floor. That is shallow water access to energy, 13, 15 
percent of the untapped petroleum in the world, the third of 
the LNG.
    So, I think we have to be circumspect about China's 
interests. I look at China over in the Northern sea route, in 
the partnership with Russia on the Amal Energy. And you look at 
all the economic benefit that Russia is deriving. About 25 
percent of their GDP derives from Arctic activities. They are 
militarizing the Arctic, as a Senator Sullivan spoke about 
earlier. With Russia, Russia chairs the Arctic Council right 
now. They took over in the spring.
    They also chair the Arctic Coast Guard Forum. So, things 
like sailing the HEALY through the Northwest Passage is a 
demonstration of our ability to partner with Canada. We pushed 
it over to Greenland. We can collaborate with the Danes, the 
French. I met last night with the Danes and Norwegians earlier 
in the day.
    So we are absolutely, you know, partnering with the other 
seven Arctic nations, including Russia. We need to have a 
constructive dialog there, but I think we have to pay attention 
to what are their intentions. We want the Arctic to remain a 
safe, secure, environmentally sound location where they have 
the environmental mess when the permafrost, you know, cause the 
structure to fail and its spread oil across seven eight miles 
of water. We offered to help. I think we were going to continue 
to stay on the high ground, continue to be a good environmental 
partner to find common places.
    But we also have to pay attention to what people say and 
what they do. I think there is a gap there between the audio 
and the video sometimes, and we need to call that out as 
appropriate.
    Senator Blackburn. Thank you. I appreciate that, and I 
think it is fair to say that as you mentioned, Russia and the 
other partner nations, there are some aligned interests there, 
but there is more of an adversarial tone as we look at China. 
Thank you all very much.
    Admiral Schultz. Thank you, Senator. And I kind of try to 
use term competitive and avoid adversarial. But there is not a 
lot of space between those two terms sometimes.
    Senator Blackburn. I got it. Thank you.
    Senator Baldwin. Well, thank you. Our rounds of questioning 
have come to a close. The hearing record will remain open for 
two weeks until November 2, and any Senators who would like to 
submit questions for the record should do so by November 2.
    We ask that your responses be returned to the Committee as 
quickly as possible and in no case later than two weeks after 
receipt. That concludes today's hearing. Thank you again.
    [Whereupon, at 4:09 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]

                            A P P E N D I X

   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell to 
                            Karl L. Schultz
Motor Boat Replacement
    Question. I have heard loud and clear from our Nation's surfmen 
there is a dire need for a replacement for the 52-foot motor lifeboat. 
The 52-foot motor lifeboat is crucial to sustaining coastal economies 
in the Pacific Northwest. The 52' motor life boat does more than search 
and rescue, these boats are essential to determining when the Columbia 
River Bar may open to vessel traffic. The Columbia River system which 
is responsible for movement of 50 million tons of cargo valued at near 
$24 billion each year, on average.
    Please provide a detailed update on the acquisition of the 52' 
motor lifeboat replacement. Please include specific steps that the 
Coast Guard has taken, and will take, to speed up this priority 
acquisition.
    Answer. The replacement for the Coast Guard's 52-foot Special 
Purpose Craft--Heavy Weather (SPC-HWX) is in the preliminary 
acquisition stage. Market research and targeted industry engagements 
with U.S. based boatyards and design firms with the capability to 
support the 52-foot (SPC-HWX II) replacement acquisition were 
expeditiously completed. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
approved the SPC-HWX II's Mission Needs Statement and the DHS Joint 
Requirements Council approved the Coast Guard's request to conduct a 
tailored approach for requirements development. The Coast Guard 
completed the SPC-HWX II's pre-acquisition indicative design studies 
based on developed thresholds and objectives to analyze significant 
tradeoffs and overall feasibility. The overall analysis of design 
tradeoffs will support our efforts to finalize the DHS requirement 
documents.

    Question. In addition to facilitating commerce on the Columbia 
River, the 52's can tow large fishing vessels through heavy surf, a 
crucial need in the Pacific Northwest. As you know, the 47' motor 
lifeboat lacks the range and tow capacity of the 52'. Does the Coast 
Guard agree that this tow capacity must be maintained in the future 52' 
replacement platform?
    Answer. The Coast Guard understands the range and tow limitations 
of the 47' Motor Life Boat compared to the 52' SPC-HWX. Any 
recapitalization effort to replace the 52' SPC-HWX will provide similar 
capabilities to operate in the Pacific Northwest.
Coast Guard Retention
    Question. Recruitment and retention of both women and people of 
color is imperative as we look to invest in and strengthen the Coast 
Guard workforce. In June 2020, the Department of Homeland Security 
Inspector General released a report that found the Coast Guard Academy 
did not adequately address allegations of race-based harassment. 
Numerous external and internal studies have identified issues as well 
as solutions for addressing race-based harassment within the Coast 
Guard. The Coast Guard has taken some action, yet race-based harassment 
and discrimination continue.
    In addition to the work that has already been done, what new steps 
will be taken to shift the culture of the Academy and in the Coast 
Guard and end race-based discrimination and harassment?
    Answer. The Coast Guard recognizes that race-based harassment and 
discrimination are problems that exist across society and have no place 
within our service. The Coast Guard is striving to shift its culture 
through implementing its 2019-2023 Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 
that includes training (in-person and online), supporting and routinely 
having inclusive dialogues and listening sessions, and including 
inclusive leadership as a part of personnel evaluations for 
accountability. The Coast Guard is committed to increasing the 
representation of women and minorities at all levels of the 
organization supporting the President's executive orders. The Diversity 
& Inclusion Action Plan Implementation Team (DIAP IT), Inclusive 
Leadership Excellence and Diversity Council (ILEAD), and Personnel 
Readiness Taskforce provide direct support to this goal. Additionally, 
the Service continuously reviews talent management processes and 
procedures to remove barriers in the career lifecycle, will aid in 
creating systems that are equitable and that lead to improved retention 
of women, LBGTQ members, and underrepresented minorities. The Coast 
Guard publicizes opportunities for diversity and inclusion training and 
dialogue via Coast Guard-wide messaging, including articles such as 
this one--https://www.mycg.uscg.mil/News/Article/2877699/change-agents-
advance-diversity-and-inclusion-through-accessible-training-and-c/--
detailing change agent training and effects.

    Question. Many of these studies do not consider impacts and needs 
specific to LGBTQ service members. Will the Coast Guard commit to the 
inclusion of these issues in all relevant future assessments to ensure 
LGBTQ members' needs are properly identified, understood, and 
addressed?
    Answer. While these studies do not directly consider impacts and 
needs specific to LGBTQ members, the Coast Guard seeks information 
correlating to these studies through collaboration with other 
government agencies, affinity groups, subject matter experts and the 
evaluation of Coast Guard data, governing regulations, data 
accessibility, human protection boards' and institution review boards' 
authorizations and funds availability. The Coast Guard values the views 
and needs of its LGBTQ members and will further examine its ability to 
conduct workforce research that includes questions about sexual 
orientation and gender identity that meets our goal to be as inclusive 
as possible without infringing on the privacy of our workforce. 
Previously, the Coast Guard's Institutional Review Board, the internal 
Coast Guard Board that makes recommendations to the approving authority 
for research protocols, determined that asking all Coast Guard members 
to self-identify their sexual orientation or gender identity was a 
privacy issue.
Sexual Assault at Sea
    Question. I am deeply troubled by the recent stories that have come 
to light from U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (``USMMA'') midshipmen 
experiencing rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment during ``Sea 
Year,'' a training program where midshipmen are placed on U.S. flagged 
vessels for credentialing training. In recent communications with 
Congress, the acting Maritime Administrator stated the agency would put 
Sea Year on pause while they develop a plan to keep midshipmen safe at 
sea. This plan will include coordination with Coast Guard Investigative 
Services to improve response and investigation of sexual assault at 
sea.
    What will the Coast Guard do to improve coordination with the USMMA 
and the Maritime Administration on matters relating to sexual assault 
at sea?
    (Please provide specific steps the Coast Guard has taken and will 
take to improve responses to sexual assault at sea.)
    Answer. The Coast Guard is working closely with the Maritime 
Administrator (MARAD) on matters affecting all mariners (e.g., 
credentialed mariners, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy midshipmen, cadets) 
related to sexual assault and sexual harassment (SA/SH) at sea. If the 
mariners are midshipmen or maritime academy cadets, a report of sexual 
assault at sea prompts a thorough investigation and coordination 
between the Coast Guard, MARAD, and the respective maritime academy.
    Additionally, the Coast Guard collaborated with MARAD during the 
development of the Every Mariner Builds a Respectful Culture (EMBARC) 
program. The Coast Guard published Marine Safety Information Bulletin 
11/21 to support the EMBARC program by establishing tools, 
applications, and detailed reporting mechanisms for SA/SH incidents.
Childcare Services
    Question. The retention of women in the Coast Guard is highly 
dependent on access to quality, accessible, and affordable childcare. I 
championed language in the last Coast Guard bill to improve the access 
to childcare and fought to secure $120 million for new childcare 
development centers in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 
3684).
    What additional appropriations, resources, or authorizations are 
required to meaningfully expand access to childcare services for Coast 
Guard members?
    Answer. The most impactful way to expand access to childcare 
services for Coast Guard members is through increased childcare subsidy 
benefits. Additional funds would allow the Coast Guard to increase 
funding for members where accredited child care is cost-prohibitive, 
expand school-age care and fee-assistance options, and expand access to 
civilian employees.

    Question. Are there additional locations in which Coast Guard-owned 
childcare development centers are being considered? If so, what is the 
timeline for consideration, and which locations are under 
consideration?
    Answer. Additional locations are being considered for construction 
of Coast Guard-owned Child Development Centers--this list includes a 
variety of locations across the country and considers a number of 
factors including local need, cost and availability of child care, as 
well as engineering feasibility and construction factors. A list of 
these potential locations and implementation timeline are currently 
under review.

    Question. In addition to Coast Guard owned and operated childcare 
development centers, the ``Child Care Subsidy Program'' is an important 
resource for families. Does the Coast Guard support expanding this 
program?
    Answer. Yes, due to the relatively small and dispersed nature of 
the Coast Guard, the best opportunity to offset the costs of childcare 
services on Coast Guard families is through the Child Care Subsidy 
Program. The Coast Guard fully supports expanding this important 
program.

    Question. If the Coast Guard had additional appropriations, how 
would the Coast Guard propose to expand the ``Child Care Subsidy 
Program?''
    Answer. We are grateful for the support of congress for the 2022 
Appropriation which included $4 million dollars to expand access for 
fee-assistance options. Additional appropriations would allow the Coast 
Guard to increase further funding for members in high-cost areas, 
increase funding for members where accredited child care is cost-
prohibitive, expand school-age care and fee-assistance options, and 
expand access to civilian employees.

    Question. Does the Coast Guard require authorization to expand the 
``Childcare Subsidy Program'' to include additional types of 
caregivers, such as nanny shares or other forms of childcare? If so, 
please provide legislative recommendations.
    Answer. Yes, the Coast Guard requires authorization to expand the 
Child Care Subsidy Program to include additional types of caregivers. 
The Coast Guard would require language similar to William M. (Mac) 
Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 
2021, Section 589 Pilot Program to Provide Financial Assistance to 
Members of the Armed Forces for In-Home Child Care. Additional 
resources would be required to implement a pilot program and manage 
requirements for in-home care.
Medium Icebreaker Fleet
    Question. Medium polar icebreakers, such as the Seattle-based USCGC 
HEALY (WAGB-20), are the Nation's only platform for Arctic research 
which is vital for climate science and predicting impacts of climate 
change.
    When will the Coast Guard pursue recapitalization of the Medium 
icebreaker fleet?
    Answer. CGC HEALY was commissioned in 2000 with a planned service 
life of 30 years and is approaching its Major Maintenance Availability 
(MMA), which will modernize shipboard systems and perform upgrades to 
improve the operational reliability of the cutter. However, because CGC 
HEALY is already approaching the end of its designated service life, 
the Coast Guard is pursuing converting the planned MMA into a five-year 
phased Service Life Extension Project (SLEP). This project is scheduled 
to begin in 2026 and would be similar to the current POLAR STAR SLEP. 
This approach will maintain operational availability of CGC HEALY in 
the near term while ensuring the Service continues to provide a medium 
polar icebreaking capability and scientific support platform until the 
Nation fields a suitable replacement. The Coast Guard is in the process 
of examining capability gaps and statutory and operational requirements 
in the Arctic region that will inform long-term requirements beyond 
those met by the heavy polar icebreakers, which will inform the Coast 
Guard's future medium polar icebreaker recapitalization strategy.
Southern Resident Orcas
    Question. Southern Resident orcas are a highly endangered species 
with approximately 73 individuals left in the population. Noise and 
disturbance from vessels is one of the three threats to the survival of 
this species. The U.S. Coast Guard is one of the members of the Quiet 
Sound initiative. As the lead Federal maritime enforcement agency, the 
U.S. Coast Guard's efforts to regularly monitor vessels and ensure that 
they are complying with the Marine Mammal Protection Act approach 
regulations is critical to the continued existence of this species. 
Further, in the 2020 Elijah E. Cummings Coast Guard Authorization Act, 
the U.S. Coast Guard was directed to submit a report and action plan in 
consultation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
related to southern resident orca vessel buffer zones. The report 
submitted to Congress did not address the Coast Guard's efforts in 
relation to Quiet Sound, coordination with Canada, or how it was 
working with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration to reduce 
vessel noise on Southern resident orcas.
    What are barriers the Coast Guard is facing in collaborating with 
other agencies and with Canada, in regard to efforts to safeguard the 
Southern Resident Orcas?
    Answer. The Coast Guard has not experienced any significant 
barriers when collaborating with domestic or foreign partners in 
support of Southern Resident Orca (SRO) conservation efforts. The Coast 
Guard routinely engages with port and maritime stakeholders, like the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Washington 
Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the San Juan County Marine 
Resources Committee through the Quiet Sound initiative and Operation 
Whale Wise. The Coast Guard also works with Canadian agencies like the 
Marine Communications and Traffic Services (MCTS) and Transport Canada 
on conservation measures such as voluntary vessel slow-down zones and 
underwater noise reduction.

    Question. Further, the Canadian Coast Guard has established a 
``Whale Desk'' to alert mariners to the presence of whales so they can 
be avoided. What resources would the Coast Guard need to establish a 
similar program?
    Answer. The Coast Guard is the lead Federal agency for the safety 
of navigation at sea. In that capacity, the Coast Guard is committed to 
conserving the Southern Resident Orca as a partner to other agencies, 
like NOAA, who are best suited to lead the Federal government's 
conservation efforts. These other agencies are also best suited to 
establish any tools used to protect marine mammals.
    The Coast Guard maintains a strong partnership with the Canadian 
Whale Desk. The Canadian Whale Desk is a reporting service within the 
Canadian Coast Guard's MCTS, which is a component of the Cooperative 
Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) along with the Coast Guard in Puget Sound. 
The Coast Guard Puget Sound VTS takes whale-sighting reports from the 
MCTS as well as local mariners, and recommends avoidance measures to 
vessels near SRO sightings.
Tatoosh Island Lighthouse
    Question. The Makah Tribe has worked with the Coast Guard for years 
to complete necessary repairs on the Cape Flattery Lighthouse and Fog 
Signal Building on Tatoosh Island with the goal of transferring the 
property back to the Tribe. I worked to include language in the 2020 
Department of Homeland Security appropriations legislation to support 
this ongoing work. I commend the Coast Guard for the significant 
preliminary improvements that have already been completed but 
understand that work remains to include: inadequate roof framing; 
power, heating, and ventilation to ensure moisture and weather 
readiness; environmental issues (lead paint contamination, on-site 
burning of building materials); and sharing of a final copy of the 
plans sealed by the Engineer of Record for the Tribe's independent 
review.
    Please provide an update on the Coast Guard's efforts to address 
these outstanding issues at Tatoosh Island Lighthouse, including a 
funding estimate to complete repairs and facilitate the safe transfer 
of the property back to the Makah Tribe.
    Answer. The Coast Guard allocated approximately $2.8 million to 
complete stabilization efforts at Tatoosh Island Lighthouse in 2021. 
The intent was to minimize the effects of further weather decay to the 
structure, not to make the lighthouse habitable. The work included a 
roof replacement, a new second floor landing, new windows, new flooring 
in the light area itself, various structural repairs, and sealing and 
painting the exterior of the structure. The Coast Guard will share the 
final construction drawings with the Makah Tribe, however, they are not 
sealed by an Engineer of Record as there was no attempt to make the 
building habitable. No power or heating system was installed as the 
Coast Guard no longer uses this lighthouse as an aid to navigation.
    The Coast Guard estimates the environmental cost at approximately 
$1 million, but needs to conduct a survey of the site to determine the 
actual extent of the contamination. The Coast Guard has not yet 
attempted a formal transfer of the property to the Makah Tribe due to 
outstanding environmental liability; however, the service is very 
willing to do so while retaining the responsibility for the cleanup.
Oil Spill Response I
    Question. The Northwest Region and Washington State are leaders in 
oil spill prevention and response. The Pacific Northwest region enjoys 
unique biological resources, some of which are threatened, such as 
Southern Resident Killer Whales and salmon. The region has a sovereign 
co-management relationship with Treaty Tribes, and a thriving maritime 
economy that relies on clean water and safe operations. For many years, 
the region utilized a unique hybrid planning model that was developed 
to maintain our excellent track record of response to oil pollution. We 
understand that the Coast Guard has directed District 13 to separate 
out Captain of the Port Coastal Zone Area plans from the hybrid plan 
and begin having separate meetings.
    What specific measures is the Coast Guard taking to ensure this 
shift will not negatively impact oil spill response and preparedness in 
the region?
    Answer. The Coast Guard's focus on area contingency planning in the 
coastal zone is expected to improve oil spill preparedness in the 
Pacific Northwest. The change is part of a nationwide initiative in 
progress since 2017, to ensure the Coast Guard is in compliance with 
Federal statutes and regulations. This initiative ensures three 
distinct levels of planning, each with their own important role, as 
outlined in regulation: the National Contingency Plan, Regional 
Contingency Plans, and Area Contingency Plans (ACPs). Coastal zone area 
contingency planning is managed at the Captain of the Port (COTP) 
level. There are two federally designated COTP zones within Coast Guard 
District 13/U.S. EPA Region 10--Sector Columbia River and Sector Puget 
Sound. Each COTP is pre-designated as a Federal on-scene coordinator 
(OSC), and is ``responsible for overseeing the development of the ACP 
in the area of the OSC's responsibility'' [40 CFR Sec. 300.120(e)]. 
This system of having the COTP, who is located in and familiar with the 
area, serves as the pre-designated OSC for incident response, and is 
also the individual with ultimate responsibility for contingency 
planning in their area of responsibility, strengthens oil spill 
response and preparedness in the coastal zones of Washington State and 
the Northwest Region.

    Question. How will federally recognized tribal governments be 
formally integrated into the decision-making processes of the Coast 
Guard's oil spill response plans in the region?
    Answer. Federally-recognized tribal governments currently are, and 
will continue to be, integrated into the decision-making processes of 
oil response planning through their participation in and membership on 
coastal zone Area Committee(s) under Coast Guard chairmanship. The Area 
Committee plays a crucial role in preparing the ACP, which is used in 
planning for, and responding to oil spills in that area.
Oil Spill Response II
    Question. I fought to include language in the Coast Guard 
Authorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-281) to initiate the Higher Volume 
Port Area (``HVPA'') designation for Cape Flattery, WA to better 
improve Coast Guard response capabilities to oil spills in the region. 
However, since the designation and completion of the follow-on 
rulemaking, there is still a gap in Coast Guard oil spill response 
coverage. This is critical due to the projected increases in 
international vessel traffic and the introduction of the transportation 
of large quantities of diluted bitumen through our waterways.
    Is the Coast Guard able to respond to an offshore oil spill in a 
timely manner, in this region, as required by law?
    Answer. Yes, the response resource capability in this region meets 
or exceeds the Higher Volume Port Area offshore response times 
prescribed in law for tank and non-tank vessels. For vessels required 
to possess a Vessel Response Plan (VRP) approved by the Coast Guard in 
this region, their VRP specifies the response times of resources, and 
requires a means to mobilize and manage the necessary response assets 
to mitigate an offshore oil spill.

    Question. What assets or resources have been moved or placed near 
Cape Flattery, WA for oil spill response?
    (Please include a description of the evaluations the Coast Guard 
conducted to meet these requirements in your response.)
    Answer. The nearest location of assets or resources near Cape 
Flattery is Neah Bay. The Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO) 
equipment in Neah Bay contains oil spill response skimming systems, 
containment boom, vessels, and temporary storage. Two OSROs are 
classified in the offshore operating environment and contain the oil 
spill response capability to respond to oil spills within the Puget 
Sound (Cape Flattery) COTP Zone. The Coast Guard evaluates these 
capabilities during its review of VRPs associated with the Puget Sound 
(Cape Flattery) COTP zone and preparedness assessment visits conducted 
by the Coast Guard National Strike Force Coordination Center.
Oil Spill Response III
    Question. The Makah Tribal Council hosted the first Strait of Juan 
de Fuca Transboundary Indigenous Caucus out of the two CANUSPAC 
exercises in 2016 and 2018 with an Indigenous engagement focus. The 
Tribe is committed to the development of this forum, which would serve 
as an ongoing capacity building, information sharing, and planning 
forum for Tribes and First Nations in the Straits. The forum will 
facilitate transboundary information exchange among tribal sovereigns 
in the event of a spill. We recognize Tribal and First Nation 
participation in oil spill preparedness and response forums as 
improving the overall safety and quality of the response and the 
implementation of the Federal trust responsibility. Coast Guard 
recognition of this forum and integration into transboundary 
coordination on spill response is needed to ensure the success of this 
local Indigenous Caucus model. How does the Coast Guard propose to 
formally recognize and integrate the Indigenous Caucus into 
transboundary oil spill preparedness and response structures?
    Answer. Concrete mechanisms exist within the Coast Guard's 
enactment of the Canada--United States Joint Contingency Plan (JCP) to 
recognize Indigenous interests and ensure their input and expertise is 
incorporated into JCP planning, preparedness, and response activities. 
One focus area involving the JCP's National Strategies includes 
Indigenous Caucus outreach and participation. This focus area 
integrates Indigenous partners in training, exercises, and operations 
and shares best practices regarding Indigenous relations within the JCP 
Annexes.
    Additionally, the JCP specifically recognizes the need to meet with 
Indigenous representatives when coordinating responses and reiterates 
inclusion of affected tribes in spill response. The Coast Guard 
believes the Indigenous Caucus is a valuable coordination platform for 
oil spill preparedness and response, especially for trans-boundary 
spills in the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Accordingly, the caucus will be 
included in all relevant future training, exercises, and actual trans-
boundary incidents with the Joint Response Team in the CANUSPAC region.
Affordable Housing
    Question. Housing allowance for junior enlisted members is often 
insufficient, especially for high cost of living areas and rural 
communities where cost of living data used for B.A.H. calculations is 
inadequate. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated an already existing 
problem by causing a shortage in available housing. During unit visits, 
Coast Guard members often cite affordable housing as one of their main 
challenges.
    Please describe the Coast Guard's plans to increase the 
availability of Coast Guard owned housing, especially at remote units 
and in high cost of living areas.
    Answer. The Coast Guard relies on the private sector as the primary 
source of housing. In locations where the private sector cannot meet 
housing requirements, the Coast Guard provides owned or leased housing. 
Protecting access to quality affordable housing is especially important 
in remote and coastal seasonal locations where housing availability is 
limited and costs are prohibitive. In these locations, the Coast Guard 
employs a multi-pronged strategy that includes contracted regional 
housing market studies to assess current and future housing needs, and 
where validated, construction of new Coast Guard owned housing. Recent 
examples include new housing in Alaska, Maine, Oregon, and Puerto Rico.
    The Coast Guard also leases housing in locations where the cost of 
rental housing exceeds member housing allowances. Additionally, the 
Coast Guard continues to improve Coast Guard owned housing through the 
utilization of the Housing Fund proceeds for projects in remote or high 
cost of living areas such as California, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Hawaii, 
and Massachusetts.
    The Coast Guard remains dedicated to ensuring that the workforce is 
well-informed on the available benefits and tools to assist with their 
housing needs. These efforts were paramount during the 2021 transfer 
season, when housing costs were high and members experienced difficulty 
locating affordable rental housing. As part of the Coast Guard's 
communication strategy, housing officers completed one-on-one contact 
with all inbound personnel to ensure their housing needs were addressed 
prior to arriving at their new duty station.
Housing Cost Estimates
    Question. District personnel have tools under current B.A.H. 
procedures to address some challenges in ensuring accurate assessment 
of housing costs. However, those tools are not used consistently over 
time, or across districts.
    Has the Coast Guard identified best practices to improve accuracy 
of housing cost estimates?
    Answer. A best practice to improve the accuracy of housing cost 
estimates is for the designated Military Housing Offices (MHO) to 
utilize the tools and training in executing the data collection process 
and contact the Regional or Service Representative for service-specific 
questions or data collection issues. The Tools and the Basic Allowance 
for Housing (BAH) Data Collection Process Guide are available online 
and training is held annually for the MHOs. MHO's are also encouraged 
to contact the Regional or Service Representative in addition to 
contacting the BAH Contractor (RDN) Customer Service Manager for 
Military Housing Areas specific questions or concerns.
    In circumstances where the MHO is not a Coast Guard representative, 
the local CG command is encouraged to engage and communicate frequently 
with the designated MHOs to ensure Coast Guard's interests are 
understood.

    Question. If so, how are those best practices shared and 
implemented across districts?
    Answer. All Coast Guard MHOs are aware of the tools and training. 
The MHO portal, the tool that ensures accurate assessment of (rental) 
housing costs, is accessible to the designated MHO from each Service. 
All announcements related to the year-long BAH rate setting process or 
data collection issues are sent by e-mail from RDN to all the Service 
MHOs, Regional Users, and Service representatives.
    Unfortunately, the establishment of relationships with non-Coast 
Guard MHOs and currency with training is not consistently employed 
across the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard is currently developing 
guidance for the improved utilization of best practices for eventual 
distribution and standardization across all districts.
Hazard Pay Information
    Question. In the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-
120) I fought for Coast Guard members to receive benefits for 
disabilities sustained in the line of duty. Despite the expansion of 
the Combat Related Special Compensation program being enacted over half 
a decade ago, we still hear from Coast Guard members in hazardous lines 
of work who are not familiar with the benefits they are entitled to 
receive for serving our Nation.
    The Coast Guard has incorporated Combat Related Special 
Compensation in some trainings, but clearly the Coast Guard actions to 
date are insufficient. What other steps will the Coast Guard take to 
ensure members that may be eligible for Combat Related Special 
Compensation benefits receive that information early and often in their 
careers?
    Answer. The Coast Guard currently and actively trains its members 
on the topic of their Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) 
benefits as part of the regular curriculum of its, and the U.S. 
Department of Defense's (DoD), Transition Assistance Program (TAP). All 
Coast Guard members are required to complete a TAP course prior to 
separation or retirement. Additionally, information is readily 
available on the Internet via any open-source search engine that direct 
users to dedicated webpages provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs, DoD, as well as the Coast Guard itself. A specific and 
dedicated informational trifold on CRSC is also available at every 
Coast Guard clinic and regional practice site. Lastly, every member 
proceeding through physical disability evaluation is supplied CRSC 
information upon entry and exit of the process, and the Coast Guard's 
ultimate decision document, which includes a specific CRSC finding and 
follow-on instructions, must be signed by the member before being made 
a permanent entry in their official military record. As evidenced by 
this multi-layered approach, the Coast Guard deeply values the CRSC 
program and its member benefits.
Remote Location Healthcare
    Question. Coast Guard members and their families deserve the best 
healthcare available for the hardships and dislocations they endure in 
the service of our Nation. Receiving quality healthcare is at best, 
challenging for members stationed in remote units such as Gray's Harbor 
and Cape Disappointment, WA. Members and families need to drive for 
hours to receive care from specialists or even to get a routine dental 
exam. This is not only a disruption for the member's day but also a 
reediness issue to those commands with members of their limited crews 
unavailable for one or more workdays. The drives can also pose a safety 
issue on remote roads.
    What additional resources does the Coast Guard need to reduce the 
healthcare burden on members and families serving in remote locations?
    Answer. The most important area of support for Coast Guard members 
and dependents in remote locations remains within civilian sector care 
under the Defense Health Agency (DHA) TRICARE network. Coast Guard 
works directly with DHA to increase network providers, but DHA holds 
the managed care support contracts. Closer examination of the reasons 
why providers are not participating, or choose not to accept new 
patients, is a key area that is not visible to Coast Guard. At this 
time the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is conducting a 
specific study related to TRICARE's ability to support the Coast Guard. 
GAO's findings in this report may provide additional information that 
clarifies existing obstacles and outlines potential changes to improve 
access to care.

    Question. Does the current Coast Guard IT system, staffing, and 
healthcare model support the use of telemedicine to include behavioral 
health consultations?
    Answer. Yes, the Coast Guard implemented a telemedicine solution 
during the COVID-19 pandemic and maintains that capability.

    Question. What can Congress do to help expand or improve access to 
telemedicine in the Coast Guard?
    Answer. Telemedicine as part of the TRICARE entitlement for both 
active duty and families is a significant source of Coast Guard health 
care. Ensuring that telemedicine remains an entitlement with no or low 
copayments is one tool to increase use from beneficiaries' long-term.
                                 ______
                                 
   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Tammy Baldwin to 
                            Karl L. Schultz
Navigation Protocols
    Question. The threat posed to the Great Lakes by invasive species, 
particularly invasive Asian Carp, is significant. The proper 
implementation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin 
Study (GLMRIS) and its Brandon Road project is critical to protecting 
the region from severe ecological impacts, but before that is 
implemented, the operation of the electric dispersal barriers are 
critical to preventing the upstream transfer of individual carp. 
Scientists estimate that as few as 20 breeding pairs of invasive carp 
could establish a viable population, fundamentally changing the ecology 
of the lakes. Congress has made clear that the Coast Guard, through its 
role in the interagency Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee 
process, shares responsibility for the development, implementation, and 
enforcement of navigation protocols to prevent entrainment of invasive 
species as vessels move through the Chicago Area Waterway System. What 
is the status of the development and implementation of navigation 
protocols on the Chicago Area Waterway System to prevent the 
entrainment of invasive carp?
    Answer. Current navigation protocols are established under 33 CFR 
Sec. 165.923 for all waters of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, 
Romeoville, IL located between mile marker 295.5 and mile marker 297.2. 
This regulation includes a provision that restricts the discharge of 
non-potable water from vessels unless testing has demonstrated that the 
non-potable water does not contain potential live Silver or Asian carp, 
viable eggs, or gametes.
    In addition, Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ICRCC) 
agencies are evaluating the use of bubbler arrays and other 
technologies to prevent inadvertent entrainment and transport of small 
fish through locks and electric barriers by commercial barges. In 2022, 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (USFWS), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and partnering 
agencies will field test the efficacy of bubbles in removing small 
invasive carp from the rake-box junction of commercial barges in the 
Illinois Waterway. Results of this project will also help to address 
known vulnerabilities at the Chicago Area Waterway System electrical 
barriers and assist in design of deterrents at Brandon Road Lock and 
Dam. The USACE will also explore testing the interactions of multiple 
deterrent technologies to optimize their effectiveness and minimize 
possible negative interference between technologies.

    Question. Please provide the projected timeline for full 
implementation of navigation protocols.
    Answer. Development, assessment, and implementation of additional 
navigation safety protocols is contingent upon completion of the 
experimental field testing of longitudinal bubbler arrays for barge 
entrainment mitigation currently underway by USACE and USFWS in 
collaboration with the USGS.

    Question. Please provide a detailed explanation of the navigation 
protocols to be implemented?
    Answer. Any new navigation protocols and restrictions in the 
Chicago Area Waterway System that result from this ongoing research 
would be similar to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near 
Romeoville, Illinois under 33 CFR Sec. 165.923.

    Question. Please provide the status and details of the Coast 
Guard's enforcement plan to ensure vessel compliance with the 
navigation protocols.
    Answer. Once safety protocols are formally established, the ICRCC 
agencies will conduct education and outreach activities to inform the 
public. The Coast Guard will verify compliance and enforce the 
navigation protocols during routine vessel boardings and inspections.
                                 ______
                                 
  Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Tammy Duckworth to 
                            Karl L. Schultz
Indo-Pacific Operations
    Question. Economic growth in Asia continues to re-shape our 
strategic landscape as the world's economic and political center of 
gravity shifts towards the Indo-Pacific. The Coast Guard's status as a 
military service coupled with its law enforcement roles allows it to 
contribute to both the military and maritime law enforcement 
requirements of the Indo-Pacific region.
    How have the Coast Guard's international partnerships strengthened 
our Nation's readiness to engage in great power competition in the 
Indo-Pacific region?
    Answer. The Coast Guard has been operating in the Indo-Pacific with 
our key partners for over 150 years, and is proud to be considered a 
trusted partner in the region's maritime security, safety and 
stewardship. The Coast Guard's operations, activities and investments 
in the region, informed by national-level strategic guidance, are 
designed to shape the Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and 
Multinational maritime environment, to ensure unrestricted, lawful 
access to the region's maritime commons. The cornerstone of these 
efforts is Coast Guard operational engagements which promotes regional 
security cooperation and capacity building that enables our Indo-
Pacific partners capacity to establish effective maritime governance 
and sovereignty.

    Question. What can Congress do to empower the Coast Guard to expand 
its presence and operations in the Indo-Pacific region?
    Answer. With a goal of a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific, 
the Coast Guard's operations, activities, and investments (OAI) in the 
region are designed to ensure economic prosperity, environmental 
resiliency, and unrestricted lawful access to the region's maritime 
commons. This shaping takes place by strengthening allies and 
partnerships via three primary lines of effort around which OAI are 
organized; increased presence, maritime governance, and meaningful 
engagements. Increased resourcing is required in the form of sustained, 
predictable growth to Coast Guard operational funding levels to address 
overall Service readiness, and expand Coast Guard OAIs across the Indo-
Pacific. With increased resourcing, the Coast Guard would realize a 
greater long-term vision to support National Security Strategy 
objectives, and achieve comprehensive strategic partnerships in the 
Indo-Pacific.
ATON Fleet Maintenance
    Question. According to a 2020 GAO report, the Coast Guard faces 
challenges with managing its fixed and floating aids to navigation 
(ATON). One challenge specifically is the decreased availability of 
vessels to service ATON due to unplanned maintenance periods. Older 
ATON cutters can take longer to repair because of old or obsolete 
equipment and the lack of available parts, which decreases their 
availability to conduct missions.
    What is the Coast Guard doing to expedite the procurement process 
for equipment needed to reduce unplanned maintenance periods for the 
ATON cutter fleet?
    Answer. The Coast Guard is addressing aids to navigation (ATON) 
cutter fleet challenges through a multi-faceted approach ranging from 
standard system and equipment obsolescence replacements, to major 
maintenance projects. The 225' WLB Seagoing Buoy Tender fleet is 
nearing completion of its MMA program, which includes replacement of 
several obsolete systems, and provides needed maintenance to critical 
ship systems. The 175' WLM Coastal Buoy tender fleet is scheduled to 
undergo MMA starting in Fiscal Year 2024, pending funding approval in 
FY 2022. While neither MMA program is intended to add service life, 
these crucial maintenance programs modernize systems, and are targeted 
to increase reliability and reduce unplanned maintenance.
    In regards to the inland river and construction tender fleet, the 
Coast Guard stood up the Inland River Emergency Subsystem Sustainment 
to address subsystem obsolescence issues. The Coast Guard continues to 
utilize industry best practices to identify, schedule, and prioritize 
maintenance, and repair work to reduce unplanned maintenance delays 
with available budget and resources. This sustainment strategy will 
continue until the replacement of targeted ATON cutter classes through 
the Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) acquisition program is complete. 
Contract award for the River Buoy Tender and Construction Tender 
variants of the WCC is anticipated in the second quarter of FY 2022. 
The first WCCs are scheduled for delivery in FY 2025, pending contract 
award.
Countering Extremism
    Question. Domestic terrorism incidents have soared to new highs in 
the United States, driven primarily by white-supremacist, anti-Muslim 
and anti-government extremists. Earlier this year, the Secretary of 
Defense announced immediate actions to counter extremism in the 
military and established the Countering Extremism Working Group. This 
working group was established because servicemembers cannot contribute 
to a cohesive unit if extremist views prevent different members from 
working together.
    In addition to holding an extremism stand-down, what has the Coast 
Guard done to prevent, detect and address extremist views within the 
organization?
    Answer. In 2013, the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) 
created the CGIS Threat Management Unit (TMU), a full-time dedicated 
behavioral analysis, behavioral threat assessment, and threat 
management capability to help commands and the Coast Guard identify, 
assess, and manage, concerning, aberrant, and violent behavior, to 
include violent extremism.

   TMU provides customized behavior-based products and services 
        to support commands and CGIS special agents during the 
        interviewing and investigation of potential acts of concern and 
        to reduce potential escalation of unwanted outcomes.

   In FY 2021, CGIS leadership doubled the number of the TMU 
        special agent threat assessors and maintains a contract with a 
        clinical forensic psychologist with specialization in targeted 
        violence and radicalization.

    In 2009, the USCG established its Insider Threat capability. Today, 
the CG's Insider Threat Program (CGInTP) works to detect, deter, and 
mitigate insider threats; supports the lawful interests of 
stakeholders; aids in the protection of USCG installations, 
information, equipment and personnel. CGInTP is comprised of 23 full-
time insider threat professionals who specialize in acquiring, 
analyzing, and providing indications and warnings of potential insider 
threats.

   On November 12, 2018, the USCG Insider Threat Program 
        detected self-described skinhead Christopher P. Hasson and 
        uncovered his domestic terrorism plot along with his white 
        supremacist beliefs, which--in part--fueled his efforts. The 
        combined efforts of the CGInTP, the Coast Guard Investigative 
        Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation interrupted 
        Hasson's planning after a 3 month investigation and resulted in 
        his criminal conviction and 13.3 year prison sentence.

   Since then, the CGInTP has been presenting lessons learned 
        from the Hasson case and the results of the USCG's extremism 
        detection analysis throughout the DoD, DHS, and Intelligence 
        Community.

   In 2019, the CGInTP instantiated a nascent extremism 
        detection analytical process based on User Activity Monitoring 
        data accumulated for insider threat detection. To date, CGInTP 
        has evaluated approximately 1.5 million extremism related data 
        artifacts from approximately 4,000 individuals, which resulted 
        in 10 referrals to CGIS.

   In 2020, CGInTP agreed to partner with the Pentagon and the 
        United States Military Academy to create a domestic terrorism-
        themed educational module aimed at education of junior military 
        officers.

   In 2021, CGInTP began participating in DHS and Coast Guard 
        efforts to address extremism in organizational policy and as a 
        cross-cutting topic that would include insider threat program 
        capabilities.

   In 2021, CGInTP began assisting a Federally Funded Research 
        and Development Center with studying extremism and evaluating 
        future detection capabilities.

   From 2019 through 2021, CGInTP has participated in virtual 
        town halls, podcasts, been featured on Twitter, and supported 
        the private sector as subject matter experts for panel 
        discussions on the topic of Insider Threat.

    Coast Guard personnel participated in the Secretary of Defense's 
Countering Extremist Activities Working Group tasked with updating and 
expanding DoD regulations to address extremist activity among members 
of the Armed Forces. This led to the December 20, 2021, update to DoD 
Instruction 1325.06, which applies to the Office of the Secretary of 
Defense and the Military Departments to include the Coast Guard.
    In October 2021, the Coast Guard stood up a ``Confronting and 
Eliminating Extremism'' Community of Interest. The group meets 
regularly and serves as the Initial Operating Capability and central 
coordination and collaboration body to address Coast Guard efforts to 
counter extremism within the Service.
Leased Housing
    Question. Coast Guard members and their families have been facing 
difficulties as they move to new duty stations due to surging housing 
costs. This year alone, the national median rent increased by 11.4 
percent causing members to pay more per month for rentals than their 
housing allowance covers. This is especially true in areas where 
families compete with tourism and the growth of online homestay 
services.
    What steps has the Coast Guard taken to expand the supply of Family 
Leased Housing and Unaccompanied Personnel Leased Housing?
    Answer. The Coast Guard provides family and unaccompanied leased 
housing as necessary to address the housing needs of our members. This 
typically occurs in locations where there is insufficient Coast Guard 
owned housing or private sector housing, or the cost of private sector 
housing exceeds the housing allowance. The Coast Guard does not have a 
cap for the total quantity of leased housing, and the program is a 
viable housing option in the absence of Coast Guard owned or private 
sector housing. It is also a cost effective option in locations where 
the cost of leased housing is less than owning and maintaining a small 
number of Coast Guard owned housing units. With the exception of single 
junior members assigned afloat, who are by statute not entitled to 
basic allowance for housing, assignment to Coast Guard leased housing 
is optional. While current Coast Guard policy does not allow the long-
term retention of vacant leased housing, policy exceptions are 
considered and approved on a case-by-case basis, taking into account 
the totality of circumstances.
Female-Relevant Policies
    Question. The 2019 RAND report on Improving Gender Diversity in the 
Coast Guard highlighted concerns that women faced regarding the lack of 
breastfeeding support following parental leave. In particular, key 
issues stemmed from inconsistencies in the implementation of female-
relevant policies across Coast Guard units, including appropriate 
lactation facilities and adequate time for lactation breaks.
    What is the Coast Guard doing to educate its leadership 
specifically on female-relevant policies?
    Answer. The Coast Guard Personnel Readiness Task Force created a 
draft resource guide for unit leaders and personnel. The Office of 
Diversity and Inclusion is working to finalize the product. The Coast 
Guard anticipates this resource being ready for leadership beginning in 
March 2022.
    The Coast Guard released a Coast Guard-wide article that 
highlighted policies that have significantly impacted women's 
retention, Women's retention rates increasing > United States Coast 
Guard > My Coast Guard News (uscg.mil), an article specifically 
detailing how to support lactation Supervisors: How to support 
breastfeeding in the field > United States Coast Guard > My Coast Guard 
News (uscg.mil), and the Pregnancy in the Coast Guard guide in 2019.

    Question. Are all Coast Guard facilities currently outfitted to 
ensure proper lactation accommodations are available to nursing mothers 
returning to work?
    Answer. Coast Guard policy requires a Nursing Mothers Room (NMR) 
for units/offices greater than 50 people.
    The Coast Guard does not have specific data on availability of 
lactation accommodations at all of its shore facilities. The Coast 
Guard includes NMRs into building designs when executing major 
construction activities.

    Question. If not, what is the Coast Guard's plan to foster more 
inclusive work environments for female personnel?
    Answer. The Coast Guard created guidance to commands to foster an 
inclusive work environment for nursing members. Paragraph d. (2)(a) and 
d.(2)(b) of Commandant Instruction 1000.9, Pregnancy In the Coast 
Guard, read: ``. . . Challenges in the workplace may include lack of 
adequate facilities and limited time during the workday for expressing 
milk. These challenges can be reduced with a small investment of time 
and flexibility. When possible, the commanding officers and officers in 
charge should support service members who desire to breastfeed as 
follows: (1) lactation facility: Ensure the availability of a private, 
clean room for expressing breast milk during the workday. When space is 
limited, a multi-purpose room (i.e., duty room), stateroom, or berthing 
area may be used as long as privacy can be assured for the time 
required. The facility shall be as close as possible to a water source 
for washing hands and rinsing equipment and equipped with electrical 
outlets, a table and chair. It is preferable that this space not be a 
restroom unless the restroom is equipped with a lounge type of area . . 
.''
                                 ______
                                 
      Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Ted Cruz to 
                            Karl L. Schultz
    Background: Currently, there are unprecedented delays at American 
ports, which have led to staggering images of dozens and dozens of 
ships waiting off the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to unload. 
These delays have had tremendous negative downstream impacts for 
American businesses and consumers, and have led to ships anchoring in 
places they normally would not.

    Question 1. Given the role the Coast Guard plays in safeguarding 
vessel traffic, what impact is the unprecedented backlog of ships at 
ports around the United States having on Coast Guard operations?
    Answer. The backlog has had a minimal impact on Coast Guard 
operations. Coast Guard Captains of the Port (COTP) leverage their 
unique authorities to effectively manage traffic throughout American 
ports and cooperate closely with port partners to maintain maritime 
domain awareness, manage risk resulting from port congestion, and 
minimize its impact to Coast Guard operations.

   Follow-up: Does the Coast Guard have to divert resources 
        from its other missions--like drug and migrant interdiction--to 
        U.S. ports in order to be able to continue to meet its maritime 
        safety and security and marine environmental protection 
        missions at and around those ports?

    Answer. The Coast Guard has not diverted resources to account for 
port congestion and continues to perform all 11 of its statutory 
missions.

    Question 2. Is the backlog of ships at ports around the United 
States forcing waiting ships to anchor in places they normally 
wouldn't, such as close to or over undersea pipelines?
    Answer. Each COTP uses their authority to identify anchorage areas, 
as well as areas where anchoring is prohibited. The COTP can and will 
direct vessels at anchor to move, if their anchorage threatens the 
safety of navigation or the environment. Additionally, COTPs enforce 
vessel entry delays to prevent unsafe crowding of navigational channels 
and anchorages.

   Follow-up: Specifically, did the backlog at the ports of Los 
        Angeles and Long Beach play any role in the MSC DANIT incident 
        off the Port of Long Beach in early October, which led to the 
        puncturing of an undersea oil pipeline?
    If so, please give specifics.

    Answer. The Coast Guard, in conjunction with the National 
Transportation Safety Board, is conducting an ongoing investigation 
into the Pipeline P00547 Incident which occurred off the Port of Long 
Beach. The Coast Guard will share results of that investigation once 
they become available.

    Background: In a Commerce Committee hearing on December 8, 2020, 
regarding U.S. Coast Guard capabilities for safeguarding national 
interests, USCG Vice Commandant, Admiral Charles Ray, and I discussed 
the threat that China and Russia pose to American interests in the 
Arctic. He stated that, although Russia is an immediate challenge in 
the Arctic, with regard to China:

        ``The behavior [China] is displaying in the polar regions--not 
        just the Arctic but the Antarctic, and not just the Alaska 
        Arctic but over by Greenland as well . . . They are . . . 
        following, in my opinion and analysis I've done . . . the same 
        playbook they followed in the South China Sea . . . get a 
        toehold and then start working in the name of science and in 
        the name of other things, then the next thing you know they are 
        moving forward their agenda there.''

    It is well known that China has constructed airstrips, created deep 
draft ports, deployed anti-ship cruise missiles, surface-to-air 
missiles, and missile defense batteries, and conducted various drills 
and tests, such as the 2019 tests of anti-ship ballistic missiles, 
designed to showcase the Chinese military's growing counter-
intervention capabilities and deter the United States and our allies. 
On October 18, 2021, White House Press Secretary Jenn Psaki said, 
regarding China's recent, publicly reported successful test of a 
nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, that the Administration 
``welcome[s] stiff competition'' with China.

    Question 3. What is the Coast Guard's analysis of China's activity 
in the Arctic and Antarctic and their efforts, as Admiral Ray stated, 
to get a toehold there? If necessary you may submit an additional, 
classified answer, but please provide an unclassified analysis as well.
    Answer. (U//FOUO) Historical analysis by the Coast Guard's 
Intelligence Coordination Center (ICC) demonstrates the PRC's pattern 
of advancing broader state interests after establishing entry via 
benign means, such as scientific research. This pattern is well-
demonstrated globally, and extends into the Polar Regions. Additional 
details on the PRC's activities and interests are classified and will 
be made available separately via appropriate classified system.

    Question 4. Concerning their activity in the Arctic and Antarctic 
and efforts to get a toehold there, is it the position of the Coast 
Guard that it welcomes ``stiff competition'' with China?
    Answer. (U//FOUO) The actions and intentions of Arctic and non-
Arctic nation states continue to shape the security environment and 
stability of the region. Allies, partners, and competitors increasingly 
contend for diplomatic, economic, and strategic advantage and 
influence. The PRC has declared the Arctic a strategic priority and is 
exerting direct or indirect influence across the region. This 
prioritization includes pursuit of economic investments in key 
strategic areas such as rare-earth elements, oil and gas development, 
air and sea ports, railways, and infrastructure. In 2019, the PRC 
launched its first domestically-built icebreaking vessel, the Research 
Vessel XUE LONG 2, which operated in the Arctic this year, including 
taking a sediment core sample while operating on the waters over the 
United States' extended continental shelf. The PRC is also designing an 
even more powerful polar icebreaker expected to have twice the 
icebreaking capability of XUE LONG 2. With continued effort and 
investment, the PRC could outpace U.S. icebreaker capacity and polar 
access by 2024. The Coast Guard's primary concern with PRC activities 
in the Arctic is their potential to disrupt the cooperation, stability, 
and governance in the region for both Arctic and non-Arctic States. 
This concern stems from their pattern of behavior in other parts of the 
globe, and their willingness to push the boundaries of acceptable 
behavior to advance their interests.
    (U//FOUO) The PRC is a full and active member of the Antarctic 
Treaty system. The PRC has a small but growing presence in Antarctica, 
including the aforementioned icebreaking capacity. The United States 
closely monitors the capabilities and intentions of all countries 
active in Antarctica to safeguard U.S. national interests in 
Antarctica. As part of this interagency effort, the USCGC Polar Star 
was instrumental in conducting an unannounced inspection of a PRC 
station in the Ross Sea region in February 2020.
    (U) The Coast Guard has shaped and influenced national security in 
the Arctic for over 150 years. This includes asserting the Nation's 
sovereign rights, upholding our sovereign responsibilities from the 
strategic to the tactical level, and countering malign influence that 
is contrary to U.S. values and international rules and norms. The 
Service will continue to be present and lead, both operationally and 
strategically, so that the Nation can monitor and modify the behavior 
of our strategic competitors and enable the U.S. to expand influence 
across the Arctic through collaboration based on shared values with 
allies and partners.

    Background: As the rapid militarization of the South China Sea has 
shown, if China is allowed to establish a significant presence in the 
increasingly contested Arctic region under the guise of something 
innocuous, it won't be long before they militarize that presence and 
begin threatening the territory of the U.S. and our economic interests.

    Question 5. What resources does the Coast Guard need to effectively 
defend our maritime and economic security, and truly assert American 
power and deter incursions from China in the Artic?
    Answer. Competition in the Arctic is growing, and for more than 150 
years, our Nation has counted on the Coast Guard to proudly project 
American sovereignty, provide national security, and promote economic 
prosperity in the region. Exercising leadership in the Arctic requires 
effective presence. As the only U.S. military service that operates 
consistently on the surface in the high-latitudes, the Coast Guard is 
well positioned to play a crucial role in protecting our Nation's 
interests in a vital region being sought for economic gains and 
militarized by the PRC.
    As human activity and international interest in the Polar Regions 
expands, the Coast Guard appreciates continued Congressional support 
for the Coast Guard's highest acquisition priorities, including the 
Polar Security Cutter (PSC). Providing the funding included in the 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 President's Budget is critical to this 
acquisition effort. When fully operational, PSCs will provide the 
global reach and Polar icebreaking capability necessary to ensure 
sustained operations in the Polar Regions, providing access that is 
critical to protecting our national interests and security.
    Moreover, the Coast Guard's FY 2022 Unfunded Priority List includes 
funding for operational capabilities and logistical imperatives that 
allow the Coast Guard to uphold a rules-based order by conducting 
effective maritime operations and exercises throughout the region. 
Operational capabilities include a commercial icebreaker bridging 
strategy and MH-60T helicopter blade-fold/tail-fold capabilities while 
logistical imperatives include personnel housing in Kodiak, AK and 
industrial facility improvements in Ketchikan, AK.

    Background: In your testimony, you discussed the global problem 
that is Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. One Texas-
specific IUU issue is that of Mexican lanchas, which routinely violate 
the maritime boundary separating Mexico and the United States and 
engage in illegal fishing and, increasingly, other illicit activities. 
These lanchas--small, crude fishing boats outfitted with powerful 
outboard motors--illegally cross into U.S. waters to catch high-priced 
red snapper using fishing equipment, which is illegal in the United 
States due to the indiscriminate way it kills not just sought after 
fish, but protected species like turtles, dolphins, and sharks. Today, 
this illegal fishing by Mexican lanchas has become a multi-million 
dollar black market even involving the Mexican drug cartels. When 
Mexican fishermen are caught illegally fishing, their boats and catch 
are confiscated, but the fisherman are simply returned to Mexico. The 
Mexican lanchas not only disrupt the American fishing industry and 
marine ecosystem, but also actually help fuel transnational crime and 
provide financial support for the cartels through the trafficking of 
drugs and people.

    Question 6. What additional resources--ships, aerial assets, 
manpower, etc.--does the Coast Guard need to combat the Mexican lanchas 
and effectively put an end to this lawless behavior? Please be as 
specific as possible.
    Answer. Lancha incursions into the U.S. Exclusive Economic zone and 
subsequent illegal fishing in U.S. waters by Mexican Nations is a long 
standing and complex challenge. The economic drivers for this illicit 
activity are multi-faceted. Increases in resources, ships, aerial 
assets, and manpower would likely increase the number of lancha 
interdictions. Increased interdiction efforts alone are assessed as 
unlikely to significantly decrease the number of lancha incursions 
absent changes in economic drivers in Mexico.

    Question 7. Outside of physical resources, are changes to statute 
needed to penalize effectively the pilots and crew of lanchas who are 
caught illegally crossing into U.S. waters and raiding American 
fisheries? If so, please be specific concerning changes to criminal 
law, economic sanctions, etc.
    Answer. Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing is a complex 
issue that requires a whole of government effort to address. Current 
statutes provide a robust legal framework for addressing illegal 
fishing in U.S. waters. The underlying economic drivers of this 
activity are perhaps the most difficult challenge, and the Mexican 
government has the greatest ability to affect those factors.
                                 ______
                                 
    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Dan Sullivan to 
                            Karl L. Schultz
    Background: Alaska relies heavily on Alternate Planning Criteria in 
lieu of the National Planning Criteria when determining appropriate 
vessel response plans. Many complaints revolve around the APC program, 
including many shortfalls that could spell disaster if a modern day 
Exxon Valdez were to occur. Through the 2018 Coast Guard bill, the GAO 
completed a report in September 2020 highlighting some of the issues. 
The Coast Guard responded by standing up the Maritime Oil-Spill 
Response Planning Advisory Group. They have since decided that the 
solution is to improve the internal paperwork process. After holding a 
two-day info-session in Alaska, it became apparent that the Coast Guard 
is not interested in outside opinions or support on this topic.

    Question 1. Can you explain the Coast Guard's hesitancy to involve 
state and local agencies in the Vessel Response Plan (VRP) review and 
development process or to consult industry on ways to improve the 
Alternate Planning Criteria (APC) system?
    Answer. The Coast Guard shares your concerns about oil-spill 
response resource capabilities and planning gaps in Alaska, and 
continually seeks way to improve our Vessel Response Plan (VRP) review 
processes and to clarify Alternate Planning Criteria guidelines. The 
members of the Maritime Oil-Spill Response Plan Advisory Group (MORPAG) 
actively engage with federal, state and local agencies in Alaska to 
address these complex issues through mechanisms like the Western Alaska 
Area Committee and the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task 
Force. Furthermore, the MORPAG solicited feedback from the various 
state, local, industry, and Federal stakeholders that attended its most 
recent meetings in Alaska, and will incorporate this feedback, as 
possible, to improve remote-area vessel response planning.

    Question 2. This is an area I care very much about as the 
management of the oil spill response program is challenging and diverse 
in D17. I am disappointed in what I perceive as a lack of effort from 
the Coast Guard on this subject. What is it going to take to see real 
progress regarding APCs in Alaska? What does congress need to do?
    Answer. The Coast Guard also cares deeply about developing common 
sense vessel response planning policy to protect all of our Nation's 
coastlines from the threat of oil pollution. To improve remote area 
vessel response planning, the MORPAG established a deliberate and 
phased project management approach to develop sound policies, as 
recommended by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Per this 
phased approach, the Coast Guard, via the MORPAG, continues to address 
stakeholder equities and formulate well-informed solutions to improve 
the VRP program while facilitating alternatives and build-out of 
response infrastructure in remote areas. The Coast Guard expects to 
publish these solutions in 2022.

    Background: The Coast Guard's Rescue 21 distress communication 
system only covers a fraction of Alaska's coastline while coastal 
states in the lower 48 have complete coverage of their shoreline. The 
Alaska system pales in comparison by not providing lines of bearing to 
distress calls, instead only providing large range rings that may cover 
thousands of square miles. This system in Alaska has not been meeting 
the Coast Guard's reliability standards with numerous radio towers 
routinely non-operational across the state. Meaning boaters cannot call 
out to the Coast Guard for help on VHF Channel 16 in large areas.

    Question 3. I am very pleased to see the Coast Guard taking action 
to make substantial improvements to the equipment at many of the radio 
tower sites. In previous hearings, the Coast Guard has stated they 
would be working with DHS Science and Technology, as well as the Arctic 
Domain Awareness Center to study high latitude maritime connectivity 
mission needs, the use of satellites to conduct VHF communications, and 
the recapitalization of HF abilities in the Arctic. Can you provide an 
update on what these studies have produced and how Congress can aid in 
the implementation of these findings?
    Answer. Both the Arctic Domain Awareness Center and the U.S. 
Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology 
Directorate studies are ongoing. The Coast Guard anticipates updates 
from both studies in the second quarter of FY 2022.

    Question 5. Despite being a highly utilized waterway, a large 
portion of Cook Inlet near the Kenai River is in a massive VHF dead 
spot. Can you explain why the Coast Guard does not have VHF coverage in 
this area and what is needed to rectify this issue?
    Answer. The acquisition methodology used to deploy the Rescue 21 
(R21) capability to Alaska from FY 2005 to FY 2017 was ``build to 
cost'' since the acquisition cost for full coverage exceeded the 
resources available to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard prioritized 68 
sites in Alaska based on historical search and rescue case data to 
provide coverage until funds were exhausted. Funds were exhausted 
before the coverage could be provided to Cook Inlet and other areas.
    The Coast Guard remains committed to modernizing the footprint of 
the R21 Alaska system to provide more reliable and resilient search and 
rescue services. The Coast Guard does not have immediate plans to 
expand coverage for R21 Alaska beyond the original acquisition 
footprint [expanding to ensure full coverage will be an important 
consideration for the next generation system] because any further 
development of the current R21 Alaska system would constitute a new 
acquisition program that must comply with the DHS Joint Requirements 
Integration Management System.
    The Coast Guard has commenced preliminary steps to address this 
problem through a next generation system. The Coast Guard is 
documenting its requirements and assessing potential technology 
solutions that will inform in Rough Order of Magnitude estimates for a 
future acquisition. Additional funding will be required to expand the 
coverage area for R21 Alaska beyond the original footprint.
                                 ______
                                 
  Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Marsha Blackburn to 
                            Karl L. Schultz
    Question 1. As a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) member, I 
am closely tracking Department of Defense (DOD) COVID-19 Vaccine 
mandates, timelines, and disposition guidance with respect to refusals. 
Does the Coast Guard have a more or less restrictive policy than the 
broader Department of Homeland Security?
    Answer. Both DHS and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) have policies 
which indicate that everyone shall be vaccinated against COVID-19 
unless they have been granted an exemption. For military members of the 
USCG, the personnel consequences of disobeying a lawful general order 
differ from the consequences which could be faced by civilian 
personnel, whether employed by DHS or USCG.

    Question 2. Can you provided details on what would be the least 
favorable discharge and characterization of service a Coast Guardsman 
can receive for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine?
    Answer. The characterization of this discharge will be no less than 
General under Honorable Conditions.

    Question 3. What is the Coast Guard's authoritative document 
regarding the vaccination requirements, timelines, and exemption 
procedures for civilian personnel?
    Please include references for both contractors and GS employees.
    Answer. In e-mails sent on October 12, 2021, October 25, 2021, and 
November 8, 2021; the DHS Under Secretary for Management outlined the 
requirements and consequences associated with President Biden's 
September 9, 2021 Executive Order (EO) on Requiring Coronavirus 
Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. The information 
provided mandates all Federal employees to be fully vaccinated by 
November 22, 2021 except in limited circumstances in which an 
employee requests or receives a legally required exception.

    Question 4. Secretary Austin Lunched an ``Independent Review 
Commission'' on sexual assault in the military as one of his first acts 
as the Secretary of Defense. He claims that he ``consulted with all 
services.'' Did the Secretary Austin's ``Independent Review 
Commission'' consult the Coast Guard?
    Answer. Yes. The ``Independent Review Commission (IRC)'' met with 
the Judge Advocate General of the Coast Guard in a joint meeting with 
the Judge Advocate Generals of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and the Staff 
Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. In addition, a 
senior Coast Guard judge advocate was included as a member of the 
Consultative Team assigned to support the IRC Accountability Line of 
Effort Highly Qualified Experts.

    Question 5. Is it correct that while the Coast Guard is 
administered under Title 14 of the United States Code when not 
operating as part of the U.S. Navy, individuals commissioned or 
enlisted in the Coast Guard are subject to the Uniformed Code of 
Military Justice (UCMJ) as an Armed Force?
    Answer. Yes. Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. Sec. 101 and 14 U.S.C. Sec. 101, 
the Coast Guard is a military service and a branch of the Armed Forces 
of the United States at all times.

    Question 6. Will any efforts to reform, modify, or otherwise 
procedurally shake up the UCMJ have a direct impact on the Coast Guard?
    Answer. Coast Guard officers and enlisted members are subject to 
the UCMJ pursuant to 10 U.S.C. Sec. 802 (Article 2), and the Coast 
Guard is part of the military justice system as implemented in the 
Manual for Courts-Martial (MCM) (2019 ed).

    Question 7. Every service chief was provided an opportunity to 
submit a closed letter to the SASC, detailing their assessment of the 
efficacy of Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act 
(MJIIP). All of them raised serious concerns with this legislation and 
cautioned against its passage. What is your position on removing the 
consideration of sexual assault and harassment from the chain of 
command?
    Answer. The Commander occupies a unique and central role and has 
primary responsibility to maintain good order and discipline, to foster 
an environment and culture of respect, and to engender trust amongst 
all members of the command, conditions which contribute to unit 
cohesion and military effectiveness in combat and in other dangerous 
operations. The IRC recognized that preventing, responding to, and 
supporting Service members who are the victims of sexual harassment and 
sexual assault is a command responsibility. This responsibility is 
inextricably linked to, and depends on, the authority to command 
effectively. This responsibility remains in tact and just as important 
as before the new changes to military justice.
    The Coast Guard will support and implement removal of the 
prosecution of sexual assault and certain crimes from the chain of 
command and vesting it in independent authorities within the Service, 
in accordance with the new law.

    Question 8. Do you believe that over the course of the next 2-4 
years, this notion of removing the referral of charges to courts 
martial by military prosecutors instead of commanders will decreased 
rates of sexual assault in the Coast Guard?
    Answer. Sexual assault is not unique to the Coast Guard--the 
scourge of sexual assault plagues the military and society, alike. The 
Coast Guard believes the best way to decrease the rates of sexual 
assault is to increase prevention resources and develop new strategies 
to create cultural change within the Service. Seeking to prevent sexual 
assaults before they occur is the most effective strategy for 
decreasing the overall rate of sexual assault.
    Prevention goes hand in hand with accountability. The Coast Guard 
will faithfully implement the changes in military justice responses to 
sexual assault and related crimes, as required by the new law.
                                 ______
                                 
     Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Todd Young to 
                            Karl L. Schultz
    Background: Over time, the Coast Guard has changed its domestic 
icebreaking policy to prioritize maritime deliveries of food and fuel 
over industrial supplies. The number of Coast Guard icebreaking cutters 
in the Great Lakes has declined from 14 to 9. While that prioritization 
of ``Tier One'' waterway commerce might be appropriate for northeastern 
states, in the Great Lakes, the vast majority of food and fuel is 
delivered by landside transportation, not vessels. Instead, it is the 
Great Lakes steel manufacturing industry depends on adequate winter 
icebreaking to facilitate delivery of raw materials, and this 
icebreaking is needed in more areas than just the four Great Lakes 
connecting channels the Coast Guard considers ``Tier One.''

    Question 1. Will you revisit the Coast Guard's domestic icebreaking 
policy so that it more appropriately considers the different maritime 
commerce needs of the different regions of the country?
    Answer. The Coast Guard is currently updating its Domestic 
Icebreaking Operations Policy, COMDTINST 16151.1D. The Coast Guard will 
carefully consider the needs of all waterways users during the revision 
process. The Coast Guard expects to complete the revision process by 
early Calendar Year 2023.

    Background: In 2019, you laid out your vision for expanding the 
Coast Guard's presence in the Indo-Pacific, which was built upon the 
use of short cutter deployments to provided unique capabilities to our 
partners in the region. In the years since, that mission has evolved 
into a forward presence based in Guam. This year, three cutters are 
based in Guam and providing a continuous presence as the United States 
competes in the maritime domain against China's extensive coast guard 
and fishing fleet.

    Question 2. How has this deployment been matched by investments in 
shore infrastructure to support these deployments?
    Answer. The Coast Guard is building shore infrastructure in Apra 
Harbor, Guam to support Coast Guard priorities in the Indo-Pacific 
region including the homeport facilities for three 154-foot Fast 
Response Cutters (FRCs). The FRCs arrived prior to the completion of 
the infrastructure needed for their long-term support, but the scope of 
the infrastructure project includes waterside wharf upgrades, 
construction of a Maintenance and Weapons Depot and Support building, a 
HAZMAT storage building, ammunition and pyrotechnics lockers, and 
associated infrastructure. The project is on track to be completed in 
the third quarter of FY 2022.

    Question 3. What missions are forward deployed cutters authorized 
to undertake in the Indo-Pacific?
    Answer. The Coast Guard is authorized to execute all of the 
Service's statutory missions in and around Guam, and other U.S. 
territories in the Indo-Pacific. Deployed cutters and the FRCs that are 
based out of Guam typically conduct law enforcement missions; search 
and rescue; ports, waterways and coastal security; defense readiness; 
and other law enforcement, which includes illegal, unreported, and 
unregulated (IUU) fisheries enforcement. These cutters are also 
authorized to provide humanitarian assistance to our regional partners, 
conduct limited international engagements on behalf of the U.S. in 
coordination with the U.S. Department of State, and assist the U.S. 
Department of Defense and other U.S. partner agencies as requested.

    Background: Last year's Coast Guard Reauthorization required the 
Coast Guard to commission and provide Congress a report regarding what, 
if any, changes are needed to Coast Guard authorities to ensure proper 
positioning to confront emerging challenges and threats. That report 
will be vitally important to the work of this committee, but it will be 
toothless without a Fleet Mix Analysis, which explicitly shows how the 
Coast Guard's assets are positioned and where its priorities are for 
its cutter fleet.

    Question 4. Have you taken the steps to commission that report, as 
required in Section 8249 of the FY21 NDAA?
    Answer. Yes, the Coast Guard contracted the National Academy of 
Sciences to conduct the independent Authorities Study. The contract 
began in September 2021 and will last for 18 months.

    Question 5. Do you personally believe that the Coast Guard 
possesses the necessary authorities to take up a more robust presence 
in the Indo-Pacific?
    Answer. Yes, the Coast Guard possesses the necessary authorities to 
continue its robust presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

    Question 6. Will you commit to ensuring that the required report to 
Congress on the cutter fleet under Section 8261 of last year's NDAA 
will be comprehensive and will form the basis for a from-scratch fleet 
mix analysis?
    Answer. The Coast Guard is committed to providing a report on the 
combination of FRC's, Offshore Patrol Cutters, and National Security 
Cutters necessary to carry out Coast Guard missions, as required by 
Section 8261 of the Elijah E. Cummings Coast Guard Authorization Act of 
2020.

    Question 7. Regarding the future of Coast Guard aviation, you have 
previously stated that the Coast Guard is ``tied into DoD in terms of 
Future Vertical Lift.'' What is the current state of collaboration 
between the Coast Guard and DOD Future Vertical Lift programs?
    Answer. The Chief of the Office of Coast Guard Aviation Forces 
actively participates in the Pentagon's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) 
Joint Council of Colonels, which plans FVL asset development across all 
military services. Coast Guard aviation staff recently joined with Navy 
counterparts and RAND researchers to inform the Navy's Alternatives of 
Analysis for FVL asset development.

    Question 8. Should the Coast Guard field future vertical lift 
systems with double the cruise speed and mission range of current 
recovery aircraft--such as the MH-60--how would this impact Coast Guard 
operational search and rescue capacity, particularly in the Arctic and 
Pacific regions?
    Answer. FVL asset cruise speed and range capability are still 
undetermined; however, increased range, speed, and all-weather 
capability of the H-60, or an H-60-like FVL asset, could improve 
ability to reach rescue cases at extended distances and provide 
additional payload capacity for logistic support during Arctic and 
Polar operations. Ensuring shipboard operability with Coast Guard 
cutters will maximize the effectiveness of FVL assets in these remote 
regions.

    Question 9. Is the Coast Guard considering the use of large 
vertical take-off UAVs as part of their future fleet structure?
    Answer. The Coast Guard is considering multiple unmanned aerial 
vehicle variants to meet its future fleet requirements.
                                 ______
                                 
    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Dan Sullivan to 
                          Jason M. Vanderhaden
    Background: Alaska relies heavily on Alternate Planning Criteria in 
lieu of the National Planning Criteria when determining appropriate 
vessel response plans. Many complaints revolve around the APC program, 
including many shortfalls that could spell disaster if a modern day 
Exxon Valdez were to occur. Through the 2018 Coast Guard bill, the GAO 
completed a report in September 2020 highlighting some of the issues. 
The Coast Guard responded by standing up the Maritime Oil-Spill 
Response Planning Advisory Group. They have since decided that the 
solution is to improve the internal paperwork process. After holding a 
two-day info-session in Alaska, it became apparent that the Coast Guard 
is not interested in outside opinions or support on this topic.

    Question 1. Can you explain the Coast Guard's hesitancy to involve 
state and local agencies in the Vessel Response Plan (VRP) review and 
development process or to consult industry on ways to improve the 
Alternate Planning Criteria (APC) system?
    Answer. The Coast Guard shares your concerns about oil-spill 
response resource capabilities and planning gaps in Alaska, and 
continually seeks way to improve our Vessel Response Plan (VRP) review 
processes and to clarify Alternate Planning Criteria guidelines. The 
members of the Maritime Oil-Spill Response Plan Advisory Group (MORPAG) 
actively engage with federal, state and local agencies in Alaska to 
address these complex issues through mechanisms like the Western Alaska 
Area Committee and the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task 
Force. Furthermore, the MORPAG solicited feedback from the various 
state, local, industry, and Federal stakeholders that attended its most 
recent meetings in Alaska, and will incorporate this feedback, as 
possible, to improve remote-area vessel response planning

    Question 2. This is an area I care very much about as the 
management of the oil spill response program is challenging and diverse 
in D17. I am disappointed in what I perceive as a lack of effort from 
the Coast Guard on this subject. What is it going to take to see real 
progress regarding APCs in Alaska? What does congress need to do?
    Answer. The Coast Guard also cares deeply about developing common 
sense vessel response planning policy to protect all of our Nation's 
coastlines from the threat of oil pollution. To improve remote area 
vessel response planning, the MORPAG established a deliberate and 
phased project management approach to develop sound policies, as 
recommended by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Per this 
phased approach, the Coast Guard, via the MORPAG, continues to address 
stakeholder equities and formulate well-informed solutions to improve 
the VRP program while facilitating alternatives and build-out of 
response infrastructure in remote areas. The Coast Guard expects to 
publish these solutions in 2022.

    Background: The Coast Guard's Rescue 21 distress communication 
system only covers a fraction of Alaska's coastline while coastal 
states in the lower 48 have complete coverage of their shoreline. The 
Alaska system pales in comparison by not providing lines of bearing to 
distress calls, instead only providing large range rings that may cover 
thousands of square miles. This system in Alaska has not been meeting 
the Coast Guard's reliability standards with numerous radio towers 
routinely non-operational across the state. Meaning boaters cannot call 
out to the Coast Guard for help on VHF Channel 16 in large areas.

    Question 3. I am very pleased to see the Coast Guard taking action 
to make substantial improvements to the equipment at many of the radio 
tower sites. In previous hearings, the Coast Guard has stated they 
would be working with DHS Science and Technology, as well as the Arctic 
Domain Awareness Center to study high latitude maritime connectivity 
mission needs, the use of satellites to conduct VHF communications, and 
the recapitalization of HF abilities in the Arctic. Can you provide an 
update on what these studies have produced and how Congress can aid in 
the implementation of these findings?
    Answer. Both the Arctic Domain Awareness Center and the U.S. 
Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology 
Directorate studies are ongoing. The Coast Guard anticipates updates 
from both studies in the second quarter of FY 2022.

    Question 5. Despite being a highly utilized waterway, a large 
portion of Cook Inlet near the Kenai River is in a massive VHF dead 
spot. Can you explain why the Coast Guard does not have VHF coverage in 
this area and what is needed to rectify this issue?
    Answer. The acquisition methodology used to deploy the Rescue 21 
(R21) capability to Alaska from FY 2005 to FY 2017 was ``build to 
cost'' since the acquisition cost for full coverage exceeded the 
resources available to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard prioritized 68 
sites in Alaska based on historical search and rescue case data to 
provide coverage until funds were exhausted. Funds were exhausted 
before the coverage could be provided to Cook Inlet and other areas.
    The Coast Guard remains committed to modernizing the footprint of 
the R21 Alaska system to provide more reliable and resilient search and 
rescue services. The Coast Guard does not have immediate plans to 
expand coverage for R21 Alaska beyond the original acquisition 
footprint [expanding to ensure full coverage will be an important 
consideration for the next generation system] because any further 
development of the current R21 Alaska system would constitute a new 
acquisition program that must comply with the DHS Joint Requirements 
Integration Management System.
    The Coast Guard has commenced preliminary steps to address this 
problem through a next generation system. The Coast Guard is 
documenting its requirements and assessing potential technology 
solutions that will inform in Rough Order of Magnitude estimates for a 
future acquisition. Additional funding will be required to expand the 
coverage area for R21 Alaska beyond the original footprint.

                                [all]