[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
ALWAYS READY: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A U.S. COAST GUARD SENTINEL
=======================================================================
(118-72)
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
COAST GUARD AND MARITIME TRANSPORTATION
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON
TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
SEPTEMBER 25, 2024
__________
Printed for the use of the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT
Available online at: https://www.govinfo.gov/committee/house-
transportation?path=/browsecommittee/chamber/house/committee/
transportation
_______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
58-132 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Sam Graves, Missouri, Chairman
Rick Larsen, Washington, Ranking
Member
Eleanor Holmes Norton, Eric A. ``Rick'' Crawford,
District of Columbia Arkansas
Grace F. Napolitano, California Daniel Webster, Florida
Steve Cohen, Tennessee Thomas Massie, Kentucky
John Garamendi, California Scott Perry, Pennsylvania
Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr., Georgiaian Babin, Texas
Andre Carson, Indiana Garret Graves, Louisiana
Dina Titus, Nevada David Rouzer, North Carolina
Jared Huffman, California Mike Bost, Illinois
Julia Brownley, California Doug LaMalfa, California
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida Bruce Westerman, Arkansas
Mark DeSaulnier, California Brian J. Mast, Florida
Salud O. Carbajal, California Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon,
Greg Stanton, Arizona, Puerto Rico
Vice Ranking Member Pete Stauber, Minnesota
Colin Z. Allred, Texas Tim Burchett, Tennessee
Sharice Davids, Kansas Dusty Johnson, South Dakota
Jesus G. ``Chuy'' Garcia, Illinois Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey,
Chris Pappas, New Hampshire Vice Chairman
Seth Moulton, Massachusetts Troy E. Nehls, Texas
Jake Auchincloss, Massachusetts Tracey Mann, Kansas
Marilyn Strickland, Washington Burgess Owens, Utah
Troy A. Carter, Louisiana Rudy Yakym III, Indiana
Patrick Ryan, New York Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Oregon
Mary Sattler Peltola, Alaska Thomas H. Kean, Jr., New Jersey
Robert Menendez, New Jersey Anthony D'Esposito, New York
Val T. Hoyle, Oregon Eric Burlison, Missouri
Emilia Strong Sykes, Ohio Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin
Hillary J. Scholten, Michigan Brandon Williams, New York
Valerie P. Foushee, North Carolina Marcus J. Molinaro, New York
Christopher R. Deluzio, Pennsylvania Mike Collins, Georgia
Mike Ezell, Mississippi
John S. Duarte, California
Aaron Bean, Florida
Celeste Maloy, Utah
Kevin Kiley, California
Vince Fong, California
------
Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
Daniel Webster, Florida, Chairman
Salud O. Carbajal, California, Ranking Member
Brian Babin, Texas John Garamendi, California
Brian J. Mast, Florida Chris Pappas, New Hampshire
Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, Jake Auchincloss, Massachusetts
Puerto Rico Mary Sattler Peltola, Alaska
Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey Hillary J. Scholten, Michigan,
Mike Ezell, Mississippi, Vice Vice Ranking Member
Chairman Rick Larsen, Washington (Ex
Aaron Bean, Florida Officio)
Sam Graves, Missouri (Ex Officio)
CONTENTS
Page
Summary of Subject Matter........................................ v
STATEMENTS OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE
Hon. Daniel Webster, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Florida, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and
Maritime Transportation, opening statement..................... 1
Prepared statement........................................... 3
Hon. Rick Larsen, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Washington, and Ranking Member, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, opening statement.............................. 4
Prepared statement........................................... 5
Hon. Salud O. Carbajal, a Representative in Congress from the
State of California, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Coast
Guard and Maritime Transportation, opening statement........... 7
Prepared statement........................................... 8
WITNESSES
Vice Admiral Thomas G. Allan, Jr., Deputy Commandant for Mission
Support, U.S. Coast Guard, oral statement...................... 9
Prepared statement........................................... 11
Master Chief Heath B. Jones, Master Chief Petty Officer of the
Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, oral statement \\....... 14
----------
\\ Master Chief Heath B. Jones did not submit a prepared
statement for the record.
September 20, 2024
SUMMARY OF SUBJECT MATTER
TO: LMembers, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime
Transportation
FROM: LStaff, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime
Transportation
RE: LSubcommittee Hearing on ``Always Ready: A Day in
the Life of a U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel''
_______________________________________________________________________
I. PURPOSE
The Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will meet
on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. ET in 2167
Rayburn House Office Building to receive testimony at a hearing
entitled, ``Always Ready: A Day in the Life of a U.S. Coast
Guard Sentinel.'' The Subcommittee will hear testimony from
Vice Admiral Thomas Allan Jr., Deputy Commandant for Mission
Support, United States Coast Guard, and Master Chief Heath B.
Jones, Master Chief Petty Officer of the United States Coast
Guard. Additionally, at a Members lunch held at 1:00 p.m. ET in
2253 Rayburn House Building, the Subcommittee will hear from
four United States Coast Guard (Coast Guard or Service)
enlisted members who will talk about their experiences within
the Service. These enlisted members will be available for
questions and conversation during the lunch, but not during the
hearing.
II. BACKGROUND
The Coast Guard has primary responsibility to ``enforce or
assist in the enforcement of all applicable Federal laws on,
under, and over the high seas and waters subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States; ensure the safety of life
and property at sea; carry out domestic and international
icebreaking activities; and maintain defense readiness to
operate as a specialized service in the Navy upon the
declaration of war or when the President directs.'' \1\ Coast
Guard personnel are responsible for assisting mariners in
distress, protecting and defending more than 100,000 miles of
United States coastline and inland waterways, and safeguarding
an economic region covering 4.5 million square miles.\2\
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\1\ 14 U.S.C. Sec. 102.
\2\ U.S. Gov't Accountability Off., GAO-23-106750, Coast Guard
Recruitment and Retention Challenges Persist (May 2023), available at
https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-106750.pdf [hereinafter Recruitment
and Retention Report].
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The Coast Guard offers 21 unique career opportunities for
its enlisted recruits, including careers in aviation, cyber,
afloat, intelligence, and Information Technology (IT).\3\ Coast
Guard Officers can enter numerous career paths, comprised of
afloat, aviation, engineering, healthcare, prevention,
response, and support.\4\ At every rank, Coast Guard
servicemembers perform extraordinary tasks every day in their
service to the Nation. Some examples include search and rescue
operations in life threatening conditions, perilous high-speed
drug interceptions, and supporting the United States scientific
community through ice breaking operations in the most remote
regions on Earth.\5\
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\3\ United States Coast Guard, Careers, available at https://
www.gocoastguard.com/careers.
\4\ Id.
\5\ United States Coast Guard, About USCG, available at https://
www.uscg.mil/About/Missions/.
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However, historic funding shortfalls and recruitment
challenges, particularly among enlisted personnel, continue to
hinder the Service and limit its ability to carry out its 11
assigned statutory missions. In 2023, the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) found that the 55,000 member Coast
Guard was 4,800 members short (approximately eight percent
shortfall) and that it had missed its recruiting targets for
four fiscal years in a row.\6\ While the Service is currently
on track to meet its recruitment goals for 2024, significant
manpower shortages still exist within the Service, leaving
hundreds of critical billets and ratings unfilled.\7\ However
increased recruitment will only stop the bleeding, it will not
help with addressing the existing shortfall.\8\ In the
meantime, the Service is reducing its capabilities by closing
stations and laying up cutters to align the Coast Guard's force
structure with its manpower realities.\9\ In order to overcome
such challenges, the Service must have the resources to make
appropriate investments into both its personnel and the
infrastructure that supports them.
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\6\ Recruitment and Retention Report, supra note 2.
\7\ Briefing provided by Capt. Jason Aleksak, United States Coast
Guard, to H. Comm. on Transp. and Infrastructure staff (Aug. 7, 2024).
\8\ Id.
\9\ Id.
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III. COAST GUARD PERSONNEL
ENLISTED PERSONNEL
Enlisted personnel in the Coast Guard range in rank from
Seaman Recruit to Master Chief Petty Officer. Enlisted Service
members make up the majority of Coast Guard personnel
comprising approximately 82 percent of the Service and are the
Coast Guard's main workforce.\10\
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\10\ United States Coast Guard, Manpower Requirements Plan, (Mar.
9, 2023) (on file with Comm.).
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The sole accession point for all enlisted Coast Guard
recruits is the United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape
May (TRACEN Cape May), located in Cape May, New Jersey. TRACEN
Cape May's facilities are nearing the point of total failure.
Dilapidated infrastructure, crumbling foundations, and other
serious structural issues have infiltrated many buildings.\11\
Recurrent budget requests and appropriation shortfalls in
shoreside infrastructure continue to exacerbate the decline.
The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024 authorizes $225
million for Fiscal Year 2025 and $125 million for Fiscal Year
2026 to improve and modernize the facilities at TRACEN Cape
May, and authorizes $12 million to strengthen the Service's
recruiting efforts.\12\
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\11\ Briefing provided by Capt. Dorthy Hernandez, United States
Coast Guard, to H. Comm. on Transp. and Infrastructure staff (Mar. 22,
2023). [hereinafter Coast Guard Briefing]
\12\ The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024, H.R. 7659, 118th
Cong. (2024). [hereinafter H.R. 7659)
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COMMISSIONED PERSONNEL
Commissioned officers in the Coast Guard can enter the
Service through three programs: the Coast Guard Academy,
Officer Candidate School, or as a Direct Commission Officer.
All these programs are housed at the Coast Guard Academy in New
London, Connecticut, creating a similar sole accession point
for all Officers.
Like TRACEN Cape May, the Coast Guard Academy has suffered
from the Service's historic shoreside funding shortfalls.
Crumbling infrastructure, mold, asbestos, and generally
antiquated facilities hinder the Service's ability to acquire,
recruit, and retain talent in its officer corps.\13\ This is
particularly true when competing with other Service Academies
which possess updated and well-funded facilities, like West
Point, the United States Naval Academy, or the United States
Airforce Academy.
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\13\ Coast Guard Briefing, supra note 11.
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The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024 authorizes $10
million in Fiscal Year 2025 to fund the creation of an
infrastructure development plan for the Coast Guard Academy,
and authorizes an additional $100 million in Fiscal Year 2026
to execute this plan.\14\
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\14\ H.R. 7659, supra note 12.
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IV. MAJOR ISSUES FACED BY COAST GUARD PERSONNEL
In May, during the Coast Guard Congressional breakfast, the
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard highlighted that
members prioritize the housing, access to health and support
services, childcare, and schools. These four issues play a
pivotal role in recruiting and retention, but are also areas
where the Coast Guard has historically struggled to perform
well.
AVAILABLY OF HOUSING
Approximately 41 percent of Coast Guard units can be found
in some of the most remote and most expensive locations within
the United States.\15\ This includes summer vacation
communities where housing is only seasonal or prohibitively
expensive. While there are some locations where the Coast Guard
provides and maintains housing, the maintenance and upkeep of
this housing is often underfunded, creating issues related to
lead, mold, or other health concerns.\16\ For many in the Coast
Guard, affordable housing is nearly impossible to find.
Compounding the issue, the Coast Guard has not conducted a
Service-wide survey of members on their housing experiences and
challenges since 2012, resulting in inaccurate and out of date
data, hindering the Service's ability to make impactful and
informed investments into personnel housing.\17\
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\15\ U.S. Gov't Accountability Off., GAO-24-106388, Better Feedback
Collection and Information Could Enhance Housing Program (Feb. 2024).
\16\ Id.
\17\ Id.
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The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024 requires that the
Commandant produce to the Committee an implementation plan to
incorporate the recommendations made in GAO's 2024 report on
improving Coast Guard housing.\18\
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\18\ H.R. 7659, supra note 12.
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ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE
The Coast Guard offers outpatient medical services for its
personnel at shore-based outpatient clinics and sickbays, as
well as limited services at sickbays that are on Coast Guard
vessels. Coast Guard personnel may also obtain medical care
through the Department of Defense's (DOD) regional health plan,
TRICARE, which is administered by the Defense Health Agency
(DHA). Through TRICARE, Coast Guard personnel can obtain
medical care from military hospitals and clinics or through
civilian health care providers.\19\ Importantly, Coast Guard
active duty personnel and their dependents are more than twice
as likely than the personnel and dependents from the other
military services to be enrolled in TRICARE Prime Remote, which
means they are located more than 50 miles away from a military
hospital or clinic.\20\ This further highlights the challenges
that the Service's remote postings have on its personnel.
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\19\ U.S. Gov't Accountability Off., GAO-24-106784, Coast Guard
Health Care: Information on Telehealth Usage, (Apr. 2024). [hereinafter
Telehealth Report].
\20\ Recruitment and Retention Report, supra note 2.
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Challenges, such as clinic staffing shortages, have
previously limited the Coast Guard's ability to provide health
care to its personnel. Furthermore, as is the case with
housing, the remote nature of many Coast Guard bases limits the
availability of health care to many members within the
service.\21\
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\21\ Telehealth Report, supra note 19.
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In 2021, the Coast Guard began experimenting with
telehealth options during the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding to a
pilot video telehealth platform in 2022 and full deployment in
September 2023. As of December 2023, the Coast Guard is in the
process of formalizing its telehealth program, which includes
establishing standardized scheduling practices for telehealth
appointments and monitoring related metrics by the end of
Fiscal Year 2024.\22\ However, IT issues, most notably issues
pertaining to inconsistent internet connectivity at sea and in
remote locations, have plagued the performance of the
telehealth program.\23\
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\22\ Id.
\23\ Id.
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ACCESS TO SCHOOL
Access to quality education and childcare is often
prohibitively expensive or unavailable in more remote
communities where Coast Guard personnel are stationed. Military
families frequently cited education issues for their children
as a drawback to military service, because children may have to
transfer schools up to nine times, on average, before high
school graduation.\24\ Additionally, military families often
rely on public schools, based on where they live, and fewer
choices are available to families in rural areas.\25\ GAO found
that in rural areas fewer public schools and fewer types of
school options, including charter and magnet schools, were
available compared to units in more highly populated urban
areas.\26\ For example, in one study rural Coast Guard units
had a median of 32 schools located nearby, while urban units
had a median of 186 schools nearby.\27\ Limitations in
educational opportunities hinders the Service's ability to
retain personnel.
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\24\ Recruitment and Retention Report, supra note 2.
\25\ Id.
\26\ Id.
\27\ Id.
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ACCESS TO CHILDCARE
In 2020, the rising cost of child care nationwide was among
the most formidable challenges facing Coast Guard families.\28\
The Coast Guard operates proportionally fewer on-base child
development centers compared to other military services, so
most eligible Coast Guard personnel receive fee assistance to
help them obtain childcare through community-based
providers.\29\ The Coast Guard's nine existing facilities can
only provide on-base care to approximately 700 children.\30\ In
2022, 300 children were on the waitlist for Coast Guard
facilities.\31\ The Coast Guard serves the other 82 percent of
enrolled children through community-based providers who
participate in the Service's Fee Assistance program.\32\
Comparatively, the Department of Defense is able to serve 77
percent of enrolled children in its own on-base child
development centers, limiting their reliance on outside
providers.\33\ The Coast Guard has attempted to address this
shortfall by building four new child development centers.\34\
It has also centralized and updated online information to help
families find child care in their communities.\35\
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\28\ Id.
\29\ U.S. Gov't Accountability Off., GAO-22-105262, Military
Childcare: Coast Guard Is Taking Steps To Increase Access for Families
(June 2022), available at https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105262
[hereinafter Childcare Report].
\30\ Recruitment and Retention Report, supra note 2.
\31\ Id.
\32\ Childcare Report, supra note 29.
\33\ Id.
\34\ Id.
\35\ Id.
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The reliance on community-based providers has consequences
for Coast Guard Personnel. In remote areas, there may not be
sufficient community providers available, or the wait list is
exceedingly long, and since members are often only informed of
a new duty station months before transfer, there may not be
sufficient time to apply and be accepted.
Even on-base child development centers face difficulties in
recruiting and certifying childcare providers. For example, in
late June, Coast Guard Base Kodiak informed 16 families that
due to staffing shortages, their dependents would be
disenrolled from the on base Child Development Center.\36\
Additionally, it could not accommodate enrollment for inbound
members.\37\ This notification was made at the height of
summer, when families were moving to or from the Coast Guard
base at Kodiak, Alaska, and needed reliable childcare. Despite
its large size, even Base Kodiak could not provide adequate
childcare for its members. This difficulty is further
heightened because Kodiak is a remote island, with limited
childcare options.
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\36\ Email from CDR Justin Nadolny to H. Comm. on Transp. and
Infrastructure Staff, (June 19, 2024), (on file with Comm.).
\37\ Id.
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SUMMARY
While all branches of the military face recruiting and
retention challenges, due to its small size the Coast Guard
feels any shortfalls more acutely. Moreover, it can be
particularly challenging for the Coast Guard to recruit because
it is smaller, less well known, and less well funded than the
other military services.\38\ As highlighted by the stories of
the enlisted members during the Members lunch, the Coast Guard
workforce is vital to accomplishing the 11 statutory missions
and safeguard the National security of the United States.
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\38\ Recruitment and Retention Report, supra note 2.
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V. WITNESSES
LVice Admiral Thomas Allan Jr., Deputy Commandant
for Mission Support, United States Coast Guard
LMaster Chief Heath B. Jones, Master Chief Petty
Officer, United States Coast Guard
ALWAYS READY: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A U.S. COAST GUARD SENTINEL
----------
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Coast Guard and
Maritime Transportation,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2:09 p.m., in
room 2167 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Daniel Webster
(Chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Mr. Webster of Florida. The Subcommittee on Coast Guard and
Maritime Transportation will come to order.
I ask unanimous consent that the chairman be authorized to
declare a recess at any time during today's hearing.
Without objection, show that ordered.
I ask unanimous consent that the Members not on the
subcommittee be permitted to sit with the subcommittee at
today's hearing and ask questions.
Without objection, show that ordered.
As a reminder, if Members insert a document into the
record, please also email that document to
[email protected].
OK. So, I now recognize myself for the purpose of an
opening statement for 5 minutes.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL WEBSTER OF FLORIDA, CHAIRMAN,
SUBCOMMITTEE ON COAST GUARD AND MARITIME TRANSPORTATION
Mr. Webster of Florida. Today, our subcommittee meets to
highlight the extraordinary successes of the men and women of
the Coast Guard. At the same time, we are here to examine what
investments could be made or must be made in order to keep the
Coast Guard's most valuable resource: its people.
So, I would like to welcome today our witnesses, Vice
Admiral Thomas Allan, Jr. Thank you for coming. And also we
have our Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, Chief
Heath Jones. Thanks for coming--Master Chief--I am sorry.
First, I would like to thank the four junior enlisted men
and women, the members of the Coast Guard, we just finished a
lunch with them, and they gave us some awesome information, and
I really appreciated it. I thought it was very helpful, maybe
even in the future.
So, we had Chief Petty Officer Casper and Petty Officers
Sizer, Ford, and Willis, all great examples of the many Coast
Guard enlisted members who make the Service work every day. I
applaud them for their service.
At every rank, Coast Guard members perform extraordinary
tasks in service to our Nation. Nearly every week, there is a
news article highlighting the heroics, I guess, their work
conducting search and rescue operations in life-threatening
conditions, executing perilous high-speed drug interceptions,
supporting the United States scientific communities through
icebreaking operations in the most remote regions on the Earth.
So, you are just an awesome group.
One of the greatest strengths of the Coast Guard is its
people. Coast Guard members are resilient, capable, skilled,
motivated. But as the Commandant has said, the readiness of the
Coast Guard depends on its ability to support its people. This
support should include well-maintained physical assets, like
capable ships, aircraft, and infrastructure; must be also
extended to personnel factors like housing, medical care,
schooling, and childcare that influence the decision of members
and their families to join or to remain in the Coast Guard.
Regrettably, in many of these areas, the Coast Guard has
room for improvement. Chronic underfunding by Presidents and
Congresses has left shoreside facilities like housing in
disrepair; childcare options are scarce, and aging assets are
the norm.
Short nearly 10 percent of its workforce, and facing
ongoing recruiting and retention struggles, prioritization of
the well-being of sentinels is more important now than ever. I
am encouraged to hear that you are on track to reach this
year's goal. That is awesome. Can't stop. Keep going. It is
time to put the foot on the gas and keep the pedal to the metal
as workforce shortages still remain.
So, today, I look forward to hearing how the Coast Guard is
taking care of its members and their families so that they can
be a better employer and be the employer of choice.
On that note, while it is not the purpose of this hearing,
the Coast Guard recently informed this committee that not only
has it failed to produce statutorily required acquisition
planning documents for the last 9 years, it also has no
intention of submitting a major acquisition program report at
any point in the future. Similarly, we are still awaiting the
fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025 capital investment plans.
As a law enforcement agency, the Coast Guard cannot just
pick and choose what laws they are going to follow because they
have to set an example. A long-term acquisition plan is
essential to providing Coast Guard members with the assets and
support that they need to do their missions, as both the lunch
earlier today and this hearing will probably highlight. If the
Coast Guard maintains its stance and is unable to produce any
of this information, we have no choice but to consider its
inability to conduct meaningful acquisition planning in its
future authorizations.
This is my warning to the Coast Guard: Please start saving
yourselves from your own sinking ship. It would really be
helpful.
To our witnesses, thank you for being here. Thank you for
your preparation for today. This committee truly believes that
you represent the world's best Coast Guard. Today, we hope to
hear how Congress can help keep that tradition alive.
[Mr. Webster of Florida's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Daniel Webster of Florida, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
Today our subcommittee meets to highlight the extraordinary
successes of the men and women of the Coast Guard. At the same time, we
are here to examine what investments must be made into the Coast
Guard's most valuable resource: its people.
I'd like to welcome our witnesses--Vice Admiral Thomas Allan Jr.,
Deputy Commandant for Mission Support, and Master Chief Heath Jones,
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard.
First, I would like to thank the four junior enlisted members we
just finished having lunch with. Chief Petty Officer Casper and Petty
Officers Sizer, Ford, and Willis are great examples of the many Coast
Guard enlisted members who make the Service work every day. I applaud
them for their service.
At every rank, Coast Guard members perform extraordinary tasks in
service to our nation. Nearly every week there's a news article
highlighting their work--conducting search and rescue operations in
life threatening conditions, executing perilous high-speed drug
interceptions, and supporting the United States' scientific community
through ice breaking operations in the most remote regions on Earth.
One of the greatest strengths of the Coast Guard is its people.
Coast Guard members are resilient, capable, skilled, and motivated. But
as the Commandant has said, the readiness of the Coast Guard depends on
its ability to support its people.
This support should include well maintained physical assets, like
capable ships, aircraft, and infrastructure. It must also extend to
personal factors like housing, medical care, schooling, and childcare
that influence the decision of members and their families to join or
remain in the Coast Guard.
Regrettably, in many of these areas the Coast Guard has room for
improvement. Chronic underfunding by presidents and Congress has left
shoreside facilities, including housing, in disrepair; childcare
options are scarce; and aging assets are the norm.
Short nearly ten percent of its workforce, and facing ongoing
recruiting and retention struggles, prioritizing the wellbeing of
Sentinels is more important than ever. I am encouraged to hear that you
are on track to reach your recruiting goal for 2024, but this is no
time to take your foot off the gas, as a workforce shortage still
remains. So today, I look forward to hearing how the Coast Guard is
taking care of its members and their families so it can be the employer
of choice.
On that note, while it is not the purpose of this hearing, the
Coast Guard recently informed this committee that not only has it
failed to produce statutorily required acquisition planning documents
for the last nine years, it has no intention of submitting a major
acquisition program report at any point in the future. Similarly, we
are still awaiting the Fiscal Year 2024 and Fiscal Year 2025 Capital
Investment Plans.
As a law enforcement agency, the Coast Guard cannot just pick and
choose what laws it follows. A long-term acquisition plan is essential
to providing Coast Guard members with the assets and support they need
to do their missions, as both the lunch earlier and this hearing will
highlight. If the Coast Guard maintains its stance that it is unable to
produce this information, we will have no choice but to consider its
inability to conduct meaningful acquisition planning in its future
authorizations.
This is my warning to the Coast Guard--please start saving yourself
from your own sinking ship.
To our witnesses--thank you for participating today. This committee
truly believes that you represent the world's best Coast Guard. Today,
we hope to hear how Congress can help keep that tradition alive.
Mr. Webster of Florida. And now--are you going to talk?
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will yield. Of
course, I want to talk, but I will yield to our Ranking Member
Larsen.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Mr. Larsen.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RICK LARSEN OF WASHINGTON, RANKING
MEMBER, COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank
you, Ranking Member, for calling today's hearing.
So, earlier this afternoon, we had an opportunity to sit
down with enlisted members of the Coast Guard to hear their
thoughts, their concerns, their adventures, their violation of
Coast Guard policy in getting things done. I say it with some
jest, because what we heard is that sometimes to do their job,
they have got to go outside policy to save lives, and saving
lives is what the Coast Guard does.
Hearing directly from enlisted personnel is incredibly
helpful as this committee conducts oversight and it crafts
policy affecting the Service. I want to thank the Coast Guard
for making these Coasties available to us and take a moment to
recognize and celebrate their incredible work with us over
lunch, of all of our Coast Guard enlisted personnel.
So, over the course of this Congress, I have taken the
opportunity as well to visit Coasties across the country, in
New London and Pensacola, Maui, Baltimore, Grand Haven,
Chicago, and various places in Alaska as well. It has been an
invaluable experience. I encourage my colleagues to see as much
of the Coast Guard as possible.
These women and men are really unsung heroes responsible
for safeguarding our coasts and our people. They risk their
lives conducting search and rescue operations, intercepting
drug traffickers, and ensuring the safety of our coastal
communities. Their dedication and bravery exemplify the highest
ideals of the Service.
So, I want to say thank you to all the servicemembers that
joined us today and to all the Coasties for your service.
In my own State of Washington, there are about 2,300
enlisted Coast Guard personnel. These dedicated individuals
play a crucial role in responding to emergencies, enforcing
laws, and protecting the natural resources in the region. From
the very busy ports in Seattle and Portland and--sorry--Salem,
Tacoma, and Everett, and probably Portland, too, to the rugged
shores of the San Juan Islands, their presence ensures that our
maritime environment remains safe and secure.
As Coast Guard members serve our country with distinction,
it is our responsibility, therefore, to ensure they have the
resources they need, including affordable housing, essential
health services, childcare, and up-to-date cutters, aircraft,
and technology.
Due to the unique mission of the Service, the Coast Guard
stations are often in remote or high-cost coastal areas. So,
the stress of expensive housing takes a toll on servicemember
well-being and overall readiness. Limited Coast Guard-owned
housing and the Department of Defense's Basic Allowance for
Housing, or BAH, which does not appropriately considered Coast
Guard locations, forces personnel to find more affordable
housing with longer commutes.
On healthcare, the Coast Guard does offer healthcare
benefits, but the accessibility and quality of care is
inconsistent. Too many personnel face long wait times for
appointments and limited access to specialized care. So, our
Coasties deserve not only a robust healthcare system, but also
the access to other services, like behavioral health services,
that meet their needs promptly and effectively.
According to the Coast Guard Foundation, in 2022, Coast
Guard members died from suicide twice as often as their peers
in other military services. So, investing in behavioral health,
mental health is just not a moral obligation, it is critical to
save the lives of our Coasties.
Many enlisted personnel are also parents who juggle
demanding work schedules with family responsibilities. The
servicemembers often have difficulty finding affordable and
reliable childcare, which has a direct impact on their ability
to do their jobs.
So, while funding was provided in the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law to build four new child development centers
in areas like Kodiak, the Coast Guard has struggled with
staffing. This limits the number of dependents who can enroll
and forces members to look elsewhere for childcare, something
that can be very difficult in more remote areas.
And, finally, while we take pride in the remarkable
contributions of our people, we have to provide them with the
tools and resources they need for the job. The Coast Guard has
been too slow to adopt new technology, in fact. In the wake of
a personnel shortage of nearly 10 percent, the Service must
take advantage of all available technology to effectively
conduct missions and prevent burnout. Increased adoption of
remote sensors, autonomous systems, and AI tools could help to
relieve pressure on a strained workforce. Unfortunately, these
technologies require funding, which we have not provided in
recent years.
So, it is clear we have a responsibility to ensure that
those who are dedicating their lives to protecting us receive
the resources and support they need to thrive, both on duty and
off duty.
So, I take the opportunity, when I can, to see Coast Guard
stations across the country. I have seen firsthand the
challenges our Coasties are facing. Meeting with enlisted
members like this afternoon was extremely helpful, much more
exciting than having a hearing, honestly. And I encourage all
my colleagues to visit the Coast Guard, get out on the water,
get up in the air with them, as I did in Pensacola, to truly
see the value that they provide to our country.
With that, I yield back.
[Mr. Larsen of Washington's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Rick Larsen of Washington, Ranking Member,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Thank you, Chairman Webster, for calling today's hearing.
Earlier this afternoon, we had an opportunity to sit down with
enlisted members of the Coast Guard to hear their thoughts, their
concerns, their adventures, their violations of Coast Guard policy to
get things done. I say that with some jest because what we heard is
that sometimes to do their job, they have to go outside policy to save
lives and saving lives is what the Coast Guard does.
Hearing directly from enlisted personnel is incredibly helpful as
this Committee conducts oversight and crafts policy affecting the
Service. I would like to thank the Coast Guard for making those
Coasties available and take a moment to recognize and celebrate the
incredible work of our Coast Guard enlisted personnel.
Over the course of this Congress, I've also taken the opportunity
to visit Coasties across the country in places like New London,
Pensacola, Maui, Baltimore, Bellingham, Grand Haven and Chicago. It has
been an invaluable experience, and I encourage my colleagues to see as
much of the Coast Guard as possible.
These women and men are unsung heroes responsible for safeguarding
our coasts and our people.
They risk their lives conducting search and rescue operations,
intercepting drug traffickers and ensuring the safety of our coastal
communities. Their dedication and bravery exemplify the highest ideals
of service.
Thank you to all the servicemembers that joined us today and to all
Coasties for your service.
In Washington State alone, there are over 2,300 enlisted Coast
Guard personnel. These dedicated individuals play a crucial role in
responding to emergencies, enforcing laws and protecting natural
resources in the region.
From the very busy ports in Seattle and Tacoma and Everett, and
probably Portland, too, to the rugged shores of the San Juan Islands,
their presence ensures that our maritime environment remains safe and
secure.
As Coast Guard members serve our country with distinction, it is
our responsibility to ensure they have the resources they need,
including affordable housing, essential health services, childcare and
up-to-date cutters, aircraft and technology.
Due to the unique mission of the Service, Coast Guard stations are
often in remote or high-cost coastal areas.
The stress of expensive housing takes a toll on servicemember well-
being and overall readiness. Limited Coast Guard-owned housing and the
Department of Defense's Basic Allowance for Housing, which does not
appropriately consider Coast Guard locations, forces personnel to find
more affordable housing with longer commutes.
While the Coast Guard does offer healthcare benefits, the
accessibility and quality of care is inconsistent. Too many personnel
face long wait times for appointments and limited access to specialized
care.
Coast Guard members deserve, not only a robust healthcare system,
but also access to mental health services that meet their needs
promptly and effectively.
According to the Coast Guard Foundation, in 2022, Coast Guard
members died from suicide twice as often as their peers in other
military services. Investing in mental health is not just a moral
obligation, it is critical for saving the lives of our Coasties.
Many enlisted personnel are also parents who juggle demanding work
schedules with family responsibilities.
Servicemembers often have difficulty finding affordable and
reliable childcare which has a direct impact on their ability to do
their jobs.
While funding was provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to
build four new Child Development Centers in remote areas like Kodiak,
Alaska, the Coast Guard has struggled with staffing.
This limits the number of dependents who can enroll and forces
members to look elsewhere for childcare--something very difficult to
find in more remote areas.
While we take pride in the remarkable contributions of our Coast
Guard enlisted personnel, we must also provide them with the tools and
resources required to do their job.
The Coast Guard is too slow to adopt new technology. In the wake of
a personnel shortage of nearly 10 percent, the service must take
advantage of all available technology to effectively conduct missions
and prevent burnout.
Increased adoption of remote sensors, autonomous systems and
artificial intelligence tools could help to relieve pressure on a
strained workforce. Unfortunately, those technologies require funding
which has not been provided in recent years.
We have a responsibility to ensure that those who dedicate their
lives to protecting us receive the resources and support they need to
thrive both on duty and off duty.
I take every opportunity I get to see Coast Guard stations around
the country, and I have seen firsthand the challenges our Coasties are
facing.
Meeting with enlisted members this afternoon was extremely helpful,
much more exciting than having a hearing, honestly, and I encourage all
of my colleagues to visit the Coast Guard and get out on the water, get
up in the air with them, as I did in Pensacola, to truly see the value
that they provide to our country.
Thank you, and I yield back.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Ranking Member Larsen of the full
committee yields back.
So, the ranking member from the subcommittee, Mr. Carbajal,
you are recognized for 5 minutes.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SALUD O. CARBAJAL OF CALIFORNIA,
RANKING MEMBER, SUBCOMMITTEE ON COAST GUARD AND MARITIME
TRANSPORTATION
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you, Chairman Webster, for having this
hearing, and to all our witnesses that are here, Master Chief
Jones and Vice Admiral Allan.
I must say, before we move on, that Ranking Member Larsen
has brought the fanny pack back into fashion all by himself. I
don't know if anybody knows that. I just thought I would codify
that on the record.
Over the past 3 years, I have had the opportunity to visit
Coast Guard stations across the country. I have been on
icebreakers, National Security Cutters, Fast Response Cutters,
various aircraft, and small vessels. Each visit has left me
with a sense of deep appreciation for what the Coasties do for
our country every single day. I am sure that anyone who has a
chance to interact with members of the Coast Guard feels the
same way.
As ranking member of this subcommittee, I take my role of
the Coast Guard promoter very seriously. I recognize the Coast
Guard is the premier agency tasked with protecting the American
people and safeguarding our national security interests along
our shores and beyond. I understand the tremendous value that
the Service provides to the community when Coasties fulfill the
diverse missions across the United States and the globe.
The Service is only successful, though, because of its
servicemembers. They are there when a boater or a swimmer gets
into trouble. They prevent drugs being smuggled across the sea
from harming our communities. They intercept migrants who are
trafficked across our maritime border when their lives are
placed at risk by transnational criminal organizations.
They protect our precious ecosystem from harm by preventing
oil from spilling into our waters and jeopardizing coastal
economies. They demand excellence in maintaining sustainable
fisheries when those fisheries are threatened by illegal,
unreported, and unregulated fishing operations. And they uphold
the flow of American goods and commerce.
The Coast Guard is always ready and always there. Coasties
are semper paratus. But as the Service is always there and
always ready to serve the American people, so too must Congress
be there for the Coast Guard. I am working to ensure the Coast
Guard receives the funding and support it needs to execute each
of its vital missions. This means not only providing the
resources for new classes of cutters, assets, and facilities,
but also investing in people, the very fabric of the Service.
As a veteran myself, I have always been proud to represent
our servicemembers in Congress. As a longtime resident and
Representative of the Central Coast of California, I know
firsthand the challenges that our Coasties and their families
face.
Many Coasties are forced to live hours from their duty
stations because there is insufficient housing. They often
travel unacceptable distances to visit doctors. Coasties have
limited access to childcare, which often results in couples
alternating parenting duties based on their work schedules or
being forced to quit altogether.
These challenges weigh on the mental and physical welfare
of Coasties. We must do better. Despite these challenges, the
Coast Guard is always ready and always there. For that, I, and
the American people, are forever grateful.
However, I recognize that gratitude alone does not pay the
bills. I have major concerns about the funding needed to keep
up with the backlog in infrastructure, the investment in the
new assets such as cutters and helicopters, and everyday
support services to the fleet. Recruitment, retention, and the
success of every mission depend on it. This subcommittee is
hard at work to make sure that your needs are recognized.
To the Coasties who joined us today and across the world,
thank you for all of your unconditional service to our Nation.
I am proud to advocate for America's great Coast Guard and look
forward to the testimony today to hear about how Congress can
do better to support the Service.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
[Mr. Carbajal's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Salud O. Carbajal of California, Ranking
Member, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
Good afternoon, and thank you, Chair Webster, for calling today's
hearing. The testimonies we are receiving today are paramount to the
success of the Coast Guard and the future of the enlisted workforce.
Over the past three years, I've had the opportunity to visit Coast
Guard stations across the country. I've been on icebreakers, National
Security Cutters, Fast Response Cutters, various aircraft and small
vessels.
Each visit has left me with a sense of deep appreciation for what
Coasties do for our country every single day. I am sure that anyone who
has a chance to interact with members of the Coast Guard feels the
same.
As Ranking Member of this Subcommittee, I take my role of Coast
Guard promoter very seriously. I recognize the Coast Guard is the
premier agency tasked with protecting the American people and
safeguarding our national security interests along our shores and
beyond.
I understand the tremendous value that the service provides to the
community when Coasties fulfill the diverse missions across the United
States and the globe.
The service is only successful, though, because of its
servicemembers. They are there when a boater or swimmer gets into
trouble. They prevent drugs being smuggled across the sea from harming
our communities. They intercept migrants who are trafficked across our
maritime border when their lives are placed at risk by transnational
criminal organizations.
They protect our precious ecosystem from harm by preventing oil
from spilling into our waters and jeopardizing coastal economies. They
demand excellence in maintaining sustainable fisheries when those
fisheries are threatened by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
operations. And they uphold the flow of American goods and commerce.
The Coast Guard is always ready and always there--Coasties are
Semper Paratus.
But as the service is always there and always ready to serve the
American people, so too must Congress be there for the Coast Guard. I
am working to ensure the Coast Guard receives the funding and support
it needs to execute each of its vital missions. This means not only
providing the resources for new classes of cutters, assets and
facilities, but also investing in people, the very fabric of the
service.
As a veteran myself, I have always been proud to represent our
servicemembers in Congress. As a long-time resident and representative
of the Central Coast of California, I know first-hand the challenges
that our Coasties and their families face.
Many Coasties are forced to live hours from their duty stations
because there is insufficient housing. They often travel unacceptable
distances to visit doctors. Coasties have limited access to childcare,
which often results in couples alternating parenting duties based on
their work schedules or being forced to quit work altogether.
These challenges weigh on the mental and physical welfare of
Coasties. We must do better.
Despite these challenges, the Coast Guard is always ready and
always there. For that, I, and the American people, are forever
grateful. However, I recognize that gratitude alone does not pay the
bills.
I have major concerns about the funding needed to keep up with the
backlog in infrastructure, the investments in new assets such as
cutters and helicopters and everyday support services to the fleet.
Recruitment, retention, and the success of every mission depend on it.
This Subcommittee is hard at work to make sure that your needs are
recognized.
To the Coasties who joined us here today and across the world,
thank you all for your unconditional service to our nation. I am proud
to advocate for America's great Coast Guard and look forward to the
testimony today to hear about how Congress can better support the
service.
I yield back.
Mr. Webster of Florida. OK. Well, I would like to welcome
again our witnesses and thank them for being here today. I
really appreciate it.
Briefly, I would like to take this moment to explain our
lighting system. Green means go, yellow means slow down, red
means stop. Pretty simple. And we are going to kind of stick to
that.
I ask unanimous consent that the witnesses' full statements
be included in the record.
Without objection, show that ordered.
I ask for unanimous consent that the record of today's
hearing be open until such time as the witnesses have provided
answers to any questions that may have been submitted to them.
Without objection, show that ordered.
I also ask for unanimous consent the record remain open for
15 days for any additional comments and information submitted
by Members or witnesses to be included in today's hearing
record.
Without objection, show that done.
So, as your written testimony has been made a part of the
record, the committee asks you to limit your speaking time to 5
minutes.
And with that, Vice Admiral Allan, you are recognized for 5
minutes.
TESTIMONY OF VICE ADMIRAL THOMAS G. ALLAN, JR., DEPUTY
COMMANDANT FOR MISSION SUPPORT, U.S. COAST GUARD; AND MASTER
CHIEF HEATH B. JONES, MASTER CHIEF PETTY OFFICER OF THE COAST
GUARD, U.S. COAST GUARD
TESTIMONY OF VICE ADMIRAL THOMAS G. ALLAN, JR., DEPUTY
COMMANDANT FOR MISSION SUPPORT, U.S. COAST GUARD
Admiral Allan. Good afternoon, Chairman Webster, Ranking
Member Larsen, Ranking Member Carbajal, and distinguished
members of the subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to
testify today on this important topic.
The U.S. Coast Guard is one of the world's premier
multimission maritime services responsible for the safety,
security, and stewardship of our Nation's waters. Our 58,000
members conduct dynamic homeland security defense missions
around the globe, 24/7, 365 days a year. As a Deputy Commandant
for mission support, it is my duty to make certain these
members have the needs to remain always ready.
Our workforce is the heart of the Coast Guard. Every day,
our people put their lives on the line to protect, defend, and
save. They are operating under the strain of one of the largest
workforce shortages of our 234-year history. Even though the
Coast Guard achieved its Active Duty recruiting goals for the
first time since 2017, and met all the goals for officers,
enlisted, and reserve sessions for the first time since 2007,
we must continue to work to find new ways to make the Coast
Guard a place people want to come to work, to excel, to have a
career, and to deliver the mission our Nation expects.
To remain the world's greatest Coast Guard, we must retain
our most precious resource: our workforce. We must clarify and
fortify our core values for our crews, and we must invest in a
talent management system that cultivates the individual and
collective skills the Service needs.
Our efforts to upgrade our human resource IT system will
enable a more robust system to effectively capture unique
aspects of our personnel and better match their talents to
Service needs. Our modernized training system must deliver
personalized on-demand training and ensure the continuous
professional development of our workforce.
The Coast Guard training centers are the foundations of our
workforce. We greatly appreciate Congress' recent investments
in recruit barracks at Training Center Cape May where all Coast
Guard enlisted members start their service and receive their
basic training.
The Coast Guard Academy is operating without data
facilities, plagued by mold and asbestos. We need your support
to facilitate critical improvements at both Cape May and the
Academy, investments vital to developing our world-class
workforce.
The Coast Guard is unique among the military services. Our
members are widely dispersed and embedded in small communities
throughout the Nation, often far removed from large military
installations and those amenities. It is important our
geographically dispersed workforce is critical.
Access to quality healthcare, both mental and physical, is
one of the most significant issues currently facing Coast Guard
families. With the help of Congress, we expanded behavioral
health resources and now have enlisted behavioral health
technicians and mental behavioral health providers serving at
units across the Nation.
Housing remains a concern as well. Many of our members are
assigned to remote vacation destinations with scarce and
expensive rental options. We are incredibly thankful for your
support for our housing projects. We have much work ahead, but
with Congress' essential support, we can ensure Coast Guard
members are focused on critical missions, reassured their
health and family needs are well supported.
We must properly recruit, train, and equip our workforce to
maintain mission excellence. With your support and the
Commandant's focus on leadership and culture at all levels of
the organization, we can strengthen recruitment, modernize top
talent management, expand support services, and guarantee that
our members are physically, mentally, and spiritually well
prepared to execute their duties.
Together, we can build a Coast Guard that remains always
ready to meet the challenges our Nation will face in the years
ahead.
Thank you for the opportunity and for your steadfast
support of the Coast Guard. I am humbled to serve and represent
this incredible workforce, and I look forward to your
questions.
Thank you, sir.
[Admiral Allan's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Vice Admiral Thomas G. Allan, Jr., Deputy
Commandant for Mission Support, U.S. Coast Guard
Introduction
Good afternoon, Chairman Webster, Ranking Member Carbajal, and
distinguished members of the subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity
to testify before you today and thank you for your continued support of
the United States Coast Guard and our workforce.
The U.S. Coast Guard is the world's premier, multi-mission maritime
service responsible for the safety, security, and stewardship of the
maritime domain. The Service's 57,000 active duty, reserve, and
civilian personnel, supported by 21,000 Auxiliary volunteers, conduct
dynamic homeland security and defense missions around the globe on a
24/7 basis 365 days-a-year. The Coast Guard's homeland security and
defense operations enable the Nation's economic prosperity, enforce our
laws at sea, protect the marine environment, and perform vital
lifesaving missions to ensure the safety, security, and resiliency of
America's far-reaching maritime interests.
Our people are our most valuable resource. The Coast Guard
workforce is the heart and soul of our organization, and their
dedication and sacrifice keep our Nation safe and secure. Every day,
Coast Guard members put their lives on the line to protect, defend, and
save. Though we have made considerable progress, the Coast Guard
continues to face one of the largest workforce shortages in the
Service's 233-year history, operating 10 percent below authorized
strength within our enlisted ranks. This workforce shortage threatens
our daily operations and challenges our ability to adapt to future
mission demands.
I am incredibly proud of our Coast Guard Active Duty, Reserve,
Civilian, and Auxiliary workforce and remain optimistic about our
future. We must continually scan the horizon and intentionally plot a
course to move forward in the face of growing demand and evolving
threats. Our status as the world's best Coast Guard rests on our
ability to recruit, train, equip, and employ our Nation's best and most
motivated people to stand the watch and answer the call.
Recruiting Our Workforce
In the past year, the Coast Guard made significant strides in
recruitment, launching several impactful initiatives aimed at building
a robust and diverse workforce ready to meet future mission demands.
One notable advancement was introducing a ``Talent Acquisition''
(TA) rating earlier this year. This new rating creates a specialized
corps of recruiters whose sole focus is honing their skills and growing
the Coast Guard's talent pool. The first wave of positions converted to
TA billets included leadership roles such as recruiter-in-charge and
regional supervisors, marking a shift toward professionalizing
recruiting as a dedicated career path. This initiative lays the
foundation for a more future-ready Service by ensuring skilled and
motivated individuals are at the helm of recruiting efforts.
The Coast Guard greatly appreciates the support of Congress in its
efforts to resource recruitment initiatives, facilitating innovative
approaches to attract talent and expand lateral entry opportunities to
access applicants with advanced skills. Additionally, with Congress's
support, the Service is establishing new recruiting offices and
offering targeted incentives to recruit and retain members in high-
demand fields like cyberspace and maritime law enforcement. These
initiatives are key to drawing new talent, particularly in specialized
areas where private sector competition is fierce.
Looking forward, the Coast Guard will continue to leverage improved
analytics to build our workforce and refine our recruitment processes,
including modernizing accession standards, removing ineffective and
obsolete barriers to entry, and creating pathways to service. For
example, the Coast Guard instituted the Future Sentinel Preparatory
Course to assist previously ineligible individuals to meet Coast Guard
body composition standards. This program is designed to unlock
potential and improve quality of life by teaching healthy habits while
preparing new recruits for service.
Our enhanced recruiting efforts are making an impact. This year,
the Coast Guard achieved its active duty recruiting goals for the first
time since 2017 and all three of our goals for officers, enlisted, and
reserve for the first time since 2007. We will not take one year of
success for granted and we will continue to support the total workforce
by investing in every effort to attract the people our units need to
deliver the mission our Nation expects.
Training Our Workforce
To remain the world's greatest Coast Guard, we must cultivate,
value, and retain the talent the Service needs to meet tomorrow's
challenges.
We continue to make significant progress modernizing training
systems to deliver tailored, on-demand training at the point of need
and ensure continuous growth of a mission-ready workforce. By
implementing agile training courses, personalized to the unique needs
of each member, we reduced overall training time and improved
efficiency in several courses. Additionally, our new augmented reality
and simulation technology tools significantly improved both safety and
training effectiveness at our training centers. Furthermore, the Coast
Guard is investing in a modernized online learning management system to
deliver flexible, accessible, and personalized learning opportunities
to our entire workforce. To support these essential efforts, the Coast
Guard established the Talent Management Transformation-Program
Integration Office to guide the Service towards sustained workforce
modernization.
Cultivating our future workforce requires we provide our members
with the workplace climate they expect and deserve. In Fiscal Year (FY)
2025, the Coast Guard will establish the Sentinel Transformation and
Readiness Training (START) program, an enlisted service preparatory
course to immediately follow recruit training. This course will
strengthen Service culture by building upon Recruit Training to
strengthen our newest members with a foundational understanding of our
Core Values of Honor, Respect and Devotion to Duty, as well as further
equipping them with tools and knowledge to prevent sexual assault and
harassment and increase individual resilience.
Coast Guard training centers remain a foundation for our workforce
development programs, instilling leadership, professionalism, and
excellence across our future officer and enlisted ranks. The Coast
Guard greatly appreciates the support of Congress for recent
investments in recruit barracks at Training Center Cape May and
continued improvements to the Coast Guard Academy's Chase Hall. While
we made significant progress, much work remains to provide recruits and
cadets the facilities necessary to sustain training performance and
prepare our workforce for Coast Guard service. The FY 2025 Unfunded
Priorities List includes critical improvements at the Coast Guard
Academy and Training Center Cape May--investments necessary to provide
appropriate infrastructure to bring new members into the Coast Guard
workforce.
Supporting Our Workforce
People joining our Service today have different needs, desires, and
expectations than those who served in previous generations. Improving
quality of life results in higher professional motivation, retention,
performance, and resilience. However, the Coast Guard is unique among
the military services, as our members are generally dispersed and
embedded in small communities throughout the Nation, often far removed
from large military installations and amenities. For the Coast Guard,
this creates a distinct readiness challenge to resource and address. We
must work with Congress and the communities that our members reside in
to meet the unique and multifaceted needs of our service members and
their families to ensure they remain Always Ready.
Childcare
As we forge ahead with our mission to support and uplift our
workforce, our investments in childcare help ensure our personnel
remain resilient and mission-ready each day. We recognize the
significant challenges of balancing demanding roles and family
responsibilities. When our members have access to reliable and
affordable childcare, along with other essential support services, they
can focus on mission and are better equipped to excel in their duties
and contribute effectively to our operational responsibilities.
We are strengthening our partnership with the Navy to streamline
and expand access to childcare fee assistance programs. This
collaboration will introduce direct payment options to members and
extend eligibility to include civilians, enhancing our support for
those with special needs children or non-standard work hours. By
investing in these support services, we are not just addressing
immediate needs but also laying the groundwork for long-term success.
However, high childcare costs continue to impact our workforce
across the country, but particularly those without access to Department
of Defense (DoD) or Coast Guard Child Development Centers. Serving on
our coasts often means living in high cost-of-living coastal
communities but without affordable, quality childcare options like
those available to DoD.
While we are thankful to Congress for its support of our Child
Development Centers and childcare subsidies, we must continue to find
ways to enhance these vital services and ensure our workforce and their
families are supported and able to meet mission requirements.
Access to Healthcare
Access to quality healthcare--both mental and physical--is one of
the most critical issues currently affecting Coast Guard families.
Families stationed in small or remote communities often experience very
limited access to primary and specialty care. Recognizing this need,
the Coast Guard made significant strides through the Don Young Coast
Guard Authorization Act of 2022, which mandated an expansion in
behavioral health resources. The Service trained over a dozen enlisted
behavioral health technicians and 13 Medical Behavioral Health
Providers currently serving at units across the Nation.
Furthermore, the Coast Guard made investments to increase mental
health capabilities throughout the Service, representing a long-term
commitment to monitor, detect, and coordinate timely and appropriate
care for all aspects of mental and behavioral health needs. In
addition, the Service continues to bolster clinical resources to
provide staffing positions to meet deployment demands.
These advancements align with the Coast Guard's broader initiative
to enhance healthcare access and support systems for our workforce.
Investments in mental health capabilities demonstrate a long-term
commitment to addressing mental and behavioral health needs.
Additionally, the Coast Guard leverages innovative solutions such as
telemedicine and electronic health records to improve service delivery.
Much work remains and Congressional support is essential to ensuring
Coast Guard service members can focus on their critical missions while
their health and family needs are well-supported.
Housing
Housing remains a pressing concern. All service members and their
dependents deserve adequate housing within a reasonable commute.
However, many small coastal communities in which our members reside are
vacation destinations with extremely high cost of living and scarcity
in long-term rental housing. Due to the proliferation of short-term
vacation rentals and rapid price appreciation in coastal communities
post-COVID, I am aware of Coast Guard members and their families who
were forced out of their homes and left with commutes to their duty
stations of upwards of 90 minutes each way. Our workforce is resilient
and dedicated to the mission; however, we must do more to ensure
affordable, quality housing is available to each Coast Guard family.
Our ongoing efforts focus on enhancing housing options and
increasing resources. For example, in remote locations such as Neah
Bay, Washington, Jonesport, Maine, and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, the
Coast Guard is providing government-owned family housing, a step
essential in addressing the severe shortage of rental properties in
these isolated communities.
The Coast Guard is extremely grateful for the support of Congress
for housing projects in places like Kodiak and Seward, Alaska, Portage
Bay, Michigan, Novato, California, Rio Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and Fort
Wadsworth, New York. The FY 2025 Unfunded Priorities List includes an
additional request for $10 million for the continued recapitalization
of housing units at Fort Wadsworth to support Coast Guard members in
the New York City area.
Assets and Facilities
We must continue to equip our workforce--investing in the places
they work and the assets they use to accomplish the mission. Coast
Guard facilities are in areas prone to hurricanes, flooding, sea level
rise, erosion, earthquakes, deadly wildfires, and other natural
disasters. Those facilities must be safe and resilient to meet mission
demands and allow our workforce to do the work they joined the Service
to do. The Nation's reliance upon the Coast Guard to serve as a first
responder after disasters, underscores the importance of resilient
facilities. Investments in modern facilities will enhance mission
capabilities, empower our workforce, and secure our Nation.
Similarly, the Coast Guard appreciates Congressional support to
continue the largest fleet recapitalization effort since World War II.
Equipping our exceptional workforce with the modern cutters, aircraft,
boats, and facilities they require to complete their vital missions
remains one of our Commandant's highest strategic priorities. The FY
2025 President's Budget and Unfunded Priorities List contain essential
investments in current and future readiness to ensure the Coast Guard
remains responsive to evolving threats and growing global demand.
Conclusion
Our exceptional Coast Guard members join the Service to conduct
Coast Guard operations and execute Coast Guard missions. Drawn to our
unique value proposition to the Nation, our workforce is motivated and
eager to rescue mariners, patrol the seas, and protect our shores. As
the Coast Guard recruits, trains, and equips our workforce, mission
excellence thrives. We must continue to enhance recruitment efforts,
pursue a modernized talent management system, and expand support
services for our members and their families to ensure they are prepared
to execute difficult and demanding missions. Such investments will
ensure that our personnel are well-prepared and fully supported,
enabling the Coast Guard to confidently employ and deploy our crews to
successfully execute their critical missions.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you and for all your
support for the Coast Guard. I am humbled by the privilege to serve
with and represent our workforce. I look forward to answering your
questions.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Thank you very much.
I do want to acknowledge the fact that Carol Jones, the
wife of Master Chief Jones, is the ambassador for the U.S.
Coast Guard for families, and she is here today with us. So,
thank you for being here, Carol. That is an awesome position.
Now, Master Chief Jones, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
TESTIMONY OF MASTER CHIEF HEATH B. JONES, MASTER CHIEF PETTY
OFFICER OF THE COAST GUARD, U.S. COAST GUARD
Master Chief Jones. Thank you.
And good afternoon, Chairman Webster, Ranking Member
Larsen, Ranking Member Carbajal, and distinguished members of
the subcommittee. Thank you for your continued support and the
opportunity to appear before you today as the Master Chief
Petty Officer of the world's greatest Coast Guard.
It is my honor to represent the total workforce who
tirelessly serve our Nation. The support and resources provided
by Congress are vital, and your continued investment in our
personnel ensures the Coast Guard remains agile, capable, and
prepared to meet the demands of all of our critical missions.
As an essential part of the Department of Homeland
Security, we focus on safeguarding our maritime interests,
protecting natural resources, and ensuring security of vital
U.S. ports and waterways. Through integration with our sister
DoD services and the Joint Force as a whole, we are prepared to
address global threats from foreign adversaries. Our dual focus
on homeland security and global readiness is vital for our own
national security and economic prosperity.
The demand for Coast Guard services to expand while the
needs of our sentinels have grown in complexity and scope,
whether executing search and rescue missions, defending our
national security, enforcing maritime laws, or responding to
natural disasters, our personnel remain always ready to
protect, to defend, and to save.
Our ability to safeguard U.S. interests in both the
maritime domain and the broader defense framework depends on
continued investment in our personnel, infrastructure, and our
fleet. With the support and resources provided by Congress, the
Coast Guard is positioned to remain not only a capable maritime
service, but a crucial asset and maintain the Nation's
strategic posture.
Without doubt, the strength and success of our Coast Guard
lies with our workforce, the talented people who serve with
dedication and professionalism every single day. You've heard
firsthand today the inspiring stories of bravery from our folks
that have joined us. To meet the evolving demands of our
mission, we need your support to focus on the development of
our sentinels from recruitment through retirement. By fostering
an environment where continuous learning and improvement are
valued, we empower members to adapt and excel.
Experiences at Training Center Cape May and the Coast Guard
Academy provide a vital foundation for service, and starting in
fiscal year 2025, we will reinforce that foundation with the
Sentinel Transformation and Readiness Training course, which
will prepare our newest enlisted members of the organization
with practical skills and knowledge they need to contribute
effectively from day one. The START program, a post-basic
training program, focuses on our core values of honor, respect,
and devotion to duty, while providing classes on financial
literacy, emotional and social intelligence, accountability,
and other traits essential for success in today's Coast Guard.
Additionally, we are working to ensure that our core values
are emphasized during leadership training at all levels and
personnel evaluations of every pay grade, from the newest
recruit to the most senior officer. This approach provides
members clear guidance and purpose and ensures they understand
how their actions and contributions to the organization impact
the overall success of our Coast Guard. When members at every
level recognize their role in shaping Service culture, it
fosters an environment of accountability and positivity. An
empowered and supported workforce is better prepared to meet
our mission demands.
Furthermore, the Coast Guard's ability to recruit and
retain talent is directly tied to how well we support both our
members and their families. A future capable workforce is one
that feels valued, not just in their professional roles, but
also in their personal lives, which is why our recruitment and
retention strategy is increasingly focused on creating a
supportive environment that meets the needs of every Coast
Guard family. By investing in the quality of total compensation
and parity with Department of Defense, we can increase support
for housing, childcare, and spousal support initiatives,
ensuring that our members and our families are fully supported,
allowing them to focus on their mission with confidence.
We ask for Congress' continued support in making these
investments to secure the future of the Coast Guard and our
workforce.
I thank you for this opportunity. I look forward to
answering your questions today.
[Master Chief Jones did not submit a prepared statement.]
Mr. Webster of Florida. Thank you both for being here
today. I really appreciate it.
And we will look for either one of you to answer--I get the
first 5 minutes of questions, and the question could be to one
or both of you, and answer away.
August 4th marked the 234th birthday of the Coast Guard,
and the Service is celebrating that birthday tonight here at
the Capitol. I look forward to celebrating the more than two
centuries of dedicated service the Coast Guard has spent
protecting our Nation's maritime interests and being with you
this evening.
The committee knows you represent the world's finest, best
Coast Guard in the world. However, this committee is well aware
also of the aging infrastructure and workforce shortages and
insufficient budget that has operationally constrained the
Coast Guard for--more than just this year--many years.
What is the Coast Guard doing to address shortcomings in
housing, healthcare, childcare, recruitment, and education that
affect retention and the daily lives of Coast Guard enlisted
members and their families? So, that is my first question.
Admiral Allan. Thank you for the question.
The Coast Guard, as you got to hear over lunch, has some
great people that are doing some great missions. And I think as
you heard from the Commandant earlier this year, she talked
about where does the Coast Guard need to be. The Nation is
demanding a Coast Guard that provides all kinds of services. We
need to be a $20 billion Coast Guard. We need to have $3
billion, at least, in our capital acquisition.
And I think as we start to talk about those amounts of
money and what we can do with them, we will stop making
tradeoffs between operations and support to our people and get
to the things that you just talked about. How can we better do
housing? With your help, we are building housing. We are
building some great housing up in Kodiak. We are redeveloping
housing in Puerto Rico, and we are looking for those areas
where it is scarce to find housing on the regular market.
Through your help, we are adding individuals to just about
every one of our programs, especially those with mental health,
to be able to respond to our sentinels that are on the coast
and in areas that are deprived of regular resources.
So, we thank you for that. But I think if we are going to
do more, we are going to continue to work with you, we are
going to continue to identify those areas where we have needs,
and we will look for your support.
Thank you.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Thank you very much.
The Coast Guard has previously briefed the committee on its
steps taken to recruit, and you have made many of the goals you
had set for this year, retention challenges, all those things,
bringing additional recruiters in and the criteria necessary to
select recruits, and providing remedial support and helping
recruits through Cape May, where the enlisted members of the
Coast Guard receive their basic training.
How are these programs working? And are recruiting and
retention numbers coming up?
Master Chief Jones. Thanks for the question, Congressman.
As you heard, we met our recruiting goal for the first time
since 2017. For the first time in 8 years, the lines crossed
this year, and we have brought in more people than we are
losing this year. Our retention numbers are good and
encouraging.
In addition to the good news on the recruiting, not only
did we meet our goal, we are going to bring in this fiscal year
just short of 4,500 members, which is our best number since
2003, and the buses are full going into Cape May through
December of this year, as well. So, we are off to a great start
into next year, as well.
We have opened more recruiting offices with the help from
Congress. Thank you for that.
We also this year--we were the only branch in the military
that did not have professional recruiters. Our folks--it could
be any one of these four amazing human beings you had lunch
with--could do their jobs, then step out, go be a recruiter,
then come back into their jobs. This year, we stood up a Talent
Acquisition specialist rating so that if someone goes in and
they start becoming a recruiter, they find out that they love
it and they are great at it, then we can keep them to be
recruiters for the rest of their career.
And as you said in your opening statement, sir, just
because we had a great year, the foot is on the gas pedal. We
are not letting up. We need another 3 to 5 years like this to
get rid of the workforce shortage, and so, we are continuing to
pour everything we can into it.
Mr. Webster of Florida. All right. My time has expired. So,
let me call on Mr. Van Drew--or wait. We got these two guys
first. Go ahead.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will yield to our
ranking member for questions.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Thanks. Thank you.
Master Chief Jones, with the Coast Guard operating at 10
percent below authorized levels as a result of closure or
downgrade of dozens of stations and early decommissioning of
cutters, how has the workforce been impacted itself by the
implementation of the alignment, the force alignment
initiative?
Master Chief Jones. Thank you, Rep. Larsen.
I think in the very beginning, we had to communicate to the
workforce on why we were doing that. What we could not continue
to do was serve the Nation at a 40,000-person level with 35,000
people. So, in some of these areas where we were able to
consolidate some stations, go on a scheduled mission only, what
we have done--I will use our opportunity when we were in Grand
Haven together. Grand Haven was one of those stations where we
consolidated, and what the officer in charge, the Master Chief
there shared with us is that, number one, they have not missed
a mission. They have met everything, but they have the people
they need. He said they're busier than ever, but he also
expressed that his crew is happier than they have been in a
long time, because as you can see, every time you get around a
busy sentinel, it is a happy sentinel. They come to work, and
they want to do great things every day. So, it does not mean
that we need to normalize being 5,000 people short. We are
getting after that piece.
But to date right now, as far as the executing of the
mission, our sentinels are in a really good place around the
country. In some areas, we need to do a better job of giving
them the tools that they need so that they can do their jobs,
especially when it comes to the maintenance of our assets.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Yes. On the recruitment and
retention number for this past year, I think 4,800 or so, do
you have an assessment yet about whether you sort of did the
easy stuff, now it is hard, or do you have a sense this is the
foundation and it is carrying over into year 2 and then year 3
and so on?
Master Chief Jones. And this is just an anecdotal
assessment, sir. We feel like a solid foundation has been laid.
We feel like some of the--I guess, the hangover effects from
trying to recruit in a COVID environment. We are back into the
schools. We are back out there getting our word.
One challenge that I gave the entire workforce when I came
into this job and I often shared with them, my favorite thing
about our sentinels is that they are humble servants of
America, and you heard that at lunch. And the thing that
frustrates me the most is they are humble servants of America.
So, I challenge them to get out and to tell their story. Tell
the story of what they do. Tell those great stories that you
just heard at lunch, because what we are proving is when people
learn about the United States Coast Guard, people want to serve
and become a United States Coast Guard.
We just did a big recruiting event in Illinois this weekend
and talking to a lot of our recruiters, I asked them, hey, how
is it going? What is working? Why is it working? And they all
just looked at me without skipping a beat and they said,
because we have the best product in the world. They said, we
have the product. We just have to get the word out.
So, we are very optimistic that solid foundation has been
laid, and it has been proven because the numbers are already
stacking up for next year, sir.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. I am sure it is kind of hard
because you are combining the mission with recruitment, but in
Chicago, I went out on the Chicago River and then out towards
the lake with the Coast Guard. You all did the same thing in
Milwaukee as well. It seemed like a good recruiting
opportunity, but you can't put non-Coasties in places
physically where they shouldn't be during a high security time.
But how do you take advantage of those kinds of big
opportunities in order to attract attention to the work that
you do and then recruit?
Master Chief Jones. So, I give all the credit in the world
to just the amazing innovation of our recruiting command and
how they have--to be very honest, it took us a long time. We
never thought we would have a recruiting problem in the Coast
Guard. And so, it took us a long time to kind of reset the
mindset. And they are extremely active in finding those things
that all just naturally happen throughout a country. An inland
rivers job fair in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that brings in 3,000 people
from high schools, colleges, and trade schools, we send
recruiters to events like that. And those are the things that
happen all over the country.
Where we are really pouring a lot of focus is--and not to
take focus away from the coastal communities where people know
us, but now we are trying to get our brand kind of into the
heartland where we do live and serve every single day.
As an example, my wife and I, our first unit in the Coast
Guard was in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Did not know that when I
joined the Coast Guard, but--so, we lived and worked there, and
now we are trying to get our brand to be as visible in the
heartland as it is on the coast where people know us.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. OK. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back.
Mr. Webster of Florida. OK. Mr. Van Drew, you are
recognized for 5 minutes.
Dr. Van Drew. Thank you, Chairman.
As you know, Training Center Cape May is in my backyard,
so, I am acutely aware of the issues that most impact the
Coasties' daily lives. We deal with it. Access to medical,
schooling, and childcare for the children are in desperate need
of being addressed. But perhaps the most impactful is the
availability of affordable housing.
Housing costs in general are at an all-time high everywhere
in the United States of America. But given that the Service is
coastal in nature, the enlisted workforce is resigned to find
housing in some of the most expensive, competitive markets in
the country. I have constituents now who have had to find more
reasonable housing options sometimes over an hour away from
where they are located.
The continental United States Cost-of-Living Allowance is a
taxable supplemental allowance for U.S. military members
designed to help offset the price of living expenses in the
highest cost locations in the continental United States. Given
the higher costs along the coast, it is evident, to me at
least, that an increased CONUS COLA is something that would
greatly benefit Coasties and servicemembers stationed in these
areas.
Master Chief Jones, thank you for being here today.
I am aware the Coast Guard is concerned with being viewed
as receiving preferential treatment. You don't, but I know that
we are all concerned always about everything, but this is an
avenue for the Coast Guard--is this an avenue--let me say it
this way, I believe that we have, but is this an avenue the
Coast Guard has explored to help the high costs that are
located by these bases?
Master Chief Jones. Thank you, Congressman.
And, yes, sir, we--when it comes to our Basic Allowance for
Housing and our Cost-of-Living Allowance, we work hand-in-hand
with the Department of Defense on those avenues. We are
absolutely--I do believe COLA is an avenue in the continental
United States where typically we did not receive COLA in a lot
of the CONUS places. That is absolutely an avenue, in addition
to working towards it. And thank you to Congress for working to
bringing us back to a Basic Allowance for Housing covering 100
percent of the rental market in an area. We are working to
strive towards that.
I will say, in an area like Cape May, as you know well,
thanks to your support, that is one of our really good news
housing stories, the Coast Guard housing there in Cape May. Our
folks absolutely love living there. We have--in Cape May, we
have what we call a lot of repeat offenders. They go to Cape
May, then they leave kicking and screaming, and they can't wait
to come back to Cape May and be assigned there.
But, absolutely, we work hand-in-hand. I spent Monday this
week with my DoD counterparts, working with folks from the
Office of the Secretary of Defense, on these exact things,
housing allowance and COLA.
Dr. Van Drew. I appreciate it. And hopefully we can work it
out. Count me in any way that we can help.
You are right, Cape May is a spectacularly beautiful area.
Sometimes people have this vision of New Jersey, and I have the
southern one-third of the State geographically, and it is an
amazing area, and Cape May is particularly beautiful, but it is
particularly expensive as well, as you know.
Training Center Cape May has prepared a draft strategic
development plan which identifies potential projects over a 25-
year horizon. In a Coast Guard Subcommittee hearing in June, as
you probably know, I directly asked Vice Admiral Thomas whether
he could commit to sharing this 25-year plan. And his answer
was, quote, ``If we have it, I don't know why we wouldn't share
it,'' end quote.
So, I requested this, I hope, as you know--if not, I am
requesting it again--many times, and I will continue to pursue
this. I will continue to inquire about it, want to know about
it, about this plan. And the subcommittee, I think, would like
to know about it, as well. It is not just for the edification
of the subcommittee or for me. Having advanced awareness of the
Coast Guard's goals would greatly improve your daily lives, I
believe, and the Service.
We as a Congress should be able to see what such a critical
asset like Training Center Cape May is going to be doing over
the next quarter of a century, and it is unclear to me why the
Coast Guard has been unable to share this plan with Members of
Congress who work so hard to provide you with what you need.
So, I am going to ask again, I am going to ask again, and I
appreciate follow through: Vice Admiral Allan, will you commit
to me and this committee that you and your team can provide a
copy of the strategic development plan for Training Center Cape
May as soon as possible? Or, in all honesty, notify me--and
that wouldn't be terrible; we should know, though--if there is
not such a plan or if that plan is not operative, it is not
functional, if it is something that would just lead us astray,
and if it would, then where do we go from there?
Admiral Allan. Sir, thank you for that question, and thank
you more for the support you are providing to help us change
the facilities there.
I would tell you that that is a plan that I am looking
into, and it is under development. I think we have some key
pieces there as we start talking about the barracks, but we
need additional money just to do some of the planning as we
look at the facilities we need for our members there to train
and be able to do that year-round.
So, yes, sir, I commit to come over. I will sit with you. I
will show you what we have right now, and I will talk to you
about where we are going to develop a more comprehensive plan
that looks at that whole plan and----
Dr. Van Drew [interrupting]. And I would appreciate that.
So, if you would contact my office----
Admiral Allan [interposing]. Yes, sir.
Dr. Van Drew [continuing]. I would love to look at that and
what we could share with the chairman, and the rest of the
committee would appreciate that, as well.
As you know, I am supportive. And, quite frankly, for those
who haven't been to the barracks--and I will end with this,
Chairman. For those that haven't been to the barracks, it does
need some help. It does need some work. It could be better,
especially for training year-round. Cape May beautiful, but
kind of rough in the wintertime.
I appreciate you being here. And I yield back to the
chairman.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Now, Mr. Carbajal, you are
recognized.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Master Chief Jones, I have had the opportunity to meet with
Coasties across the country and the world. I found that the
best way to understand the challenges and problems that our
Coasties face is to ask the spouses directly.
Since that is a big part of your job, I am going to put you
on the spot. What would you say are the top three things the
spouses of Coasties would say need to be addressed, changed,
augmented? What are the top three things that you hear time and
time again?
Master Chief Jones. Thank you, sir.
And, obviously, I am very careful because I know who is
sitting right behind me.
And what I normally tell people is, I explain the role of
the ombudsman-at-large. When we travel, she doesn't travel as
my wife. She travels as the Commandant's ombudsman-at-large.
She is the number one advisor to the Commandant of the Coast
Guard on all things family. So, I always say, so, I listen to
that person very carefully. Happens to be my wife, so, I double
listen to that person very carefully.
And what Carol and some of the ombudsmen in the field
created for us is the acronym CASH. Very, very simply. So, it
is four things, if you will allow me, sir. The CASH, the C is
childcare and schools; the A is access to quality mental and
physical healthcare; the S is spousal employment; and the H is
housing. And without fail, wherever we go, we hear about the
CASH. Depending on where you are, where our sentinels live and
work, the order will change. But, inevitably, those are the
four things that come up, sir.
Mr. Carbajal. And very smart, a good way to remember them
all when you are being asked about them.
Vice Admiral Allan, suicide is still one of the highest
causes of death within the military, whether it is during
service or post-separation. So far this year alone in 2024, the
Coast Guard has lost eight shipmates.
What is the Coast Guard doing to combat the rise of
suicide? And what does the Coast Guard do to care for members
who need mental health assistance? I know you briefly touched
on this earlier, but if you could expand, I would appreciate
it.
Admiral Allan. Thank you for that question.
And it is a terrible plague to even have one person in the
Service, let alone the eight that we have seen this year.
I think with the help of this committee, we have been able
to increase some of those personnel that are going out and
providing mental health services to our families. And I think
that is important to say just families, because it is not only
the Active Duty members that are getting hurt by this issue.
While we concentrate on providing some caregivers there, we
also have a tremendous network that we are doing. We have an
EAP program that provides six sessions for anyone that is
having mental health issues. We provide chaplains out in the
field that are walking around, looking at our members, trying
to help them. And then I think the most important thing we are
doing is we are developing training that we are giving to, not
only senior leaders, but those people at the deckplate level,
the people you see behind me. Because I think the biggest thing
that we can do is provide support and care across our networks
of personnel so that they can see when someone is starting to
go into crisis and help get them a number of resources that
they have.
So, thank you for your support on that.
Master Chief Jones. And if I may, sir, one of the continual
barriers that we are just--that keeps me awake at night is
removing stigmas associated with saying, I need help. As you
see these amazing Americans, they want to be there for everyone
else. We have to remember to be there for themselves, and
removing some of the misperceptions that if you ask for help,
you are--if you are Petty Officer Sizer, that you are not going
to be able to fly, or if you go seek help that you are going to
lose your security clearance. These are all fallacies. It is
not true.
So, it is constant communication into those areas just to
tell our workforce it is OK. If you break your ankle, you are
going to be laid up for 6 to 8 weeks in a cast, and that is OK.
If you are struggling with mental health, that is OK as well.
And then one other addition is, starting in, we are hoping
about February, we are going to be moving from our Coast Guard
support program to the Military OneSource program that DoD
uses, we are getting on the contract there, which is a much
better tool for our members and their families especially when
it comes in to the mental health.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you.
Vice Admiral Allan, your testimony recognized the current
struggles the Coasties face when it comes to finding affordable
housing and housing that is within a reasonable commuting
distance.
How much Coast Guard housing exists on base right now, more
or less, in some kind of--if you can give us some kind of
sense? And how much of that--what approximate amount of that
percentage serves the Coast Guard?
Admiral Allan. Thank you for that question.
So, I would say the percentage of Coast Guard-owned housing
is very small. I can get you that exact percentage. But
overall, we mainly rely on BAH. However, we have got to be very
deliberate about how we do that. In areas like Kodiak, in areas
along the coast, we have to have that kind of housing to be
able to provide it. I was the district commander in Boston.
Those housing units that we have up in Maine are just essential
to what we are doing.
That housing is almost always dedicated to Coast Guard
people. We are always trying to keep it up to speed. We are
trying to make sure that we are making improvements to people
like you that push us to do that in the right places, like
Santa Barbara. Thank you very much. That has provided a needed
resource for our people.
And I will get you that percentage, sir.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you very much.
Mr. Chair, I yield back.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Mr. Babin, you are recognized for 5
minutes.
Dr. Babin. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
I want to thank you, Admiral and Master Chief, for being
here. And what a treat it was at lunchtime to meet these four
brave individuals, and very proud of them, very proud of the
Coast Guard.
Southeast Texas, where I represent the 36th Congressional
District, I share some very close ties with the Coast Guard
from the storm response to keeping a watchful eye on the
Houston Ship Channel and beyond. On behalf of my district, I
want to thank all of you for keeping our region safe.
I would also like to briefly thank and give a special
shout-out to my scheduler, Ms. Avrie Hodges, who is going to be
joining your ranks this year as a Coastie. And while we are
going to miss her at our office, I have no doubt she is going
to do a tremendous job and do great things in the Coast Guard.
I am very proud of her, and I am looking forward to seeing her
succeed in the next chapter of her life.
So, with that said, my first question is open to whoever
would like to answer. Our country is facing new threats, both
close at home and around the world. The Coast Guard is uniquely
positioned to ensure the safety of America. But, unfortunately,
we have heard a lot about challenges in both the recruitment
and retainment of servicemembers.
And while I am told things are getting back to normal--and
I think I heard that in one of your opening statements or
answering a question--would you speak a little bit to the
current--I think, if this is still true, we are still 10
percent short. Is there still a 10-percent shortfall?
Please briefly touch on both challenges to recruiting new
members as well as challenges to getting Coasties to stick
around and stay in the Service. And, in addition, please tell
us some of the specific things that Congress can be doing to
help alleviate these issues.
Master Chief Jones. Thank you, sir.
And, absolutely, we have made a tremendous dent in the
workforce shortage. We were at one point--at the worst, we were
close to 5,000 people short. We are now maybe in the 2,500
range. So, we are making tremendous progress. We are still
short, but I want to reassure we are not taking our foot off
the gas pedal on this.
Our retention, we have always enjoyed an extremely high
retention rate in the Coast Guard. Our mission sells. Our folks
love what they do. We did see a slight drop in retention 2021,
2022, 2023 timeframe--or 2021, 2022. In the last 2 years, we
have seen it go back to what our normal average retention rates
are.
A lot of philosophies on why that is, sir. One that may be
is that was kind of the 20-year mark for those that joined
after 9/11. Great Americans signed up, served their country for
20 years, and retired.
One of the things that I am really keeping a keen eye on,
and we spent a lot of time talking with my DoD counterparts on
Monday about is, now we are on the--kind of on the first round
of people being eligible to get out of the military that have
the blended retirement system. We don't know if that is going
to impact or not impact.
So, what we believe at the end of the day and what we are
keenly focused on is the culture of our Service, the mission of
our Service. Our people love what they do. And as long as our
people serve at a unit where they feel like that they are
trusted, valued, empowered, and included for themselves
personally and themselves professionally, their families, and
we can provide them the things that they need to make it easier
for them to Coast Guard, then we are pretty proud of the
product we have, sir.
Dr. Babin. Thank you very, very much.
My next question--and this is a little off topic for
today--but it is a technical question, and it has to do with my
district.
In either case--in case either of you are up to speed on
the situation with the Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter issues, the
Coast Guard has recently made it known that the MH-60 Jayhawk's
maximum flight-hours have been reduced from 20,000 to 19,000
hours. And now, eight helicopters have been taken out of
service, and more will be removed as they reach 19,000 hours.
What sort of operational impact is the reduced helicopter
fleet having on your operations? How will the reduction in
maximum flight-hours impact the Service's plan to transition to
an all MH-60 fleet?
If we have a little more time, I want to finish up too with
something else.
Admiral Allan. Yes, sir. Thank you for that question.
Providing the right assets and safe assets to our personnel
is the Coast Guard's number one priority. We have got to make
sure that they are safe so that they come back.
When we start looking at the 60s and what we are doing, we
have run them very long. Most of the other services are not
running them past 10,000 hours or past 12,000 hours. We now
have a large majority of our fleet approaching 19,000 hours.
In recent discussions with the OEM Sikorsky, they alerted
us to some information to start talking about what is the safe
upper limit for those aircraft that they are operating. So, out
of an abundance of caution, we took a pause. We are holding
those aircraft that are above 19,000 hours on the ground until
we can do a full assessment, and that is what we are currently
in the process of doing, to understand where that is and how
that will affect, not only our near-term goals for operational
readiness, but our long strategic plans.
Dr. Babin. My time is expired, so, I will yield back.
Thank you very much, Admiral and Master Chief.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Thank you.
Mrs. Peltola, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Peltola. Thank you, Chairman Webster.
Most of my questions have already been asked, but I wanted
to ask you about childcare. I consider childcare a workforce
issue, and I wonder if you could talk a little bit about
improvements made to your childcare situation.
Master Chief Jones. Yes, thank you so much.
Obviously, childcare--anything we talk about in the CASH
world that I spoke from the ombudsman-at-large, it is a direct
tie to readiness. Because when our members are worried about
things at home not being taken care of, they are not focused on
doing the dangerous missions that we ask them to do.
In the childcare world, it is not a one size fits all. In
some places, the answer is, Congress supports and we build and
fund a brick-and-mortar child development center that the Coast
Guard runs. In some places, it is working to get equal or
better access to DoD facilities. And in quite a few places, it
is the childcare subsidies that you all have worked so hard to
give us. And we thank you so much for that.
The next key step in the childcare subsidies piece is we
are currently working an MOA with the Navy. Congress gave us
the ability to not necessarily have to pay those childcare
subsidies to a certain provider but to be able to pay them
directly to the member. So, we are working an MOA with the
Navy. And as soon as we get that done, then the subsidies could
be paid straight to the member, then the member can decide to
bring someone in their home or whatever. So, it is those
flexible options in there are the best approach to childcare.
Mrs. Peltola. Thank you.
In the last few years, I have had the opportunity to get to
know a couple of your enlisted members, and one of the things
that has impressed me are the myriad training opportunities
that you have. And I wonder--I heard about one training that
was to be a victim's advocate. Another training was
deescalation of volatile situations. And I don't know what
exactly kind of program you have, but could you talk about some
of the training opportunities that you give your enlisted
folks?
Master Chief Jones. Absolutely. One of the amazing--as you
heard from all of the members today at lunch, what enabled them
to do those amazing specific cases they talked about with their
work every day is the training, I think. And what I heard from
them was they relied on their training, they trusted their
training, they trusted the training of their shipmates, and
they went out and they did great things.
Like you mentioned victim advocates, Jess is a victim
advocate at her unit. So, a lot of what we have are trainings
that are inherent to the Coast Guard. We have formal school
training. Obviously, Cape May is the basic training, then the A
school, which is where people go for their formal rating
training, and then we have C schools, just a myriad of C
schools both on the officer and enlisted side, that train
members to the daily jobs.
But I will tell you where I am the proudest of our
workforce is a lot of what we do is daily on-the-job training.
And they have formalized PQ, or personnel qualification,
standards that they follow as they are doing this training. But
a lot of what they do is that on-the-job training. The boat
crews that you hear, the rescue swimmer, the Fast Response
Cutter out doing its missions is executed in that format of the
on-the-job training.
Mrs. Peltola. Thank you.
And you also really help young people figure out their
finances, do long-term planning for retirement. There aren't
many organizations that provide this kind of support for young
people, and I just really want to commend you on that.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Webster of Florida. The gentlelady yields back.
Mr. Ezell, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Ezell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And I thank you all again for being here today. And we so
enjoyed spending our time with you at lunch, and appreciate
your shared stories with us.
It is always good to be around you folks because you just
make the room and the world a better place. But every time I
come away from being around you, I am more impressed. You
defend more than 100,000 miles of U.S. coastline, and a lot of
that is in my district. And I just can't thank you for all that
you do enough.
I hope that some of these discussions that we are having
today will bring a little light on how much the Coast Guard
does with little resources. It is admirable. And I want to make
sure, as much as I can, to make sure you have everything you
can to be successful in your jobs.
Vice Admiral, you testified, ``Our people are our most
valuable resource.'' I agree with you wholeheartedly. These men
and women answer the daily call to protect us.
Can you elaborate a little more on the strength of your
people and the workforce, especially as we face recruitment and
retainment issues across all the services?
Admiral Allan. Yes, sir. Thank you for that question.
I think as we talk a lot in the Coast Guard and we get
asked about things, we talk about the great ships that we are
building, where they are being delivered from, and how they are
doing it. But I have got to tell you, it is a piece of steel
until we put a Coast Guard crew on there that brings them to
life that then executes the missions that we need.
That said, I think we are providing what the Nation needs.
Sometimes I worry about the resources we are providing to give
the crews the Coast Guard has and what they need to be able to
do that mission every day.
So, with the help of Congress, especially with this
committee, we just appreciate all things that you are doing to
help with those intangibles--that training, childcare,
housing--that is so important to keep their mind on the mission
and not worried about how their family is doing, how they are
going to get medical. We within the Coast Guard have a lot of
work to do to make that better for them, but we appreciate your
partnership in doing it.
Mr. Ezell. Thank you.
The Coast Guard recently introduced a Talent Acquisition
rating. What were some of the positives from that program, and
how can we help you get it improved?
Master Chief Jones. Thank you for that question, sir.
And I think I mentioned this earlier, we were the only
branch of the military that did not have people dedicated to
recruiting as a profession. You would take any one of these
four amazing members sitting behind me, they would go do their
tour at their unit, then they can go to what we call the
special assignment, go be a recruiter for 3 or 4 years or 4
years, and then have to go back into their rating because they
need to do what they need to do there to advance.
And what we found, in one case 2 years ago, a boatswain's
mate first class was the top recruiter in the Coast Guard, and
she loved it and she wanted to keep doing it, but she needed to
go back afloat and get some boatswain's mate qual so she could
advance to chief petty officer. So, we finally realized, hey,
let's give these folks the opportunity. Because when they do
that 4-year tour, it is year 3 when they really get kicking and
they really get good at what they are doing. So, establishing
the Talent Acquisition rating is the best way to get about it.
We are starting--that is not something that you can come in
from boot camp and then go to an A school. We are going to
require that--right now, we are requiring the E-6 level, I
mean, you kind of need to know the product you are selling, get
out and live it a little bit. But we are looking to maybe
expand that to the second-class level to equal our diver
rating. But it is something that every recruiter I talk to is
really considering, lateraling over into that rating, they love
their job.
Mr. Ezell. Very good. I would like to hear a little more
about your personal story and how we can use those stories like
yours and Vice Admiral Allan's to help address some of the
challenges that you have today. And why did you join the Coast
Guard?
Master Chief Jones. The greatest decision I ever made in my
life was to ask this lady behind me to marry me. The greatest
decision we ever made was joining the Coast Guard.
Mr. Ezell. Very good.
Master Chief Jones. And quite frankly, I turned 23 in boot
camp. So, I had bounced around. I won't list how many freshman
years of college I did before joining the Coast Guard. But I
remember vividly one day my father came to me and he goes, hey,
you really like this girl, Carol. I said, Dad, I love her. And
he goes, you better figure it out because she is too good for
you, you are going nowhere. So, I needed something. And I have
a great relationship with my dad. But it was that kick-start.
And I joined the Coast Guard thinking I was going to do 4
years and get out, and probably a lot of us have that story.
And here I am almost three decades later and, unfortunately, in
2 years, they are going to have to send me home, kicking and
screaming. We have loved every minute of every day. And when I
told you all before I have the greatest job in the world, you
got to see at lunch, I am not making that up. I have the
greatest job in the world.
Mr. Ezell. I certainly believe that just watching the
testimonies and the stories that were told. I felt the same way
in the police force when I joined. I was going to do my 20
years, and 42 years later I retired and got elected to
Congress. So, anyway. Thank you all. It has been a wonderful
day to be around you and to hear your testimonies.
And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Webster of Florida. The gentleman yields back.
Ms. Scholten, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. Scholten. Thank you, sir.
And thank you so much to our witnesses, Vice Admiral Allan
and Master Chief Jones. So good to see you again. And I am just
so grateful to you both for your service to our country. I
would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge Carol and her service
as well and commitment. We should have her here up on the
witness stand for many of these. Nobody knows more about the
life of a Coastie than our supportive spouses.
I am incredibly fortunate, as you know, to represent Coast
Guard stations in Grand Haven and Muskegon. And as we
discussed, it is clear how the Coast Guard can provide
fulfilling service-oriented work. I know from meeting with them
firsthand that our hard-working Coasties are dedicated to
safeguarding hundreds of thousands of miles of U.S. coastline,
both inland, as well as helping mariners in need. However, the
Coast Guard continues to struggle. Even though numbers are up
in recruiting, we are not near the level that we need to. And
we know that a huge part of this is understanding the stability
of the job.
As we are slated to narrowly avoid a Government shutdown
this week, it is top of mind as I think about the fact that, in
2019, the lapse in appropriations hit our Coasties so hard, and
their families, who didn't receive a paycheck in those critical
30-plus days. This is precisely why I introduced the Pay Our
Coast Guard Parity Act, to ensure that the Coast Guard is
appropriately compensated for their work during Government
shutdowns, just as other military service branches are and have
been.
For both of you, how could commonsense bills like the Pay
Our Coast Guard Parity Act level the playing field among
different military branches and bolster potential recruitment
prospects?
As well as, Master Chief Jones, you talked about the mental
health aspects of this. I think about just the dignity and
respect that we owe it to our Coasties to make sure that they
are paid in the event of a shutdown. So, those two aspects,
sir.
Master Chief Jones. I will go first, if it is OK, ma'am.
Thank you so much. Great to see you again, as well.
What I learned in 2019 with the lapse in appropriation was
that our workforce--I didn't learn--I knew they were the
greatest in the world. But what I learned is they will run
through a brick wall for us and for the Nation. All they want
to know is what is on the other side. And what I learned very
clearly is the one thing that will bring our workforce to their
knees is the unknown.
And they knew we would eventually be paid. I mean, everyone
knew that, but the fear in the eyes when we are going and
talking to our members. And I think the sense of
disappointment, the sense of feeling let down. And the biggest
concern that we have as an organization is they still came to
work and did their job every day, but were they as effective as
they could have been, because their minds were worried on, I
can't pay this bill, can I get groceries, those things.
And as I said earlier, resilience in our workforce,
readiness in our workforce is all about having them, when they
come to work, being fully focused on a mission, because in
every story you heard at lunchtime, what any one of them will
tell you is, I happened to be the one on duty that day, they
kind of aw-shucks it away how amazing they are. I get the
privilege of bragging on them all the time. But that could be
this afternoon, that could be tomorrow, that could be at any
time for any of them. So, we need them to know that the things
at home are taken care of. So, we thank you very much for that
support.
Ms. Scholten. Yes, absolutely.
Admiral Allan. Thank you for that question.
I would say, when you talk to Coast Guard people, they
joined for the mission, they joined for the service of Nation,
they joined for the adventure. They do not join because we are
paying them so much, right. And so, even while we push forward
to have better programs to make sure they are financially
responsible, understand, too many of our people live paycheck
to paycheck.
At the beginning of this hearing, we talked a little bit
about how dispersed our workforce is compared to DoD. In DoD,
if you are in housing, it doesn't matter if you don't have your
BAH. In many cases, our people, they didn't get BAH and they
were being threatened to be moved out of their houses.
We are geographically operating across the globe every day,
many times along our DoD partners. And it was, I have got to
tell you, very tough for some of our young petty officers to
not be getting paid while standing shoulder to shoulder to
someone over in Bahrain that was getting paid, and their wife,
their spouse, their family member didn't need to have.
So, thank you for your focus on that. Thank you for helping
it but very important issue for the Coast Guard.
Ms. Scholten. Thank you so much.
Over two centuries of service standing strong for us, you
deserve the same from your Government to make sure that you
guys are ready and able to serve. Look forward to celebrating
your birthday with you later today. Thank you.
I yield back.
Mr. Webster of Florida. OK. Well, I want to thank both of
our witnesses for coming, and the others in the Coast Guard for
coming, watching your Government work, and it is really good to
have you here today.
The subcommittee stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 3:20 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]