[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 102 (Thursday, July 9, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1698-E1699]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMENDING THE SERVICE OF REAR ADMIRAL GARY T. BLORE AS ASSISTANT 
              COMMANDANT OF THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 9, 2009

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation, I rise to recognize Rear Admiral 
Gary T. Blore for his distinguished service as the Assistant Commandant 
for Acquisition and Chief Acquisition Officer for the United States 
Coast Guard. Having completed his tour at Coast Guard Headquarters, he 
has now assumed command of the Coast Guard's 13th District, located in 
the Pacific Northwest.
  Admiral Blore took the helm of Coast Guard acquisition programs at a 
time when these programs were facing significant challenges. Early 
procurements in the Deepwater program--a multi-billion dollar program 
intended to repair or replace the Coast Guard's air and surface 
assets--had failed.
  Additionally, the decision made years earlier to manage the Deepwater 
procurements outside the service's existing acquisition management 
structure had created serious oversight and even morale challenges.
  The Coast Guard needed to completely revamp its acquisition 
management systems to create a structure equal to the size of its 
acquisition initiatives and capable of effectively overseeing its 
contractors and obtaining best value for the expenditure of taxpayer 
resources.
  Admiral Blore has ably led that change and, working closely with the 
Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, has modernized 
the Coast Guard's acquisition management systems.
  His leadership guided the reorganization of several stalled projects 
that have now produced an unprecedented number of urgently needed 
capital assets for the Coast Guard, including modern helicopters, 
airplanes, boats, large cutters, and sophisticated shore, air and sea-
based command and control systems.
  Responding to the extensive criticisms of the early Deepwater effort 
and the Rescue-21 program, Admiral Blore led the organization of a new 
Acquisition Directorate. He issued and updated a Blueprint for 
Acquisition Reform, which continues to guide the creation of 
acquisition management systems within the new Directorate. Further, he 
oversaw the successful

[[Page E1699]]

extraction of the Deepwater procurements from the Integrated Coast 
Guard System team and brought the Lead Systems Integration functions 
back in-house.
  Additionally, Admiral Blore updated the Coast Guard's Major Systems 
Acquisition Manual, published an Acquisition Human Capital Strategic 
Plan, and developed 30-year air and surface asset recapitalization 
plans that will guide the service's ongoing effort to effectively plan 
future capital needs.
  I believe that under the leadership of Commandant Thad Allen and 
Admiral Blore, the Coast Guard has positioned itself to more 
effectively manage its acquisition efforts and to produce assets that 
will significantly enhance the Coast Guard's mission readiness.
  To ensure that these and other needed acquisition management reforms 
are solidly established, I introduced legislation during this 
Congress--the Coast Guard Acquisition Reform Act of 2009, H.R. 1665--
which builds on and institutionalizes the many reforms that Admiral 
Blore has introduced.
  This measure will strengthen the Coast Guard's ability to manage 
complex acquisition projects and I look forward to its full 
consideration and passage by the House.
  Admiral Blore has had a long and distinguished career in service to 
our Nation. He is an accomplished Coast Guard aviator; this fall, he 
will relieve Vice Admiral Vivien Crea as the Coast Guard's Ancient 
Albatross--the service's longest-serving active duty aviator.
  I know Admiral Blore to be a man of unyielding integrity who has 
forthrightly presented to me and to the Congress the full extent of the 
problems he has confronted. I also know him to be an effective and 
deliberate manager who has diligently addressed the problems he faced 
and who leaves a modern acquisition organization that reflects his 
dedication to excellence.
  I am honored to pay tribute to Admiral Blore in the United States 
Congress and on behalf of the Representatives and staff who have been 
fortunate enough to work with him. I wish him, his wife Vera, his son 
David, and his daughter Anna the very best.

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