[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 26127]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       COMMANDANT OF THE COAST GUARD ADVICE RECOMMENDATIONS ACTS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. WALTER B. JONES

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 28, 2003

  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Coast Guard is our 
Nation's fifth military service. Since their founding in 1790 as the 
Revenue Cutter Service, the USCG has served our Nation in peace and 
war. The Coast Guard fought pirates off the coast of Virginia in 1793, 
engaged British Warships in the War of 1812, piloted ships ashore 
during the D-day invasion, and deployed 8,000 personnel to Southeast 
Asia during Vietnam. Most recently during Operation Iraqi Freedom, more 
than 1,250 Coasties deployed to the Persian Gulf to protect sea-lanes, 
guard ports, and clear mines for Coalition ships.
  The Commandant of the Coast Guard, like his Department of Defense 
counterparts, is the fourstar senior military officer responsible for 
providing advice to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the 
President on matters under his jurisdiction. Also like the other 
service chiefs, the Commandant of the Coast Guard is called to testify 
before Congress on the operation of that service. However, despite the 
similarities in service and sacrifice, that is one area where the 
Commandant of the Coast Guard is distinct from his peers.
  Current law allows that the chiefs of the other services; Army, Navy, 
Marine Corps, and Air Force, may provide personal considerations to 
members of Congress if requested to do so (10 U.S.C. 151(f)); however, 
the Coast Guard Commandant does not have this privilege. The advice 
received from the other service chiefs has been invaluable in ensuring 
that Congress provides the proper resources and legislative support. At 
a time when the Coast Guard is engaged a wide range of military 
operations abroad and homeland defense missions at home, that advice is 
even more important.
  It is for that reason, that I am introducing this simple legislation. 
The bill, first brought to my attention by the Fleet Reserve 
Association, would give the Commandant of the Coast Guard the authority 
to make such recommendations to Congress relating to the Coast Guard as 
the Commandant considers appropriate. It does not mandate unsolicited 
recommendations, nor dictate the nature of those recommendations. 
Instead it simply provides the Commandant of the Coast Guard the same 
authority provided to the heads of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and 
Air Force. I would encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting 
this legislation to ensure that the Coast Guard remains true to its 
motto--Semper Paratus--or Always Ready.

                          ____________________