Any law removing for the duration of a war or national emergency proclaimed by the President any restriction contained in any then-existing law as applied to the Navy, including, but not limited to, restrictions relating to the manner in which purchases may be made and contracts awarded, fiscal operations, and personnel, shall, in the same manner and to the same extent, remove such restrictions as applied to the Coast Guard.

(Aug. 4, 1949, ch. 393, 63 Stat. 550.)

This section is new and provides that any law removing for the duration of a war or national emergency any restriction contained in any then-existing law as applied to the Navy shall operate in the same manner to remove such restrictions as applied to the Coast Guard. Included are restrictions relating to the manner in which purchases may be made and contracts awarded, fiscal operations, and personnel. This provision is designed to enable the Coast Guard to operate as efficiently as the Navy Department in time of war or during a national emergency and would permit the Coast Guard more effectively to maintain itself in a state of military readiness during periods of emergency. Since the Coast Guard operates as part of the Navy in time of war, it is essential that its operations be as flexible and as efficient as those of the Department of which it is to be a part. This section would prevent inadvertent failures specifically to mention the Coast Guard in legislation of the type described in this section from hindering service operations. 81st Congress, House Report No. 557.