President Trump’s FY 2019 budget requests $11.65 billion for the U.S. Coast Guard with $9.7 billion in discretionary funding. The priorities include recapitalization, frontline operations in support of national priorities, and maximizing value by efficiently allocating resources.
Top highlights include:
- $1.9 billion for Procurement, Construction, and Improvements (PC&I).
- $1,544 million for vessels, including:
- $750 million to award a contract for detail design and construction of new polar icebreakers, supporting delivery of the first new heavy icebreaker in 2023;
- $400 million for construction of the second Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC), scheduled for delivery in 2022, as well as long lead time materials for the third OPC;
- $240 million for procurement of four Fast Response Cutters (FRC); and $5 million to support acquisition planning activities for the Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC), which will replace an obsolete fleet of inland tenders and barges commissioned between 1944 and 1990.
- $1,544 million for vessels, including:
- $148 million for aircraft, including:
- $25 million to support service life extensions for MH-60T helicopters;
- $20 million for H-65 helicopter enhancements/upgrades;
- $97 million for conversion and sustainment of fixed-wing HC-27J and HC-144A aircraft; and $6 million for small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS).
- $135 million for shore and major systems acquisition infrastructure projects, including funding for:
- barracks renovations at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy;
- housing construction at the Wailupe Housing Complex, HI;
- pier and infrastructure improvements to support the OPC homeports at San Pedro, CA and Kodiak, AK and the NSC homeport at Charleston, SC; and
- hangar improvements to support HC-130J aircraft at Air Station Barbers Point, HI.
SUSTAIN MISSION EXCELLENCE: The FY 2019 Budget requests $7.8 billion for Operations and Support (O&S) to operate and maintain Coast Guard assets, sustain critical frontline operations, and fund pay and benefits for the Coast Guard’s active duty, civilian, and reserve workforces. Budget highlights include:
- $101 million to maintain parity with DOD for military pay and fund increases for military allowances and health care, as well as civilian benefits and retirement contributions.
- $63 million for new assets and infrastructure including:
- operations and maintenance of NSC #8 and FRCs #31-36; cutter crews for FRCs #34-38;
- shore-side maintenance personnel to support NSCs #7-8 and FRCs #31-38;
- maintenance support personnel for the C-27J fleet; and
- operations, maintenance, and flight crews for HC-130J aircraft #10-11.
- $49 million to annualize FY 2018 funding for new assets and initiatives.
MAXIMIZE VALUE TO THE NATION: In FY 2019, the Coast Guard will make sound, risk-based decisions to efficiently allocate resources while investing in critical recapitalization initiatives. Budget highlights include:
- $36 million to replace aircraft equipment and systems necessary to comply with FAA 2020 airspace requirements, to address obsolete communications and connectivity equipment on cutters and aircraft, and to maintain mission essential system information technology infrastructure to improve cyber security of Coast Guard networks.
- $7 million to build capacity within the Coast Guard’s professional acquisition workforce to support new and ongoing recapitalization projects and programs.
- $32 million in savings associated with the elimination of the Crew Rotation Concept (CRC) pilot program, which standardizes NSC fleet operations and avoids costly and ineffective implementations in two other NSC homeports.
- $16 million in savings associated with the planned decommissioning of four HC-130H aircraft. These assets are being replaced by new, more capable HC-130J aircraft.
The complete budget request can be found here.
