The International Role of the United States Coast Guard
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THE INTERNATIONAL ROLE OF THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD (116–58) HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COAST GUARD AND MARITIME TRANSPORTATION OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION MARCH 10, 2020 Printed for the use of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure ( Available online at: https://www.govinfo.gov/committee/house-transportation?path=/ browsecommittee/chamber/house/committee/transportation U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 42–634 PDF WASHINGTON : 2021 VerDate Aug 31 2005 11:49 Dec 30, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 P:\HEARINGS\116\CGMT\3-10-2~1\TRANSC~1\42634.TXT JEAN TRANSPC154 with DISTILLER COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon, Chair ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, SAM GRAVES, Missouri District of Columbia DON YOUNG, Alaska EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas ERIC A. ‘‘RICK’’ CRAWFORD, Arkansas RICK LARSEN, Washington BOB GIBBS, Ohio GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California DANIEL WEBSTER, Florida DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky STEVE COHEN, Tennessee MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania JOHN GARAMENDI, California RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois HENRY C. ‘‘HANK’’ JOHNSON, JR., Georgia ROB WOODALL, Georgia ANDRE´ CARSON, Indiana JOHN KATKO, New York DINA TITUS, Nevada BRIAN BABIN, Texas SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York GARRET GRAVES, Louisiana JARED HUFFMAN, California DAVID ROUZER, North Carolina JULIA BROWNLEY, California MIKE BOST, Illinois FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida RANDY K. WEBER, SR., Texas DONALD M. PAYNE, JR., New Jersey DOUG LAMALFA, California ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California BRUCE WESTERMAN, Arkansas MARK DESAULNIER, California LLOYD SMUCKER, Pennsylvania STACEY E. PLASKETT, Virgin Islands PAUL MITCHELL, Michigan STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts BRIAN J. MAST, Florida SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California, Vice Chair MIKE GALLAGHER, Wisconsin ANTHONY G. BROWN, Maryland GARY J. PALMER, Alabama ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania TOM MALINOWSKI, New Jersey JENNIFFER GONZA´ LEZ-COLO´ N, GREG STANTON, Arizona Puerto Rico DEBBIE MUCARSEL-POWELL, Florida TROY BALDERSON, Ohio LIZZIE FLETCHER, Texas ROSS SPANO, Florida COLIN Z. ALLRED, Texas PETE STAUBER, Minnesota SHARICE DAVIDS, Kansas CAROL D. MILLER, West Virginia ABBY FINKENAUER, Iowa GREG PENCE, Indiana JESU´ S G. ‘‘CHUY’’ GARCI´A, Illinois ANTONIO DELGADO, New York CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire ANGIE CRAIG, Minnesota HARLEY ROUDA, California CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania ---- SUBCOMMITTEE ON COAST GUARD AND MARITIME TRANSPORTATION SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York, Chair RICK LARSEN, Washington BOB GIBBS, Ohio STACEY E. PLASKETT, Virgin Islands DON YOUNG, Alaska JOHN GARAMENDI, California RANDY K. WEBER, SR., Texas ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California BRIAN J. MAST, Florida ANTHONY G. BROWN, Maryland MIKE GALLAGHER, Wisconsin CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire, Vice Chair CAROL D. MILLER, West Virginia CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania SAM GRAVES, Missouri (Ex Officio) PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon (Ex Officio) (ii) VerDate Aug 31 2005 11:49 Dec 30, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5905 Sfmt 5905 P:\HEARINGS\116\CGMT\3-10-2~1\TRANSC~1\42634.TXT JEAN TRANSPC154 with DISTILLER CONTENTS Page Summary of Subject Matter .................................................................................... v STATEMENTS OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE Hon. Sean Patrick Maloney, a Representative in Congress from the State of New York, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation: Opening statement ........................................................................................... 1 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 2 Hon. Bob Gibbs, a Representative in Congress from the State of Ohio, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transpor- tation: Opening statement ........................................................................................... 3 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 4 Hon. Sam Graves, a Representative in Congress from the State of Missouri, and Ranking Member, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, prepared statement .............................................................................................. 53 WITNESSES PANEL 1 Vice Admiral Daniel B. Abel, Deputy Commandant for Operations, U.S. Coast Guard: Oral statement .................................................................................................. 4 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 6 PANEL 2 Hon. David Balton, Senior Fellow, Polar Institute, Woodrow Wilson Inter- national Center for Scholars: Oral statement .................................................................................................. 26 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 27 Stephen E. Flynn, Ph.D., Founding Director, Global Resilience Institute, Northeastern University: Oral statement .................................................................................................. 31 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 33 Amy E. Searight, Ph.D., Senior Adviser and Director, Southeast Asia Pro- gram, Center for Strategic and International Studies: Oral statement .................................................................................................. 38 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 40 APPENDIX Questions to Vice Admiral Daniel B. Abel, Deputy Commandant for Oper- ations, U.S. Coast Guard, from: Hon. Sean Patrick Maloney ............................................................................. 55 Hon. Bob Gibbs ................................................................................................. 55 Hon. Rick Larsen .............................................................................................. 56 (iii) VerDate Aug 31 2005 11:49 Dec 30, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5905 Sfmt 5905 P:\HEARINGS\116\CGMT\3-10-2~1\TRANSC~1\42634.TXT JEAN TRANSPC154 with DISTILLER VerDate Aug 31 2005 11:49 Dec 30, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5905 Sfmt 5905 P:\HEARINGS\116\CGMT\3-10-2~1\TRANSC~1\42634.TXT JEAN TRANSPC154 with DISTILLER (!Committee on 'Ql:ramiportation anll 3lnfrastructure ml.~. ~ouse of 3Representatibes Wniibington, 1JBQJ: 20515 flrlrr m. Elrjfll} iO isimn ® rnllrS 1£1Jilirtmlll l-tmking Jl:lrmlJrr Kalhni11r W. DNlrkk, St.1ffDlm:tor PaulJ.San,Rcpublica11StaffD1rcc1or MARCH 5, 2020 SUMMARY OF SUBJECT MATTER TO: Members, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation FROM: Staff, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation RE: Subcommittee Hearing on ‘‘The International Role of the United States Coast Guard’’ PURPOSE The Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation will hold a hear- ing entitled ‘‘The International Role of the United States Coast Guard’’ on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building to examine the worldwide presence of the Coast Guard. The Subcommittee will hear testimony from the U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard or Service) and experts on international relations. BACKGROUND On August 4, 1790, President George Washington signed the Tariff Act author- izing the Revenue Cutter Service and the construction of ten vessels, referred to as ‘‘cutters.’’ Those cutters were intended to enforce the federal tariff and trade laws and to prevent smuggling.1 In 1915, the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the U.S. Life-Saving Service and was renamed the Coast Guard, making it the only maritime service dedicated to saving life at sea and enforcing the Nation’s maritime laws. In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the transfer of the Lighthouse Service to the Coast Guard and officially assigned it the responsibility of maritime navigation. In 1946, the Commerce Department transferred the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation, which oversaw merchant marine licensing and merchant vessel safety, to the Coast Guard. In 1967, the Coast Guard was transferred to the Department of Transportation (DOT) where it resided until 2003 when it was trans- ferred to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Under Section 102 of Title 14, United States Code, 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; to ensure safety of life and property at sea; to carry out domestic and international icebreaking activities; and, as one of the five armed forces of the United States, to maintain defense readiness to operate as a specialized service in the Navy upon the declaration of war or when the President directs. The law enforcement and peacetime duties of the Coast Guard include the inspec- tion of commercial vessels, the direction and maintenance of aids to navigation, the maintenance of an extensive network of search-and-rescue stations, international ice 1 United States Coast Guard. ‘‘The Coast Guard: America’s Oldest Maritime Defenders.’’ (v) VerDate Aug 31 2005 11:49 Dec 30, 2020 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6604 Sfmt 6604 P:\HEARINGS\116\CGMT\3-10-2~1\TRANSC~1\42634.TXT