1 Calendar No. 302 114TH CONGRESS " ! REPORT 1st Session SENATE 114–168 COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2015 R E P O R T OF THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION ON S. 1611 NOVEMBER 30, 2015.—Ordered to be printed U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 59–010 WASHINGTON : 2015 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:22 Dec 05, 2015 Jkt 059010 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4012 Sfmt 5012 E:\HR\OC\SR168.XXX SR168 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with REPORTS congress.#13 SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Chairman ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi BILL NELSON, Florida ROY BLUNT, Missouri MARIA CANTWELL, Washington MARCO RUBIO, Florida CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota TED CRUZ, Texas RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut DEB FISCHER, Nebraska BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii JERRY MORAN, Kansas ED MARKEY, Massachusetts DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska CORY BOOKER, New Jersey RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin TOM UDALL, New Mexico DEAN HELLER, Nevada JOE MANCHIN, West Virginia CORY GARDNER, Colorado GARY PETERS, Michigan STEVE DAINES, Montana DAVID SCHWIETERT, Staff Director NICK ROSSI, Deputy Staff Director REBECCA SEIDEL, General Counsel KIM LIPSKY, Democratic Staff Director CHRISTOPHER DAY, Democratic Deputy Staff Director CLINT ODOM, Democratic General Counsel (II) VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:22 Dec 05, 2015 Jkt 059010 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 E:\HR\OC\SR168.XXX SR168 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with REPORTS Calendar No. 302 114TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! 1st Session SENATE 114–168 COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2015 NOVEMBER 30, 2015.—Ordered to be printed Mr. THUNE, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, submitted the following R E P O R T [To accompany S. 1611] The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to which was referred the bill (S. 1611) to authorize appropriations for the U.S. Coast Guard for fiscal years 2016 and 2017, and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment (in the nature of a substitute) and rec- ommends that the bill (as amended) do pass. PURPOSE OF THE BILL The purpose of this legislation is to authorize appropriations for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Federal Maritime Commis- sion (FMC) for fiscal years (FYs) 2016 and 2017, and for other pur- poses. BACKGROUND AND NEEDS The USCG operates simultaneously under title 10 of the United States Code (relating to the Armed Forces) and title 14 of the United States Code (relating to the USCG), and numerous other authorities (including authorities under titles 6, 19, 33, and 46 of the United States Code). Its legal authorities enable the USCG to conduct military operations in support of the Department of De- fense (DOD) or directly for the President in accordance with title 14. Further, the USCG can be transferred to the Department of the Navy by the President at any time or by Congress during time of war. In 2003, the USCG was transferred from the Department of Transportation (DOT) to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As such, the USCG is the only U.S. military service that is situated outside the DOD. The USCG is composed of approximately 40,000 active-duty members, 7,500 reservists, 8,000 full-time civilian employees, and VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:22 Dec 05, 2015 Jkt 059010 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR168.XXX SR168 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with REPORTS 2 30,000 volunteer auxiliarists. The USCG is tasked with providing maritime security, law enforcement, and prevention and response activities for more than 4.5 million square miles of ocean, 95,000 miles of coastline, 26,000 miles of commercial waterways, 361 ports, 3,700 marine terminals, and 25,000 miles of inland and coastal waterways—this is the largest system of ports, waterways, and coastal seas in the world.1 It is unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission, with ju- risdiction in both domestic and international waters, while also serving as a Federal regulatory agency as part of its mission set. The USCG’s 11 statutory missions can be broken down into two categories.2 Its homeland security missions include: (1) ports, wa- terways, and coastal security; (2) drug interdiction; (3) migrant interdiction; (4) defense readiness; and (5) other law enforcement. Its non-homeland security missions are: (1) marine safety; (2) search and rescue; (3) aids to navigation; (4) living marine re- sources; (5) marine environmental protection; and (6) ice oper- ations. In addition, the USCG has been called upon in recent years to support the DOD’s overseas contingency operations, such as counter-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa, and the protection of petroleum pipelines and shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf. Six USCG cutters and associated support staff have been deployed to the Persian Gulf since 2003 working in support of DOD combatant commanders. In 2014, the Commandant of the USCG (Commandant) stated that the USCG’s mission demands were on the rise.3 Increasing ac- tivity in the Arctic and the destabilizing impacts of violence, cor- ruption, terrorism, and drug trafficking in the Caribbean Basin, Central America, and Mexico continue to test the USCG’s current capabilities.4 In order to meet these challenges, the USCG is in the midst of a major asset recapitalization that began in 2002. This ef- fort will modernize the USCG’s ships, boats, aircraft, and com- mand, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. MISSION PERFORMANCE The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 authorizes $8.7 bil- lion in discretionary funds for the USCG for each of FYs 2016 and 2017. These funds would support USCG operations and priorities, including those highlighted in the following paragraphs. MARITIME LAW ENFORCEMENT During 2014, the USCG interdicted 140 metric tons of narcotics, with an estimated street value of $3 billion; detained more than 340 suspected smugglers for prosecution in the United States; and interdicted 3,587 migrants, including 1,103 from Haiti and 2,111 from Cuba. In addition, the USCG boarded 69 foreign vessels to en- 1 United States Coast Guard Western Hemisphere Strategy, September, 2014, available at http://www.uscg.mil/seniorleadership/docs/uscglwheml2014.pdf. 2 Homeland Security Act of 2002, H.R. 5005, 107th Congress, Section 888 (2002). 3 United States Coast Guard, Commandant’s Direction, 2014, retrieved from http:// www.uscg.mil/seniorleadership/DOCS/CCGlDirectionl2014.pdf. 4 USCG Western Hemisphere Strategy. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:22 Dec 05, 2015 Jkt 059010 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR168.XXX SR168 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with REPORTS 3 force laws prohibiting illegal, unregulated, and underreported fish- ing.5 MARITIME RESPONSE In 2014, the USCG executed more than 17,500 search and rescue missions and saved 3,443 lives.6 In addition, the USCG is the prin- cipal Federal maritime security coordinator and Federal on-scene commander for maritime incidents. As such, it is responsible for co- ordinating the response to hazardous material spills into navigable waters and spills of national significance, such as the response and subsequent clean up following an oil tank barge collision that re- leased nearly 170,000 gallons of oil into Galveston Bay, Texas in 2014. MARITIME PREVENTION The USCG inspected more than 12,500 U.S. flagged commercial vessels and conducted approximately 43,700 recreational vessel boardings during 2014. It also screened over 25,300 containers and identified more than 2,000 deficiencies aboard commercial vessels. As a result, a number of shipments were held until dangerous con- ditions were corrected. The USCG also inspected 3,600 marine fa- cilities to ensure compliance with safety and environmental protec- tion regulations and investigated over 5,800 reportable marine cas- ualties involving commercial vessels.7 WESTERN HEMISPHERE STRATEGY In 2014, the USCG released its Western Hemisphere Strategy that identified three of the USCG’s priorities over the coming dec- ade: combating networks, securing borders, and safeguarding com- merce. This strategy includes proactive engagement with domestic and international partners and stakeholders in order to defeat transnational organized crime networks, which may be responsible for more than $750 billion in losses per year to the global econ- omy.8 This effort will require an effective offshore interdiction ca- pability, supported by the continued modernization of the USCG’s operational assets, particularly, its fleet of aging cutters. MAJOR ASSET RECAPITALIZATION The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 authorizes $1.5 bil- lion for the funding of acquisition, construction, and improvement (AC&I) related activities for the USCG for each of FYs 2016 and 2017. The USCG’s FY 2016 budget request included $1.02 billion for AC&I of USCG assets and facilities, a nearly 17 percent de- crease from the FY 2015 enacted budget. Of this amount, $533.9 million is for vessels and ongoing fleet recapitalization and in-serv- ice vessel sustainment projects. This is a decrease of over 35 per- cent, or nearly $300 million.9 Budget pressures, particularly with 5 United States Coast Guard, 2014 Performance Highlights, retrieved from http:// www.uscg.mil/budget/docs/2016lBudgetlinlBrief.pdf. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid. 8 USCG Western Hemisphere Strategy. 9 USCG, 2014 Performance Highlights. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:22 Dec 05, 2015 Jkt 059010 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6659