Why Is Readiness a Concern? Stations have seen a substantial increase in their security workload, along  with a shifting of activity levels in other missions. Until it does so, the impact of increased responsibilities on readiness  cannot be determined nor can the Coast Guard or others measure progress  made in meeting station needs. Effect of Homeland Security Responsibilities on Readiness Needs Not Yet Known

The Coast Guard has not yet determined the extent to which changes in  post-September 11 mission priorities—specifically, increases in homeland  security responsibilities—have affected station readiness needs. Second, because homeland security requirements have yet to be finalized,  the Coast Guard has begun, but not yet completed, efforts to update  station staffing standards and other requirements to reflect post- September 11 changes in mission priorities and station readiness needs. However, despite this  progress, the Coast Guard has yet to meet existing readiness standards  and goals in the areas of staffing and boats and does not have adequate  processes in place to help ensure the future funding of station PPE, a  shortcoming that could result in an insufficient supply of PPE at stations  in future years. However, the process  may change once long-term homeland security requirements have been  identified. Perhaps more  significantly, it remains unclear where station readiness falls in the Coast  Guard’s list of priorities, as evidenced by a lack of measurable annual  goals related to stations and the lack of detail—in terms of both specific  actions as well as necessary funding—in the Boat Forces Strategic Plan,  the Coast Guard’s strategy for addressing station readiness issues. Recommendations

To help ensure that the Coast Guard and Congress have the information  necessary to effectively assess station readiness needs and track progress  in meeting those needs, and that multimission station personnel receive  sufficient personal protection equipment to perform essential and  hazardous missions as specified by Congress, we recommend that the  Secretary of Homeland Security, in consideration of any revised homeland  security requirements, direct the Commandant of the Coast Guard to take  the following three actions:    Revise the Boat Forces Strategic Plan to (1) reflect the impact of  homeland security requirements on station needs and (2) identify specific  actions, milestones, and funding needs for meeting those needs. To assess the extent to which Coast Guard’s plans address station  readiness needs, we reviewed the Coast Guard’s Boat Forces Strategic  Plan, the agency’s strategy for maintaining and improving essential  operations capabilities for all boat units, including multimission stations.
Why GAO Did This Study

For years, the Coast Guard has conducted search and rescue operations from its network of stations along the nation's coasts and waterways. In 2001, reviews of station operations found that station readiness--the ability to execute mission requirements in keeping with standards--was in decline. The Coast Guard began addressing these issues, only to see its efforts complicated by expanded post-September 11, 2001, homeland security responsibilities at many stations. GAO reviewed the impact of changing missions on station needs, the progress made in addressing station readiness needs, and the extent to which plans are in place for addressing any remaining needs.

What GAO Found

The Coast Guard does not yet know the extent to which station readiness needs have been affected by post-September 11 changes in mission priorities, although increases in homeland security operations have clearly affected activities and presumably affected readiness needs as well. Following the attacks, stations in and near ports received the bulk of port security duties, creating substantial increases in workloads. The Coast Guard is still in the process of defining long-term activity levels for homeland security and has yet to convert the homeland security mission into specific station readiness requirements. Until it does so, the impact of these new duties on readiness needs cannot be determined. The Coast Guard says it will revise readiness requirements after security activity levels have been finalized. Increased staffing, more training, new boats, more personal protection equipment (such as life vests), and other changes have helped mitigate many long-standing station readiness concerns. However, stations have been unable to meet current Coast Guard standards and goals in the areas of staffing and boats, an indication that stations are still significantly short of desired readiness levels in these areas. Also, because Coast Guard funding practices for personal protection equipment have not changed, stations may have insufficient funding for such equipment in the future. The Coast Guard does not have an adequate plan in place for addressing remaining readiness needs. The Coast Guard's strategic plan for these stations has not been updated to reflect increased security responsibilities, and the agency lacks specific planned actions and milestones. Moreover, the Coast Guard has yet to develop measurable annual goals that would allow the agency and others to track stations' progress.