Status of Senior Service School Program



`Purpose: CCG has been asked to informally speak to any “operational, technical, acquisition, or policy challenges facing the USCG. The NSB is interested in any suggestions for future studies that could assist the USCG fulfill its mission.Duration: 10-15 minute Coast Guard overview followed by Q&A.Coast Guard’s “4 +1”The U.S. Coast Guard is a unique instrument of national security and prosperity while also an instrument of global diplomacy. We bring a wide range of authorities to the table, to protect our national interests and project sovereignty differently than our Department of Defense counterparts. We are at all times both a military service and a law enforcement agency.As a military service chief, I sit in the TANK where the national military strategy known as the “4 plus 1” (Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, + combating violent extremism) is discussed – the strategy that has been validated by members of congress and industry. With DOD pulled to all 4 corners of the world, I look to where the Navy is NOT operating. And I am concentrating right here on the home front. Just as the DOD has the “4 plus 1” in which the Coast Guard plays an important role, the Coast Guard has a “4 plus 1” (WHEM, Arctic, Energy/MTS, Cyber +Human Capital) as well. Strategic Focus:Combating Criminal Networks in our HemisphereCriminal networks thrive on instability in South and Central America.They smuggle drugs, weapons, and people for illicit profit wreaking havoc wherever they flow. In the past two years we’ve seen historic highs in the flow of illegal drugs and people to our Nation, including record amounts of cocaine and heroin plaguing our communities.As an LE agency and military service, the Coast Guard plays a pivotal role in securing over 95,000 miles of American coastline. But we don’t play goal line defense! We push our border out – far beyond the point where the sea meets our shores. We are the only agency capable of providing at-sea law enforcement interdiction. Our interagency partnerships and bilateral agreements with foreign nations are unique to our Service and attack criminal networks far from our land borders. We currently have over 60 bi-lateral and multi-lateral agreements that allow us to operate right up to the shoreline of partner nations to our south. We use intelligence to drive our operations. We synthesize information from various sources to optimize our ability to make decisions. Our increased presence of late has yielded record cocaine seizures. In FY16 alone, we removed 416,000 lbs of cocaine, worth more than $5.6 billion wholesale.However, capacity constraints limit our ability to act on all the intelligence we have. Further, providing timely, relevant, and actionable information to our operators and decision makers is a continuous process – there is always room for improvement. Increased utilization of biometrics is likely a next step.Preserving Sovereignty in the Polar RegionsLooking to the north – the United States is an Arctic Nation and the Coast Guard protects our sovereign rights and ensures the safe and responsible use of the Arctic region, including energy and mineral reserves in our Extended Continental Shelf (ECS).China and Russia are exerting influence in the Arctic. Russia launched as many icebreakers in June 2016 as the Coast Guard has built in the last 40 years, and its militarization of the region and ECS claims are on the rise.This summer, Russia submitted a new extended continental shelf claim to the UN. China has conducted research in our EEZ and on our ECS (R/V XUE LONG).However, the Coast Guard is a member of regional associations such as NPCGF and ACGF that afford unique engagement with Russia and China. Continued leadership within these forums forges substantive cooperation. Of concern, the United States has only one aging operational heavy ice breaker in our national fleet! A robust polar program, including three heavy and three medium icebreakers, is absolutely necessary to preserve America’s long-term security and economic interests.Securing against Cyber Threats While technological advances have enabled impressive efficiencies, it comes with challenges and risks that threaten our Nation’s security and prosperity. The Coast Guard is uniquely positioned to address these concerns – Uniquely, we are the only military agency in DHS. A Coast Guard Admiral is the Director of J6 on the Joint Staff. We have members at the U.S. Cyber Command. We are a member of the National Intelligence Community. And we work with industry and at the International Maritime Organization to protect and secure our nation’s maritime transportation system from cyber threats and vulnerabilities. The Coast Guard must continue to invest in our own cybersecurity and in a future cyber workforce to meet this growing national security challenge.Protecting the Maritime Transportation System and Fueling Maritime CommerceOur ports, waterways, and inland rivers provide our nation a tremendous global economic advantage. Our nation’s Maritime Transportation System is the lifeblood of our Nation’s economy.In 2015, the MTS represented over $4.5 trillion of our nation’s economic activity.Our MTS and the global supply chain are constantly evolving. Increased domestic natural gas and hydrocarbon transport;Deeper U.S. ports;The expansion of the Panama and Suez canals to accommodate larger vessels. And while the price per barrel fluctuates, tremendous growth in our domestic energy potential has lead to historically high levels of hydrocarbons, natural gas, and derivative products on our maritime transportation system. Movement of these products exemplifies how technology and dynamic markets introduce opportunities for economic growth within our maritime highway system. The Coast Guard must innovate and evolve, just as the MTS is ever evolving, in order to keep pace and ensure the protection and security of this national asset.Building the 21st Century Coast GuardIn the past few years huge strides have been made to modernize the Coast Guard. We’ve been extremely successful on the acquisition front. FRCs, NSCs, now OPCs, and there is a lot of talk about Ice Breakers… And we absolutely need those platforms to replace our aging fleet and to ensure mission success for years to come.But new assets require properly trained and equipped people to operate and maintain them. Yet the Coast Guard’s operating budget has remained relatively flat, failing to keep pace with the projected Budget Control Act growth over the last several years.To address the challenges ahead, we must build a CG workforce with the capacity and capability to meet our strategic needs as well as remain prepared for major contingencies. We were Semper Paratus for Katrina… for Deepwater Horizon… For Matthew… but today we find our reserve force at its lowest levels since 1957… Closing: Mutually Reinforcing Relationship with DODThe Coast Guard has a complementary and mutually reinforcing relationship with our nations other naval services. We leverage our respective roles and authorities to best accomplish the mission – to ready our national defense and ensure our national security. Utilizing our strengths, authorities, and assets wisely and jointly is critical in today's fiscally constrained and complex global environment. The Navy has an important role in our “4 plus 1” just as the Coast Guard has an important role in the “4 plus 1” in the national military strategy.We have a National Fleet Board that I can’t overstate the value of. It is a coordinating body that maximizes our effectiveness through complementary efforts in training, operations, acquisition, etc.As our Nation’s debt whittles away our discretionary dollars, the Coast Guard is working to most effectively Plug into DoDs R&D (with their annualized investment of ~$8billion – more than Microsoft, Google, and Facebook combined). Utilize economies of scale with a national fleet concept. Emphasize innovative solutions to complex challenges and plug into other agency programs like to the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx), and look more at CubeSats, Minotaur IT, NTNO equipment might be used on our NSCs…I am happy to take your questions and look forward to hearing from you about future studies you may be considering that might help the Coast Guard best meet our “4+1” strategic requirements!Potential Suggestions for Future StudiesBased on our strategic focus areas, what innovations and technologies can we leverage already being used by DOD, realizing our fiscal realities?We know we need 3 heavy and 3 medium icebreakers. What does our future “national fleet” look like in the Polar Regions, including a robust polar program with unmanned systems?CYBER / MTS: What are the top cyber risks and threats to our nation? What action is required by the different players if a cyber attack is conducted against the MTS by a state actor? A non-state actor? Our Human Capital Strategy (HCS) provides a 10-year trackline to guide the Coast Guard’s investment in our most valuable resource – our people – and offers guidance for force planning and talent management to recruit, train, and retain the best active, reserve, civilian and auxiliary workforce in the world. Talent management is a top priority for me and I’m curious is the Naval Studies Board might consider looking into retention issues and opine on opportunities the Coast Guard might be overlooking. ................
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