Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard, a component of the Department of HomelandSecurity (DHS), conducts 11 statutory missions that range from marine safety to defense readiness. In an effort to enhance performance the Coast Guard continues to implement its Deepwater programthe acquisition program to replace or upgrade its vessels and aircraftwhile also carrying out a reorganization program to update its command structure, among other things. This testimony discusses the Coast Guards (1) budget request for fiscal year 2011 and key performance indicators for fiscal year 2009; and (2) key management challenges confronting the Coast Guard. This testimony is based on GAO products issued in 2009 and 2010 (including GAO-09-682, GAO-09-810T, and GAO-10-268R); other GAO products issued over the past 11 yearswith selected updates in February 2010; and preliminary observations from ongoing GAO work on the Deployable Operations Group. GAO analyzed budget and performance documents, such as DHSs fiscal year 2011 budget justification, and interviewed Coast Guard officials.