Future USCGC Argus building at Eastern. Eastern Shipyard photo.

Real Clear Defense has a post written by Commander Justin Matejka, national security affairs fellow for the 2024–25 academic year at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

It discusses the organizational and political problems the Coast Guard faces in achieving effective management, particularly the disjointed and conflicting oversight in Congress and the lack of a dedicated Departmental advocate.

My personal observation is that while the Congressional oversight process is burdensome and poorly organized, Congress has generally been supportive. Much of our problems stem from a failure to convincingly document the Coast Guard’s needs and value to earn the support of the Executive branch including the DHS. Failure to continuously update the Fleet Mix Study or provide a long-term shipbuilding plan being primary examples.