James Holmes , professor of strategy at the Naval War College and author of “The Naval Diplomat” blog, makes the argument that the Coast Guard will need to prepare itself to again take an active role as a naval force, this time in the Arctic.

He argues that the Coast Guard already has the lead in the Arctic, and that the Navy and Marine Corp will continue to be preoccupied with China and Iran.

Professor Holmes sees changing the culture of the Coast Guard as being a greater challenge than getting the proper equipment.

I see it a little differently. Coast Guard personnel are nothing if not adaptable, and if they need to fight, they will learn how, just as they did in WWII–assuming the US Navy is willing and able to teach. The Coast Guard cannot make an not an overnight transition, but threats do not materialize overnight either. On the other hand, it does take time and planning to have the right assets available. The Coast Guard needs a clear vision of its wartime role and it needs to define its requirements with those roles in mind, even if it a case of “fitted for, but not with” the military capabilities. I don’t think we have that vision, and I don’t think the Navy has a plan for the Coast Guard either. It has not mattered much since the Soviet threat dissolved, but it is beginning to matter again. With the possibility that Chinese defense expenditures may equal those of the US by 2023, we may have a true peer competitor long before the assets we are buying today reach the end of their lives.

If the Coast Guard does not have a role in wartime, questions regarding why we have ships (NSC) that looks like a frigate and cost as much as frigate, but cannot do the work of a frigate may arise. The administration may ask why we should have large ships in the Coast Guard at all, if Navy ships using LEDETs can do CG missions in peacetime and also be ready for war.

NationalDefenseMagazine.org is reporting the competition for the OPC contract is heated, with eight yards having submitted bids.

“Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La.; Eastern Shipbuilding, Panama City, Fla.; General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; General Dynamics Nassco, San Diego; Huntington Ingalls Industries, Pascagoula, Miss.; Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wis.; Vigor Shipyards, Seattle and VT Halter Marine, Pascagoula, Miss.”

They asked all eight for comment, but only obtained substantive comment from Vigor, Bollinger, Huntington Ingalls, and Marinette Marine.

We should not be surprised that many yards entered the competition. For some of these yards, this is the largest contract they can ever hope to be awarded. Even for the largest yards, it is potentially steady work for many years, perhaps though 2032, if the full 25 are completed at the planned rate of less than two a year.

The RFP closed January 23. The Commandant has said we will hear soon which three yards will be given contracts to further develop their proposals and provide contract designs for the second phase of the competition.

Thought many of you would find this interesting.fiercehomelandsecurity.com looks at projected mid 21st century shipping routes through the Arctic.

Generally traffic between Europe and Asia would use the routes closer to Russia, while traffic from North America would use the NorthWest Passage closer to Canada and the US.

In either case, all traffic will have to pass very close to Alaska as the traffic moves through the 45 mile wide Bering Strait and past the Diomedes and St. Lawrence Island.

Naval Recognition has a good overview of the RB-M. You  can see it here.

Towing exercises are a Coast Guard staple, but how about towing the largest ship in the world. The French recently did it successfully, and gCaptain has the photographs. That little tow boat is 80 meters (262 feet). The towed vessel is 396 meters (1299 feet) and 250,000 tons.

Reportedly the towing vessel Abeille Bourbon was able to tow her at 10kph (about 5 knots) using only half power.

US Navy photo, USS Gary (FFG 51) Nov. 5, 2002

According to a recent press release, “A Miami-based U. S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment and the crew of USS Gary (FFG-51) stopped a go-fast carrying more than 1,100 pounds of cocaine approximately 300 miles off the Pacific coast of Columbia, Feb. 23.”

It was a common enough scenario, but it may be coming to an end, at least for a while. The Navy has cancelled deployment of two frigates slated for counter-drug operations due to sequestration.

The Commandant noted, “If those [frigates] go, we don’t have enough platforms to put Coast Guard Law Enforcement Teams on. We would be down to the point where we would only be using Coast Guard cutters and we don’t have enough [of those] to meet the demand JIATF South has for us.”

MaritimeMemos is showing a photo of the fromer USCGC Hornbeam (WLB-394), now renamed the Rum Cay Grace, one of six ships reported blown ashore on the rocks of Colon, Panama.

Photo:  USCG photo. Division 11 of Coast Guard Squadron One departs Subic Bay Naval Base for Vietnam, 17 July 1965. USCGC Point Marone (WPB-82331) is in foreground.

Today is the 48th anniversary of the initiation of Operation Market Time, an experience that would mark a generation of Coast Guard Cuttermen, and provides a template for the sort of operations the Coast Guard might be involved in the future. There is a good history of the Coast Guard’s role in the operation here.

China is reporting they will combine assets of four separate maritime law enforcement agencies to form a new Coast Guard.

The new agency will combine the China Maritime Surveillance (CMS) of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), Fisheries Law Enforcement Command (FLEC), the anti-smuggling force of the General Administration of Customs, and their “Coast Guard” (aka Maritime Police in Chinese).

Ironically from the US point of view, SAR is not one of the agency’s responsibilities as the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) of the Ministry of Transport will remain separate.

The Economist notes, “Experts have long lobbied for an end to the separation of maritime policing  responsibilities between different forces, nicknamed the “Nine Dragons”. While  hawkish military experts hope the merger will strengthen China’s enforcement of  its territorial claims, some foreign policy experts hope it could help reduce  tensions as rival agencies no longer feel compelled to compete for public  attention and funds by challenging ships from neighbouring countries.”

Additional sources: http://china-defense.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-real-chinese-coast-guard-is-finally.html

Think Defence has a collection of interesting videos, press releases, and  a power point presentation about recent developments in the world of rotary wing aircraft.

The section of “Future US Vertical Lift” includes a power point presentation with a lot of information. It even references the Coast Guard’s helicopters. You can page through the presentation by moving the cursor to the right edge of the image labeled “Special Operations Forces Industry Conference.”

Interesting stuff, but the Coast Guard may have to start replacing their current fleet before any of the new developments come to fruition.