It is still a long way from being a law, but you can see the bill as it currently stands here.
I would like to note that while the FY2017 budget bill includes $95M for long lead time materials for the tenth National Security Cutter, most of the cost will fall in FY2018 when we will also be funding the OPC and FRC programs, and maybe an icebreaker.
Are they really thinking ahead? If they are going to fund a 10th NSC, they need to do it this year.
China Defense Blog is reporting the Chinese Coast Guard is getting at least one cutter based on the same hull used for the Type 054 frigate. I have to believe there will be several more.
The Type 054 is a large and apparently successful class of frigate. The ships are only slightly smaller than the Bertholf class, displacement 4,053 tons full load, length 134.1 m (440 ft), beam 16 m (52 ft), 30,400 HP, 27 knots, compared to the Bertholf’s 4,500 tons, 127.4 m (418 ft), 16.46 m (54 ft), 49,875 HP, and 28 knots.
My first reaction is that they should make very good cutters. They have a four diesel power plant that should be economical to operate and very flexible. The frigates reportedly have a range of over 8,000 miles. They also have reasonably good aviation facilities.
US Navy photo: 120917-N-YF306-107 GULF OF ADEN (Sept. 17, 2012) Sailors from the guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) board the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (Navy) frigate Yi Yang (FF 548) to meet prior to conducting a bilateral counter-piracy exercise.
The Chinese Coast Guard has been experiencing explosive growth. China has built some huge cutters, they have gotten some hand-me-down frigates from their navy, and there have been reports that the China Coast Guard will be getting ships based on the Type 056 Corvette, but until recently, new construction Chinese cutters were not warships. They looked more like research vessels. Most have been armed with nothing heavier than 14.5 mm machine guns. This ship may mark a change.
Building based on a Navy design assures that should the need arise, these ships can be upgraded to a more combat ready configuration. How they are equipped when commissioned will give us an indication of the future direction of the Chinese Coast Guard. Will it remain essentially civilian, or will it become an increasingly capable naval auxiliary?
Which systems will be retained from the frigate configuration, and which systems are deleted? My guess is, that they will emerge with a medium caliber gun (either the 76 mm being currently fitted to the Navy’s Type 054As or the older 100 mm that was fitted on the original Type 054s) and two 30 mm gatling guns (these may be older model AK-630s rather than the newer CIWS fitted on current Navy Type 054As). I don’t expect to see the Vertical Launch Systems that support AAW and ASW systems, Anti-Ship Cruise missiles, torpedo tubes, or the sonars which are being fitted to the Navy versions, but if any of these are fitted, it will mark a drastic change in the character of the Chinese Coast Guard.
Thanks to Lee for bringing this to my attention.
New Coastal Interceptor Vessel Photo CBP
MarineLink reports Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) has acquired the first of a planned 52 Coastal Interceptor Vessels (CIV), that look a lot like Coast Guard Response Boat, Small.
“AMO marine interdiction agents will operate the CIV in offshore coastal waters to combat maritime smuggling and protect U.S. ports from acts of terrorism.”
This sounds a lot like duplication of Coast Guard Missions. But then they do not do the other Coast Guard missions.
The homeland security measure provides $10.4 billion for the d Coast Guard, an increase of $292 million above the FY2017 requested level.
“This level supports a robust USCG operating expenses budget, including a grant program for commercial fishing safety, purchase of additional response boats, and funds for the National Coast Guard Museum,” says the Committee. “This bill also provides necessary increases for acquisitions, including funding long lead time materials for a tenth National Security Cutter, continuing activities associated with the Offshore Patrol Cutter, two additional Fast Response Cutters (for six total), and support for multiple sustainment efforts and program offices such as the C-130J, C-27J, and HH-65. The measure also includes program management and personnel costs associated with the Polar Icebreaker Recapitalization Project in addition to funding in the Senate FY2017 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill.”
The Defense Appropriations Bill includes $1B for the Navy to build a new Icebreaker for the Coast Guard. We will have more to say about this later.
An interesting short piece on the fisheries protection operations of the Florida Wildlife Commission, including a look at a 57 foot 44 knot catamaran patrol boat they use to patrol the Dry Tortugas (Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary).
Thanks to Mike for bringing this to my attention.
Reuters is reporting NATO is planning to expand their Migrant interdiction efforts, and the US will participate.
“NATO agreed on Thursday to broaden its operations in the Mediterranean to help the European Union stop criminals trafficking refugees from North Africa but will not act until the fate of rescued migrants is cleared up.”
The thing I found interesting was that reportedly the US provide a ship. Certainly there is a certain logic to using a Coast Guard ship for this mission, but it is unlikely. Not enough cutters. It is much more likely it will be done by Navy ships, that would be operating in the Mediterranean anyway, but it is almost certain that ship will have a Coast Guard team aboard.
Click on the graphic to enlarge
The Acquisitions Directorate has a story on the commissioning of the 17th Webber class WPC, USCGC Donald Horsley (WPC-1117).
Included in the post was the graphic above, which gives us an indication of where future cutters will be homeported:
One more WPC is expected to go to San Juan, so in about six months we should see a Webber class go to Ketchikan. Certainly its improved sea keeping compared to the 110s will be appreciated.
This is not, I’m sure, a complete list of future homeports, given that we expect 41 more of this class. I’m not privy to the home porting plan or how many will be in each port, but this looks like it will cover at least the next 18 months. It may cover a much longer period if more than one Webber class will be assigned to some of these ports, and that seems likely.
I would note that these homeports look good from a Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security perspective. Ketchikan and the inland passage has a lot of cruise ship traffic. San Pedro is near the huge Los Angeles port complex and the strategic ports of Long Beach and Port Hueneme. Pascagoula based ships potentially protect the ports of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico including the eastern approaches to the Mississippi River port complex and the strategic port of Gulf Port, MS. Atlantic Beach, NC is close to Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras, but it is also close to the strategic ports of Morehead City, Sunny Point, and Wilmington. WPCs in Cape May, NJ could provide protection for Delaware Bay, including the strategic port of Philadelphia.
If any of our readers has access to the homeporting plan, and it is public knowledge, I would appreciate the information.
Following from the Navy League magazine, “Seapower.” It is from an article, “Service Chiefs Stress Partnerships, Need to Accelerate Acquisition,” by Otto Kreisher:
Zukunft was surprisingly “bullish” on the Coast Guard’s condition, noting that his procurement budget doubled in the current year, enabling the service to expand its National Security Cutter program to nine ships, to build 58 Fast Response Cutters and upgrade its command-and-control and fixed-wing aircraft systems. He said the Coast Guard this summer would award the biggest ship construction program in its history, for the Offshore Patrol Cutters.
Nice to see the Offshore Patrol Cutters getting closer, but it has taken a long time. We should note that this summer’s award for the OPC is not that big a contract, but it is a start.
We have had one good year. Congress’ largess (it certainly was not the executive) appears due mostly (but not entirely) to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ influence. Still it does create a precedence for larger, more reasonable, AC&I appropriations. Hopefully we will see the same sort of funding in FY2017. A tenth Bertholf is a possibility, If not, maybe we can move some of the OPC funding forward. Perhaps selection of the OPC builder will give us another strong advocate in Congress. I would hate to see funding levels go back to where they were before. Even $2B annually is not really anything like generous.
Thanks to Daniel for bringing this to attention.
NOAA has published their annual report on the status of fish stocks for 2015 (pdf), and the news is generally good. The number of stocks “Over Fished” or subject to “Over Fishing” remain near all time lows. Some highlights:
The report is only seven pages and very readable with well done charts and graphics.
The report refers to their partners, but we know the Coast Guard should get a great deal of credit for making this success happen.
Still, US efforts have limits. “More than half of the stocks added to the overfishing list in 2015 were international stocks,” subject to fishing outside US jurisdiction.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 