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Summary

The term Deepwater refers to a collection of more than a dozen Coast Guard acquisition programs for replacing and modernizing the service's aging fleet of deepwater-capable ships and aircraft. Until April 2007, the Coast Guard pursued these programs as a single, integrated acquisition program that was known as the Integrated Deepwater System (IDS) program or Deepwater program for short. The now-separated Deepwater acquisition programs include plans for, among other things, 91 new cutters, 124 new small boats, and 247 new or modernized airplanes, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The year 2007 was a watershed year for Deepwater acquisition. The management and execution of what was then the single, integrated Deepwater program was strongly criticized by various observers. House and Senate committees held several oversight hearings on the program. Bills were introduced to restructure or reform the program in various ways. Coast Guard and industry officials acknowledged certain problems in the program's management and execution and defended the program's management and execution in other respects. The Coast Guard announced a number of reform actions that significantly altered the service's approach to Deepwater acquisition (and to Coast Guard acquisition in general). The Government Accountability Office (GAO) provided new assessments of Deepwater acquisition programs in a July 2009 report and April 2009 testimony. The Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), requested $1,051.5 million in FY2010 acquisition funding for Deepwater programs, including $305.5 million for aircraft, $591.4 million for surface ships and boats, and $154.6 million for other items. The House Appropriations Committee, in its report (H.Rept. 111-157 of June 16, 2009) on the FY2010 DHS appropriations bill (H.R. 2892), recommends $1,015.0 million in FY2010 acquisition funding for Deepwater programs, including $269.0 million for aircraft, $591.4 million for surface ships and boats, and $154.6 million for other items. The Senate Appropriations Committee, in its report (S.Rept. 111-31 of June 18, 2009) on the FY2010 DHS appropriations bill (S. 1298), recommends $1,194.8 million in FY2010 acquisition funding for Deepwater programs, including $305.5 million for aircraft, $734.7 million for surface ships and boats, and $154.6 million for other items. The Coast Guard Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 (H.R. 1665), the FY2010 Coast Guard authorization bill (H.R. 3619), and the FY2010 and FY2011 Coast Guard authorization bill (S. 1194) contain provisions that would reform Coast Guard acquisition, including Deepwater acquisition programs.

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