Always Ready: A Day in the Life of a United States Coast Guard Member

Subcommittee on the Coast Guard Maritime Transportation will come to order. I ask unanimous consent that the Chairman be authorized to declare recess at any time during today's hearing without objection. So ordered. Also, I ask unanimous consent that members not, only subcommittee, Be permitted to sit with the subcommittee at today's hearing and ask questions, without objection, so ordered. As a reminder, if members insert a document into the record, please also email it to documentsTI@mailhouse.gov. I now recognize myself for an opening statement for five minutes.

Wow.

Today our subcommittee meets to highlight the extraordinary work the enlisted men and women of the Coast Guard do. day in and day out to save lives at sea, interdict drugs and migrants, keep our maritime transportation system safe and reliable, and perform all of their other primary duties. That's a lot. I welcome our witnesses this afternoon, Vice Admiral Nathan Moore, Deputy Commandant of the Coast Guard for Operations and Master Chief Philip Waldron, Master Chief Petty Officer of the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard's record of achievement is a testament to the skill and bravery of its service members. Just last year, the service saved over five thousand, two hundred and twenty lives and assisted nearly twenty thousand people. Also last year, the Coast Guard interdicted five hundred and eleven thousand pounds of drugs, stopping a hundred and ninety-three million potentially lethal doses from reaching our shores. These missions are carried out largely by the Coast Guard's enlisted workforce. We ask a lot of these enlisted service members who make up a significant majority of the Coast Guard's active duty military population. Just before this hearing, members of the subcommittee had the opportunity to speak with four members of the Coast Guard enlisted workforce over lunch. Those men and women represented different specialties across the service. I'm gonna speak for everyone on the subcommittee when I tell you these are impressive individuals and we applaud their service. Thank you. Despite their remarkable achievements, the Coast Guard workforce faces challenges in its accessing adequate housing, education, and child care. I had the privilege to travel this August with the Coast Guard. I went to New Orleans, Pascagoula, Pensacola, and Key West. To be quite frank, I was horrified to see how neglected our service members are. They live and work and protect communities across every corner of this nation, including in some of the most remote parts where it can be difficult to develop infrastructure. Beyond that, we have boats that are beyond their planned service life, infrastructure dating back to World War Two, and planes and helicopters which are way beyond their planned service life. We even have rescue swimmers who train in a recreational pool, because their own training facility facilities suffered a catastrophic failure and coasties who do boat maintenance outdoors in uncovered extreme heat. This year, we were also reminded of the physical risk that comes with these missions by the death of a rescue swimmer in the line of duty and reports of potentially debilitating brain injuries among boat crews operating in heavy surf. Vice Admiral Moore, I'm sure you'll agree with that, as a nation we owe our coasties adequate living conditions, world-class training, proper working conditions, and if they're injured on the job, the confidence that they will be taken care of. While shoreside facilities have fallen into disrepair impacting the readiness of service, I am hopeful that the investments made with the one big beautiful build act will begin to improve conditions. But true progress will only happen through annual appropriations at sustainable levels. Neither the budget request or the appropriations committee provide that sustainable level. I am afraid that without continued investment at the levels needed, we'll see a catastrophic failure of the Coast Guard's assets. I look forward to hearing from both of our witnesses how the service is working to improve conditions for the workforce. I'm also glad to see the Coast Guard respond so quickly to the realization of brain injury risk among crew, but many questions remain. I'm interested in hearing greater in greater detail of the Coast Guard's response and how you plan to restore the confidence of your operators. Thank you again for joining us. I look forward to your testimony. I now recognize, uh, let's see. I would also like to acknowledge the mother of the enlisted members that joined us for lunch. Uh, Miss Jennifer Matuska? Okay, Miss Jennifer. There we go. There we go. Goodbye. Hey, see you. Okay. Thank you for joining us today. Thank you very much. Hope you enjoyed your time with us. All right. Thank you again for joining us. Uh, I now recognize uh, Ranking Member Carbajal for an opening statements of five minutes.

Thank you, Chairman Nzall, and thank you to our witnesses for being today and Thank you to the enlisted uh members that joined us today for lunch, for a good dialogue about the service uh that you provide uh and all the challenges associated with that. Uh thank you for your service and of course your uh the parents that are here supporting you today. The Coast Guard asks a great deal of its people. Service members are expected to answer the call at a moment's notice, operate in some of the most challenging environments, in the country and carry out dangerous missions that protect American lives, our communities, and our economic security. Today, we have an opportunity to put the people behind those missions, front and center. Over the years, I have visited Coast Guard units across the country and overseas to see their work up close. Those visits have given me an even greater appreciation for the professionalism, skill, and commitment that Coasties bring to the job every single day. The missions they perform are essential. Coast Guard personnel conduct search and rescue, interdick illegal drugs, protect our marine environment, safeguard our fisheries, and help insure that our maritime transportation system remains safe and secure. They do this while operating round the clock and often far from home. That is an extraordinary responsibility, and it demands an extraordinary workforce. As ranking member of this subcommittee along with our chairman, I am proud to be an advocate for the Coast Guard. But being an advocate means more than recognizing the importance of the mission. It means making sure the people responsible for carrying out that mission have what they need to succeed. That starts with the basics. A service member should always be able to find a safe and affordable place I know that this is a challenging, this is challenging given that forty-one percent of Coast Guard units are located in some of the most remote and expensive areas of the United States. I have seen this challenge firsthand in my own district on the central coast of California, where Coast Guard families have faced both high cost of housing and unacceptable shameful conditions in Coast Guard provided housing. I personally visited Coast Guard housing in Santa Barbara twice after learning about serious problems, including mold, persistent water issues, and deteriorating floors. In fact, one Coast Guard member fell through the shower floor because moisture and mold had caused the floor to deteriorate. No service member or their family should have to choose between paying more than they can afford to live near their duty station and living in housing that is unsafe or unhealthy. And this is not simply a quality of life issue. When Coast Guard members cannot afford to live near their units, or when the housing provided to them is not safe, it can directly affect readiness, morale, and the service's ability to retain the people that it needs. For the family stationed in these communities, the cost of serving can extend well beyond the demands of the job itself. Housing costs can make living near a duty station unrealistic. Long commutes can take valuable time away from family. Access to medical care can require significant travel. And finding affordable child care can be especially difficult for families whose schedules do not fit the traditional nine to five workday. We need to recognize these challenges for what they are, readiness issues. When a Coast Guard member is worried about whether their family can make rent, whether their child has access to daycare, or whether their family can see a doctor, that affects morale. It affects quality of life and overtime. It can affect whether talented people choose to join the service, or whether experienced members decide to stay. We cannot ask Coast Guard personnel to make extraordinary sacrifices while overlooking the everyday challenges facing their families. That is why continued investment in the Coast Guard workforce is so important. New cutters, aircraft, facilities, and other capabilities are critical. But those investments only deliver results if, if we have trained and highly motivated, experienced people available to operate them. Recruitment and retention are inseparable from the investments we make in our Coast Guard families. Every Coast Guard mission starts and ends with people. I look forward to hearing directly from our witnesses today about what the Coast Guard's personnel are experiencing, where the greatest challenges are, and what Congress can do to address them. The men and women of the Coast Guard have demonstrated time and time again that they will be there when America needs them. Our responsibility is to make sure America is there for them. Thank you, Mister Chair, I yield back.

Gentlemen yields, I now recognize the ranking member of the full committee, Mister Larson, for five minutes for an opening statement.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, just just one more opening statement. I think I'll get to you. Uh, but I want to thank the chair and ranking member for holding today's hearing. And before we get started, uh, I want to take a moment to honor uh Lieutenant Conor Overstreet who lost his life to gun violence um in a very senseless act of gun violence in uh in my state. And uh, so heart goes out to his family. Uh, this loss hits very close to home as he attended flight school um with my son, uh who's now in the in in the Navy. Attendant Overstreet was a dedicated helicopter pilot who joined the service to help others and my condolences go out to his family and friends for their loss. And joining us today in the audience, we've enlisted members of the Coast Guard who've traveled from across the country to be here today. Before the hearing, members of the subcommittee had the opportunity to hear directly from these service members, and get their perspectives on what it means to be a Coastie. And let me tell you, in the in the brief time I was there, I can tell you they're all very impressive individuals. We're we are merely members of Congress. Um, you actually do some pretty serious work. Um, the four the four young, uh, Coasties that we talked to. Each of you are vital to today's Coast Guard success in securing wa- our waters and saving lives and the countries in your debt. Hearing directly from a list of personnel is incredibly helpful committee works to improve the Coast Guard and the lives of service members. There are over thirty thousand enlisted Coast Guard personnel and these dedicated individuals play a criti- a crucial role in responding to emergencies, enforcing laws, and protecting natural resources. Coast Guard members serve our country with distinction, and it's our responsibility to ensure they have the resources they need. This includes affordable housing, essential health services, accessible child care centers, up-to-date cutters, aircraft, and technology. And in fiscal year twenty-three, the Coast Guard faced a nearly three thousand personnel shortfall, but in recent years, uh, the Coast Guard has nearly closed that gap. But it's not enough. We have to recruit, uh, new service members. We need to retain the, them as well. Once joining the service, enlisted Coasties continue to face sub-standard housing options, working conditions, and a lack of ava- available health care and affordable child care. Now, due to the unique mission of the Coast Guard, uh, of the service, Coast Guard stations are often uh in remote or high-cost coastal areas. The stress of expensive housing takes a toll on service member well-being and overall readiness. Limited Coast Guard owned hous housing and the Department of Defense's basic allowance for housing, which does not appropriately consider Coast Guard locations, forces personnel to find more affordable housing with longer commutes. On health care, the availability of providers except in tri-care and the quality of care is inconsistent. in many remote areas where the Coast Guard operates. Personnel face unacceptably long wait times for appointments and limited access to specialized care. A recent New York Times article as well highlighted the high risk of traumatic brain injuries in boat crews and a history of inaction on this issue by the Coast Guard leadership that's unacceptable and the Coast Guard certainly deserve better. The link between traumatic brain injuries, mental health, and suicide is clear. According to the Coast Guard Foundation, In uh twenty twenty two, Coast Guard members died from suicide twice as often as their peers in other military services so investing in mental health is not just a a moral obligation, it is critical for maintaining operational readiness. And recently, Chair Graves, Chair Rizzo, Ranking Member Carbajal and I sent a letter to the Coast Guard pushing for an independent review of how to improve monitoring and preventing of traumatic brain injury to boat crews. Finally on child care, personnel are parents who juggle demanding work schedules with family responsibilities. Service members often have difficulty finding affordable and reliable child care which directly impacts their ability to do their jobs. While funding was provided in the bipartisan infrastructure law to build four new child development centers, in remote areas, the Coast Guard has struggled with staffing. And this limits the number of children who can enroll and forces members to look elsewhere for child care. And in order to do their jobs, the members of the Coast Guard need the right tools. And uh this committee's closely monitoring the Coast Guard's procurement of new assets and systems through last year's reconciliation funding. While the replacement of aging assets is long overdue, Coast Guard simply doesn't have the shoreside infrastructure required to support these assets. And in its adoption of new technology, the Coast Guard must prioritize service members. So we have a responsibility to ensure that those who dedicate their lives to protecting Americans We see the resources and support they need to both thrive on duty and off duty. I've seen firsthand in my own district the challenges our coasties are facing, and I'm glad we're taking time to discuss it today. Thank you, and I yield back.

Gentleman yields back. Briefly, uh, to our witnesses, which you already know this, but I gotta do it anyway. I'd like to take a moment to explain the lighting system, uh, to you. There are three lights in front of you. Green means go, yellow means Run out of time, read means put on breaks. I ask unanimous consent that the witnesses' full statements be included in the record without objection so ordered. I ask unanimous consent that the record of today's hearing remain open until such time as our witnesses have provided answers to any questions that may be submitted to them in writing, without objection so ordered. Also I ask unanimous consent that the record remain open for fifteen days for any additional comments and information submitted by members or witnesses to be included in the record of today's hearing without objection, so ordered. As your written testimony has been made part of the record, the committee asks that you limit your opening remarks to five minutes. With that, Vice Admiral Moore, you are recognized for five minutes for your testimony.

Good afternoon, Chairman Izzell, Ranking Member Carbajal, and distinguished members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to b- appear before you today and for your steadfast support in the United States Coast Guard. Every day, our active duty, reserve, civilian, and auxiliary workforce safeguards our nation's waters, protects our ports, saves those in peril, interdicts illicit activity, supports national defense, and responds when disaster strikes. As the Deputy Commandant for Operations, I have the privilege of seeing the Coast Guard missions through the lens of the men and women who execute it. Our members serve with professionalism, courage, and adaptability wherever the nation calls. They are our greatest strength and our decisive advantage. Service readiness begins with our people. As we modernize our cutters, boats, aircraft, command and control systems, and shore infrastructure to meet growing demission, demand, and evolving threats, we need to have the trained crews, maintainers, operators, and support personnel necessary to operate and sustain those assets safely and effectively. That is why the Coast Guard must grow by fifteen thousand members. They will bolster our ranks to join the crews who operate our cutters, aircraft and boats, the technicians who maintain them, and the medical, training and mission support professionals who keep our force ready. To achieve this historic growth, the Coast Guard has exceeded our fiscal year twenty-five enlisted accessions goals, and we're on track to build on that momentum as fiscal year twenty-six concludes. With your support for the fiscal year twenty-seven budget, we can build the workforce required to meet the nation's demands. But adding these people alone does not create operational capacity. We must bring people in the door, but we also must have the training, infrastructure, and support necessary to turn this workforce, uh, growth, the growth of this workforce into operational readiness. Our short for infrastructure is essential, and I like to say that every Coast Guard mission starts and ends at a shore facility. These modern barracks, training, industrial support facilities, the resilient waterfronts, the piers, the runways, the hangars are vital to supporting our cutters, boats, and aircraft. These facility investments are particularly important as the new capabilities enter the fleet. A new cutter without a trained crew can't get underway. An aircraft without qualified maintainers can't launch. A modern command and control system without trained operators cannot deliver its intended information and decision advantage. So it's important to understand that fleet modernization is not complete just when we deliver the asset, not when the cutter boat or aircraft is delivered. It's only complete when the Coast Guard can employ that asset effectively in support of the nation. That required us to sink requires us to synchronize investments in platforms, people, training, and infrastructure all at once. Together, these synchronized investments to modernize our fleet and support our new assets will allow the Coast Guard to maintain today's operations while building capacity required for tomorrow. As the Deputy Commandant for Operations, I can tell you that the increased operational demand for our missions worldwide is growing. And the new assets are coming thanks to the funding for our historic recapitalization. But now we must build the workforce and the infrastructure necessary to put this new capability on mission. With the support of this subcommittee and Congress, we can grow the force, field these new capabilities, and build the operational capacity the nation needs from its Coast Guard. Thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you today, and I look forward to your questions.

Gentleman Yields-Bank, Master Chief Waldron, you are recognized for five minutes for your testimony.

Good afternoon, Chairman Ezell, Ranking Member Carbajal, Ranking Member Larson, and distinguished members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today, and thank you for your continued support of the United States Coast Guard and the men and women who serve our nation every day. It's my privilege to represent the Coast Guard's workforce and their families whose sacrifice enables them to serve. In conversations with our crews all over the service, I hear tremendous pride in what they do. But I also hear clearly what they need from us if we expect them to continue answering the nation's call. Recruiting is important, but bringing people into the service is only half the equation. We have to give them every reason to stay. That means careers filled with quality training, strong leadership, and absolute certainty that their families are stable and supported while they serve. The nation asks a great deal of them. A day in the life of a coastie can change in an instant. They are often called upon with little or no warning to save lives, defend our maritime border and approaches, protect the flow of commerce vital to our economy, respond to a natural disaster, or confront an emerging threat to our national security. Our people are the U. S. Coast Guard. Now, a little while ago I was so proud to introduce you to a few of our high-performing enlisted members. Chief Manroe, Petty Officer Buccieri are carrying out some of our nation's most demanding missions, from boarding dark fleet tankers to providing security for national events with counter-UAS capabilities. Petty Officer Pedersen is preparing our newest members for the demands of Coast Guard service as an instructor, while Petty Officer Matuska helps keep our aircraft ready to launch when America needs them. Now those members represent thousands of Coast Guard men and women doing extraordinary work every day. My responsibility as the Service's Senior Enlisted Advisor is to make sure their voices are heard and to tell you what they need to continue succeeding. As Congress continues investing in Coast Guard platforms, I ask you to make the same commitment to the people who operate them. Cuz until a crew steps aboard, a multi-million dollar cutter or aircraft is simply dormant steel and aluminum. First, we need to invest in the development of our workforce. Our crews need the training, tools, facilities, and career growth opportunities necessary to operate increasingly sophisticated assets. As our missions and platforms evolve, our training, technical expertise, and personnel support systems must evolve with them. Second, we need greater stability and support for our Coast Guard families. Our members will accept hard assignments. They will deploy on short notice and they'll serve in remote locations, because that's what they signed up to do. What should not be a challenge, though, is finding adequate housing, securing child care, or getting health care for their families. As ranking member Carbajal stated, I want to be clear about this. These are not simply quality of life issues. These are readiness issues. I remember worried about child care, health care, or whether their family is able to afford housing cannot give the mission one hundred percent of their focus. These challenges are particularly difficult for members assigned to geographically remote locations, where access to essential services may be limited. We ask our folks to serve wherever the nation needs them, so we must make it possible for their families to thrive wherever we send them. When we take care of these fundamental needs, our members can focus on standing the watch, responding to emergencies, and protecting the American people. Finally, we need to make Coast Guard service more sustainable. Our crews adapt to extraordinary operational demands. They prove that daily. But they shouldn't have to compensate for gaps in training, personnel, infrastructure, or family support. When we invest consistently in our workforce, the return is measurable. Greater readiness, stronger retention, deeper expertise, more resilient families, and a Coast Guard better prepared to respond whenever and wherever they're needed. The men and women of the United States Coast Guard will continue to answer the nation's call with the continued support of committee and Congress, we can give them the training, support, and stability they need to continue serving the United States. Our people are ready to do their part. I ask for your support in giving them what they need to do it. Thank you for the opportunity again to testify, and I look forward to your questions.

Thank you. I'm gonna now recognize Mister Van Drew. I I know you got somewhere you need to go, so go ahead.

I thank the Chairman. I have a bill on the floor. I have to manage the floor, so thank you, Mister Chairman. Thank you all for being here. Uh, I'm gonna go in a little different tact, a little different direction. The Coast Guard is an integral part of my district. As you all know, you've heard me speak about it over and over again, and I'm proud to, proud of you all in southern New Jersey. And as you know, we're a Coast Guard community. If we really wanna help our Coasties, one of the ways we need to do it is, again, as it always is, not with just with words but with actions. I recently had the privilege of going out with some folks out in the water in the Barnegat Inlet in New Jersey, which is an Oce- Ocean County area, to inspect aids to navigation, ATON, firsthand, that you're familiar with. And what I found really surprised and shocked me to be honest with you, and I think it does a lot of people. These critical assets were barely visible in some cases, they were misplaced in some cases, and in a condition that could easily send an inexperienced boater into shallow water or into a dangerous situation. This is not a cosmetic issue, let me be clear. These don't ha- they don't have to look beautiful, but they have to be visible, they have to function, uh, they obviously save both people and boats. It's my, it's a basic maritime safety infrastructure that the problem is bigger than just the inlet in New Jersey. The Coast Guard maintains about fifty thousand evidently of these aids nationwide. DHS supported that the three year average availability rate for short range federal aids to navigation is well below where it needs to be. This has been delayed maintenance, delayed repair, and red- delayed recapitalization, particularly for major fixed aids. And of course, this puts stress on the Coast Guard and the Coasties themselves. The vessels doing this work are aging too. The Coast Guard's buoy tenders average about, everybody ready for this, fifty nine years old, basically sixty years old. And I don't put these downfalls on you, I don't put it on the men and women of the Coast Guard. The Coasties doing this work are being asked to maintain an enormous network while carrying out research and search and rescue, law enforcement, security, and the service's other essential missions. that we're all familiar with. That's why I'm working closely with the Coast Guard on legislation to provide additional resources to maintain and modernize these markers. It's not that complicated. They have to be visible, they have to be clear, they have to be in the proper position. And we have to make sure missing or displaced aids are quickly corrected. This is important. This is a main function. I'm looking forward to working closely with the committee on this as well. under the leadership of the chairman as well. Vice Admiral Moore and Master Chief Waldron, thank you both, I enjoy you both being here. Master Chief Waldron, what does a normal day look like for an aids to navigation team? How do they inspect, how do they repair, how do they replace, how do they reposition these markers? And what happens from the moment a damaged or missing aid is reported until it's corrected? And again, and I know you would agree with me, this is really important stuff. People can get hurt out there. And there are, as you know, cases all the time of getting grounded, of just you know, putting again their lives in danger, the people's lives who are navigating, uh and of course the ship itself. So with that, if you could give us a little, just a little view of what it's like.

Yes sir, I'd be glad to, because uh aids to navigation is one of those missions that I hold uh, near and dear to my own heart, uh, having been a buoy tender sailor myself. So, average day at an aids to navigation team, uh, consists of three primary functions, training, maintaining, and operating, uh, just as it is across our entire boat forces community. But specific to aids to navigation, uh, the training part of it is of paramount importance because they have to be proficient in going out and doing the job and it looks a little bit different for your aids to navigation teams because not only do they have to learn how to be uh professional mariners they also have to learn how to work a buoy deck because frankly it's very dangerous work. uh when we talk about maintaining we we maintain our own boats and they require a significant amount of maintenance to keep them in the condition we need for them to go out and do the job and then when it comes to operating uh all of our aids of navigation are on a cycle of uh of maintenance where they're routinely serviced by uh both our aids of navigation teams as well as our buoy tenders And so, to the question of, well what do we do whenever we get the call that an aide may be off station, may be missing, uh, may be unserviceable due to a light that's extinguished. When that call comes in, it normally goes to a command center, and the command center will relay it to the cognizant aids to navigation team or buoy tender. And from that point there, we use a, we use a flowchart to determine how severe the, the outage may be. Um, as related to the safety of the marin- uh the the maritime community. And so they'll they'll factor in how quickly do we need to get this one fixed, and then formulate a response plan. Um it's generally going to be pretty quick turn around, um to the greatest extent that we can, but uh that's that's kind of an overall view of

Uh

I I thank you for your answer and we've run out of time. I'm gonna submit some more questions for the record. Please pay attention to Barnegat. Uh folks should take a look out there, it needs some help, but in general, ple- this is an important area. Mister Chairman, I thank you so much for your latitude on this and I yield back. Thank you.

Gentleman yields back. Uh, now I'll recognize Mister Carbajal for five minutes.

Thank you, Mister Chair, as ranking uh as rank has its privileges, I will defer to Ranking Member Larson uh to go first.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Ranking Member. Um, Master Chief, um, what is the Coast Guard doing now to address affordability affordability issues for coast guard members, especially those assigned to high-cost or to remote areas.

Rankin member, to un- to make sure that I understand the question, uh, expressly, when we say the affordability, is is this relating to housing, uh,

Yeah, yeah.

primary research?

Uh, ma- mainly housing, but think about child care as well. I brought up child care in my open comments.

Thank you, Rankin member.

Yeah.

So, on the topic of housing, Housing is a topic that we are inextricably tied to our other services in the Department of War. However, I would offer that for the Coast Guard it usually looks a little bit different. We don't tend to have the major bases where, uh, an ample amount of housing is present on the base. Our folks tend to be stationed in remote locations as, as you know well in your district, uh, with the surf stations. Um, where it looks a little bit different is that we are more heavily contingent on utilizing b a h to to house our members and uh what are we doing to address that we recognize that oftentimes we station our folks in very high cost areas where b a h doesn't meet that need and so we're working with the other services as well as uh having representation on the president's military spouse commission to really bring these issues to light and to really formulate a good way forward. Um, I'm exceptionally proud that on the President's Ballast Commission, for example, uh, Admiral Lundy's wife and my wife are both members of that, and they can they can present how it looks different for our service as compared to the others.

Are you contemplating something like a BAH bonus, uh, for COSTIs or a- anything sort of to to break this link? this hard link between what DOD pays like my s- my son uh in San Diego versus what someone might get say in Sitka.

Right, remember I'm unfamiliar if if anyone has has presented a plan for a bonus. Um, I know that BAH obviously is gonna be a topic that's that's governed by law. And so I would I would have to defer that to to an entity that could that could speak more on on uh what we can do within the legal construct.

Sure. Uh, Admiral Moore, uh, Coast Guard awarded a one hundred and seventy-three million dollar contract for improvements at base Seattle for the, uh, home port feature for the polar security cutters. Very happy about that. Um, but, uh, obviously this, uh, construction, you know, it's it's gonna be a while. Um, what infrastructure work still needs to be done to ensure that the base is ready for the future?

Uh, Ranking Member Larson, thank you for the question, sir. Uh, as as you pointed out, the award of that contract, uh, very recently, just this this week uh was was was well received we're happy to see that uh we've stepped into seattle in phases so we're we're up to the phase at this point uh phase three where the the award will give us the actual final piers and and pier space and some of the secondary uh buildings ashore to support it uh we have been able to secure short term leases you know in and around the facility uh you know uh specially on the north side uh there of of the opening so we've been able to temporarily home port uh, Cutters there and visiting Cutters. So we, you know, we fully intend to be able to manage uh the icebreakers that we have today, uh, Healy and Storrs uh in Port Polar Star, uh, and then as the new PSC's come online, we'll have that home port ready to receive them uh when when they arrive.

Kind of related to uh to um to that though is the um the reconciliation bill provided the Coast Guard with nearly twenty-five billion dollars primarily for Cutters, aircraft, those platforms. didn't really uh contemplate the future funding for long-term maintenance or crew costs to operate these assets so what's your what's the coast guard plan if future corporations don't address that funding need

yeah thank you sir for the question uh you know as the deputy commonwealth for operations i can just tell you that uh that i am a hundred percent uh convinced that our future readiness is based on our ability to support maintain uh and and provide that specific maintenance of uh uh a maintenance operation of the cutters and aircraft that are coming. I mean we think a lot about things that have the shiny stripes on them and and float and fly but but I know that maintenance is directly tied to operations it's not something that's a secondary node or or somehow less important so so we have been uh you know very fortunate to and thankful for the funding uh through the reconciliation act for the new assets now the infrastructure that comes them is our next highest priority. We have to maintain the assets themselves, train the crews to operate them. Uh, as we move forward into uh, the FY twenty-seven budget and beyond, uh, the Coast Guard will need support to continue to grow our operations and and maintenance funds to support these new assets. And I, you know, from my s- perspective, again, on the operations side, the the worst thing we could do is deliver these new ships and have them tied up to the pier because they're broken. or have these new aircraft sit on the tarmac because we don't have spare parts for them. So the that maintenance funding is the top priority of us operationally moving forward.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Gentlemen Yields, Admiral Moore, in your testimony you made the case for growing the Coast Guard by fifteen thousand members, in part, to man new cutters, aircraft and small boats. Regrettably, the services budget request do not support a growth in surface or air assets, let alone the money to maintain what you already have. Can you explain where you anticipate the new assets, where they'll come from, to support the growing service military force by more than thirty percent?

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the question. Um, the fifteen thousand growth that I mentioned, that is primarily to man and operate and support the new assets that are coming, the the assets that are coming through the the twenty uh uh five reconciliation bill. Uh so that as we as we work the numbers and look at both uh the operations, the sustainment, the training system that will that will get us there, uh that that's where those people uh will go. We're starting to see through recruiting uh and and training successes for us in in recent years an influx in people already. We're already starting to see that growth and and that that additional capacity for training, uh the additional capacity to operate these new assets, the ice breakers, the new aircraft, uh that are coming, uh is is that is what's where those fifteen thousand uh people, that's where that number comes from, sir.

Thank you. The Coast Guard often says its greatest assets are its people. The service is not always treating its people as valuable assets. For example, rescue swimmers who jump from helicopters into stormy seas. uh to perform daring rescues, are now training in a community recreational swimming pool because their own training pools suffered a catastrophic failure. Likewise, the Coasters are doing more maintenance work on small boats in the stifling heat in V- in Virginia uh without any shade. The service would never hire a contractor who provided such inadequate working conditions. Uh, what are the Coast Guard's plans to replace these facilities?

yep thank you for the question chairman uh you're you're completely uh accurate in your assessment that's exactly right we we owe our members the best training facilities and that pool uh the the aquatic facility that you reference in Petaluma you know we are looking at what a full-time answer would be there what the what the permanent uh you know position would be for us uh for an aquatic facility to meet that need that's some of the highest end training that we that we have those members that uh we put out in helicopters that lower down and actually rescue people out of the water you can imagine that is some of the

hmm

the most difficult and arduous training that we have and they deserve the best facility and so a full-time answer for uh the training facility for that aviation survival uh swimming school that is absolutely a priority uh for us likewise on the on the engineering side for the maintenance there in yorktown uh i'm a i'm a lifetime lifelong naval engineer i used to do that stuff for living in the coast guard fixing boats and aircraft that's what i

hmm

grew up doing. And I can tell you doing it outside in the elements is definitely sub-optimal,

Yeah.

to put it nicely. Uh, it's hot or it's cold or it's raining or it's both, and, and I would tell you that especially today's modern assets with the complicated mechanical and electrical systems, you need to have some uh uh environmental control while you're doing that detailed maintenance. Uh, so, so creating a covered facility or a better approach to how we do that maintenance is absolutely optimal. in Yorktown. So, so both of these projects, both of the things you mentioned are things that we are prioritizing, uh, in future requests for infrastructure projects, and we'll look for your support in those future appropriations.

You have my support. You've placed a high emphasis on quality of life issues, Chief. However, we know that these are, there's some areas where, uh, the Coast Guard has historically struggled to perform well. Uh, even in the DC area where the Coast Guard senior leadership is headquartered, How do you, how do quality of life issues play a pivotal role in recruiting and retention? And what resources does the Coast Guard need to improve on in these areas?

Mr. Chairman, a little bit ago I had mentioned how uh it's not only about recruiting, it's about retaining.

Mm-hmm.

We've had a mentality for a long time in the Coast Guard that we often will recruit individuals but we retain families and To your point, I don't think that we could overstate how important it is that we do provide uh the most adequate housing uh the most adequate child care or means for folks to take care of their of their children in the absence of a child development center, uh as well as health care. And and quite frankly, sir, we struggle with all three of these um at times because they they often are indicative of larger problems than just what is limited to the Coast Guard, but uh But to your point, I absolutely agree with you, sir. These are things that we must continue to work on through the support of this committee, as well as every other means available, be it partnering with our DOW counterparts or uh are working through the executive branch with the the Presidential Spouses Commission.

Thank you. Help me to help you, cuz we wanna make sure you succeed and we get the best of the best that stays with us. I now recognize Mister Carbajal, five minutes.

Thank you, Mister Chair. Uh, Master Chief Waldron, I'm thankful for the Coast Guard, that the Coast Guard has worked with me to secure funding to improve family housing for service members in Santa Barbara, California. This fifty-eight year old housing facility will be undergoing much needed exterior improvements, utility upgrades, and drainage. But of course, much more is needed. Despite this effort, the Central Coast faces a mounting backlog of unfunded housing priorities. that negatively impact the lives of service members and the ability to recruit and retain mem- members. How is the Coast Guard working to make safe and affordable housing more accessible, and how can H- Congress help?

Ranking member, as we as we discussed a little bit ago, the housing quandary is one where we must address it uh two-fold. We must address improvements to government owned housing, uh, specifically as you mentioned with Santa Barbara housing. I think that's, that's an area that absolutely highlights, uh, both the need and fortunately in the recent past, some of the efforts that we've been making to get ahead of that. And then the other half of the equation is obviously with, uh, with BAH. I think that all of us, uh, in this room here can recognize that we tend to station Coast Guardsmen in very expensive areas uh sometimes they're very, very remote areas. Oftentimes they are in resort communities where BAH doesn't account for the need. And - and frankly, a lot of the problem is that the tables have turned as time has gone by. A lot of rental units that we would normally have had the coasties seeking previously have been turned into short-term rentals, and have become uh far too expensive for our folks to stay in long-term. As far as what could we ask from y'all, it would be It would be the continued support of this committee as we look at how can we get BAH on par with what the demands are for the areas that we're stationing people.

Thank you. Vice Admiral Moore, recent reporting has shed light on the traumatic brain injury risks that service members are exposed to. Although I support the creation of a new brain health initiative and believe it would be useful resource to pr- prevent, diagnose, and treat brain injuries. I am also concerned with the Coast Guard's lack of transparency. What tangible actions is the Coast Guard taking to protect service members? And what are you doing to ensure that you are addressing the issue in a compressive manner?

Thank you, ranking member, for the question. Uh, you know, first of all, nothing's more important than the safety of our crews. Uh, and you can, you know, Look at the the four uh people sitting behind me here that you had lunch with and you know, their safety when they go out on mission is paramount to all of us in the Coast Guard, all of the senior leadership. And and that's why we launched the Brain Health Initiative, uh to to get after it. Uh it's it's a comprehensive program. I can walk through a few of the the actions for you here uh this afternoon. First of all, the first thing we did is we have established immediate treatment and training requirements for our medical providers. Uh those are our flight surgeons at the air stations, the doctors at the at the clinics on the bases, the corps men that are actually out on the cutters, uh with our members. We've established those immediate training requirements for them in terms of, uh uh treatment of p- potential brain health injuries. We have sent medical staff uh to places like the NATO summit in Oslo, which is ongoing right now. We are joining that NATO study for brain health uh in boats. That is uh part of a fifteen nation uh effort in NATO and we're part of that. Uh we have directed our commands uh to be trained in concussion protocols and you have to be able to to to notice and and identify these issues at the point of uh of of impact like where they actually happened uh first that's our local commands and we need our commanders to be trained in in how to do that uh one of the things we're going to do uh is establish a baseline for every member in the coast guard uh it's the same as what you see that they do with nfl players you have to know where a person starts uh in terms of a a baseline of of activity and then that that tells you as you see things change, potential industries injuries or changes uh you know in in patterns that that will provide you an indication of a potential brain injury. So, tho- those are a couple of the initial steps, there's much much more to it, uh of course lots more work for us to do uh we can provide a a full briefing on on our brain health initiative sort and and get and I can bring the the actual medical professionals over uh to explain it in much more detail to you.