Coast Guard plans 2013 upgrades, minus the 'Deepwater' moniker

United States Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard expects to need $1.2 billion for repair of a decrepit fleet and development of a polar icebreaker to support increasing trans-Arctic commerce.

Under USCG's fiscal 2013 budget proposal, $658 million would go toward building a sixth National Security Cutter. The plan is to replace 12 1960s-era high endurance cutters with eight NSCs. The first ship in the series, Bertholf , intercepted about $400 million worth of cocaine and detained nine suspects during a recent three-month patrol, according to Coast Guard officials. The new ships provide real-time tactical intelligence and are capable of communicating classified information.

The construction of the new cutters is part of a decades-long, $5 billion over-budget program that until late last year was known as Deepwater. In a December 2011 government publication entitled "R.I.P. 'Deepwater' " USCG Assistant Commandant for Acquisition Rear Adm. Jake Korn rechristened the program "Coast Guard recapitalization." The "Deepwater title now has negative connotations," Korn explained, acknowledging that the service "ceded too much responsibility to the contractor, including some functions that should have been reserved for government employees."

Along with vessel acquisitions, the service's wide-ranging responsibilities include search and rescue, narcotics seizures, crew screening, container inspections, emissions compliance enforcement, and oil spill response.

In September, the Coast Guard awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries a $482 million contract to produce the fifth National Security Cutter. Soon after, Congress disbursed $77 million for the service to buy materials for construction of the sixth. Three of the cutters have been delivered so far. The entire modernization effort, including improvements to vessels, aircraft, information technology services, shore facilities and navigation aids, is 25 percent to 50 percent finished, according to USCG officials.

The 2013 budget request, which the Obama administration released Monday, seeks $8 million to start developing a polar icebreaker. Global warming has opened up new waters for oil exploration but the service does not have a single operational icebreaker, National Public Radio reported last summer.

Last year, the administration proposed about $200 million more -- $1.4 billion -- for Coast Guard fleet upgrades.