Posted on August 19, 2021
In a pair of letters to the GAO Comptroller General, DeFazio and Graves highlighted the amount of time and billions of dollars that the U.S. Coast Guard has spent so far on both programs and urged GAO to review the management of the acquisitions.
In their letter regarding the Offshore Patrol Cutters, they wrote: “Given the significant budgetary commitment that the Congress, DHS, and Coast Guard have made for the OPC program to date, continued oversight is necessary to ensure the OPC program does not continue to experience cost growth or additional schedule delays. As such, the Committee requests that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) review the management of the OPC and Medium Endurance Cutters acquisition programs. …”
Similarly, in their letter about the Polar Security Cutters, they wrote: “Given the schedule delays and potential for cost growth, continued oversight of the PSC program is critical. As such, the Committee requests that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) review the management of the PSC acquisition program and the Coast Guard’s efforts to address icebreaking capability gaps until the PSCs are fully operational. …”
You can read the committee leaders’ full letters on the Offshore Patrol and Polar Security Cutters here and here.
