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Open Recommendations (94 total)

Coast Guard: Aircraft Fleet and Aviation Workforce Assessments Needed

GAO-24-106374
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5 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Coast Guard The Commandant of the Coast Guard should establish procedures requiring the Coast Guard to uniformly collect and maintain air station readiness data. (Recommendation 1)
Open
DHS concurred with this recommendation. In response to our report, it described steps Coast Guard is taking to implement this recommendation, such as updating its operational reporting manual. Coast Guard anticipates completing these steps by December 31, 2024.
United States Coast Guard The Commandant of the Coast Guard should assess the number of helicopters the Coast Guard requires to meet its mission demands, as part of a fleet mix analysis. (Recommendation 4)
Open
DHS concurred with this recommendation. In response to our report, DHS noted that Coast Guard already determined that it requires a minimum of 127 helicopters. However, as noted in our report, the Coast Guard's determination is based on flight hours and did not consider, for example, how having a smaller fleet size would affect its ability to sustain surge operations. We maintain that Coast Guard can benefit from further analysis to determine the number of helicopters needed. We will continue monitoring Coast Guard's efforts to address this recommendation.
United States Coast Guard The Commandant of the Coast Guard should establish a process to regularly evaluate Coast Guard-wide air station readiness data. (Recommendation 2)
Open
DHS concurred with this recommendation. In response to our report, it stated that Coast Guard created a risk dashboard that displays air station readiness data. Given that the Coast Guard is still in the process of establishing procedures to require the uniform collection of readiness data, we will continue to monitor Coast Guard's progress addressing this recommendation.
United States Coast Guard The Commandant of the Coast Guard should assess and determine the aviation workforce levels it requires to meet its mission needs. (Recommendation 5)
Open
DHS concurred with this recommendation. In response to our report, DHS noted that Coast Guard will begin the process to determine the aviation workforce needed for all air stations in May 2024. We will continue monitoring Coast Guard's efforts to address this recommendation.
United States Coast Guard The Commandant of the Coast Guard should assess the type of helicopters the Coast Guard requires to meet its mission demands, as part of an analysis of alternatives. (Recommendation 3)
Open
DHS concurred with this recommendation. In response to our report, DHS noted that, based on a 2020 RAND study, the Coast Guard had found it should move towards greater medium range helicopter recovery capacity, as those aircraft provide favorable cost solutions and increased capability. However, as we note in our report, the RAND study also supported the Coast Guard maintaining a mix of helicopter types. Specifically, the study identified a benefit to the Coast Guard having a fleet composed primarily of MH-60T helicopters along with sufficient short-range helicopters to complete certain missions, such as drug interdiction. We maintain that Coast Guard can benefit from assessing different helicopter types to guide its acquisition approach and address capability shortfalls before the introduction of a successor helicopter. We will continue monitoring Coast Guard's efforts to address this recommendation.

Coast Guard: Action Needed to Evaluate Efforts to Address Sexual Assault and Harassment

GAO-24-107388
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Coast Guard The Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard should develop an evaluation plan with mechanisms for assessing the effectiveness of actions taken to help ensure service members have an experience aligned with Coast Guard's core values and free from sexual assault and harassment. (Recommendation 1)
Open
Coast Guard reported in April 2024 that they plan to develop relevant metrics to measure cultural change through various surveys, reports, and other sources. Officials plan to use surveys such as the Defense Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS), Federal Employee Viewpoints Survey, Workplace and Gender Relations Survey, and Service Academy Gender Relations Survey to assess whether the Service is providing a safe work environment for all its members. According to Coast Guard officials, the estimated completion date is February 2025. We will continue working with the Coast Guard to monitor the progress of these plans.

Coast Guard: Enhanced Safety Oversight Needed for Fish Tender Vessels

GAO-24-106729
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Coast Guard The Deputy Commandant for Operations should fully assess the safety risks posed to fish tender vessels without a load line that may participate in any proposed alternative compliance program. (Recommendation 2)
Open
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) concurred with our recommendation. In January 2024, DHS officials stated that the U.S. Coast Guard is planning to finalize an assessment of fish tender vessel noncompliance with load line requirements. After this step, these officials stated the Coast Guard will then evaluate risks to fish tender vessels without a load line. When we confirm what actions the service has taken in response to this recommendation since January 2024, we will provide updated information. By fully assessing the safety risks posed to fish tender vessels without a load line, the Coast Guard can help ensure that any proposed alternative compliance program maximizes vessel safety within existing resource limitations.
United States Coast Guard The Deputy Commandant for Operations should clearly identify the legal basis for any proposed alternative compliance program for fish tender vessels without a load line. (Recommendation 3)
Open
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) concurred with our recommendation. In January 2024, DHS officials stated that the U.S. Coast Guard is planning to finalize an assessment of fish tender vessel noncompliance with load line requirements. After this step, these officials stated the Coast Guard will then evaluate the service's legal authorities to develop an alternative compliance program. When we confirm what actions the service has taken in response to this recommendation since January 2024, we will provide updated information. By clearly identifying a legal basis for the program, the Coast Guard can ensure that any proposed program is consistent with its legal authorities regarding exemptions from load line requirements.

Coast Guard: Enhanced Safety Oversight Needed for Fish Tender Vessels

GAO-24-106729
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Coast Guard The Deputy Commandant for Mission Support should assess the feasibility of updating the Coast Guard's system of record for commercial fishing industry vessels to capture multiple service types for commercial fishing industry vessels and, if feasible, implement the changes. (Recommendation 1)
Open
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) concurred with our recommendation. In January 2024, DHS officials stated that the U.S. Coast Guard's Marine Information for Safety and Law Enforcement (MISLE) system, its system of record for commercial fishing industry vessels, is undergoing a multi-year modernization project and the service will assess the feasibility of implementing this recommendation as a part of this effort. In the interim, DHS officials stated the Coast Guard plans to add a note field to MISLE to capture multiple service types for these vessels. When we confirm what actions the service has taken in response to this recommendation since January 2024, we will provide updated information. By assessing the feasibility of updating its system of record to capture multiple vessel service types and implementing the changes if feasible, the Coast Guard will be better positioned to carry out its regulatory oversight of fish tender vessel compliance with load line requirements.

Coast Guard: Better Feedback Collection and Information Could Enhance Housing Program

GAO-24-106388
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Coast Guard The Commandant of the Coast Guard should ensure that it collects information on beneficial housing practices from field units and shares that information across the service using existing mechanisms or by establishing a new mechanism for this purpose, as appropriate. (Recommendation 2)
Open
In February 2024, we found that the Coast Guard could improve its collection and sharing of beneficial housing practices to help mitigate the loss of knowledge and experience on local housing issues as personnel change duty stations. We recommended that the Coast Guard ensure it collects such information from field units and shares it across the service using existing mechanisms or by establishing a new mechanism for this purpose, as appropriate. The Coast Guard concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. As of February 2024, the Coast Guard indicated that its Office of Military Housing will ensure that its Housing Surveys, the first of which will be released by December 31, 2024, incorporates information on beneficial housing practices from field units and that survey results are shared across the service using existing or new mechanisms, as appropriate. The Coast Guard estimates it will complete these actions by June 30, 2025. Ensuring that it collects information on beneficial housing practices from field units, and shares that information across the service using existing mechanisms or by establishing a new mechanism for this purpose, could help the Coast Guard more effectively manage housing in different areas of responsibility.
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