Homeland Security Office News

The Coast Guard Marine Industry Training Program offers incredible opportunities for Coast Guard employees to intimately learn specific facets of the marine industry. Participants of the program work directly for industry partners for up to 1 year. In addition to building superior government/industry working relationships, the program affords industry sponsors an opportunity to share detailed business considerations and limitations, so that Coast Guard regulatory activities most effectively promote safety, while limiting undue burden on the maritime industry.

WASHINGTON - The United States has filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., against Bollinger Shipyards Inc., Bollinger Shipyards Lockport LLC and Halter Bollinger Joint Venture LLC, the Justice Department announced. The suit alleges that Bollinger, which is headquartered in Lockport, La., made material false statements to the Coast Guard under the Deepwater Program. The government’s complaint alleges that Bollinger proposed to convert existing 110-Ft Patrol Boats (WPBs) into 123-Ft WPBs by extending the hulls 13 feet and making additional improvements. As a result of Bollinger’s misrepresentations about the hull strength of the converted vessels, the Coast Guard awarded a contract to convert eight Coast Guard 110 foot cutters to 123 foot cutters.

On September 14, 2010, the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General posted its much anticipated report addressing the very serious allegations of misconduct made against the U.S. Coast Guard’s Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) system by former ALJ Jeffie J. Massey. In short, the Inspector General’s office concluded that it “was not able to substantiate” Judge Massey’s allegations against her former superior, Chief ALJ Joseph N. Ingolia, and numerous members of his staff, members of the ALJ Docketing staff, members of the Coast Guard Commandant’s staff and several USCG Investigating Officers who were involved in cases then pending before Judge Massey.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report Friday detailing its findings following a review of the Coast Guard's Administrative Law Judge Program that was requested by Congress and welcomed by the Coast Guard. The GAO conducted an independent and objective review of 1,675 suspension and revocation cases opened and closed by the Coast Guard from Nov. 10, 2005, through Sept. 30, 2008. •    Sixty two percent of suspension and revocation cases are disposed through settlement agreements between the Coast Guard and mariners. Click here to view or download a chart showing the disposition of all cases reviewed by the GAO. •    Roughly three percent, or just 45 cases, were disposed through a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it will temporarily stop its review and suspend its pursuit of a $96.1m refund for faulty ships built by Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) and Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC), pending a Justice Department investigation. The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General are investigating the Coast Guard's Deepwater contracts, including the eight, 123-ft. patrol boats found to have structural problems, the AP reported. The Coast Guard will continue to provide documents and technical support to assist the government's investigation. The latest move signals a shift by the Coast Guard…

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings convened the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation to receive a report developed by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on the circumstances surrounding the allision of the COSCO BUSAN with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on November 7, 2007. This report was originally requested by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and Chairman Cummings following a hearing of the Subcommittee convened in last November to begin examining this incident. “Among other results, the OIG found that five of the six individuals assigned as marine casualty investigators in Sector San Francisco were unqualified for these positions.

As part of the Department's commitment to enhance security at our nation's key ports and facilities, Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge is pleased to announce $49,429,867 in the fourth round of port security grants. The Port Security Grant Program provides resources for projects to improve dockside and perimeter security that is vital to securing our critical national seaports. These awards will contribute to important security upgrades such as surveillance equipment, access controls to restricted areas, communications equipment, and the construction of new command and control facilities. This grant program represents one layer of the Department of Homeland Security's system of defenses for our nation's ports that includes monitoring the people…

The Department of Homeland Security announced a $17.1 million award to the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey and to the Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach and Seattle/Tacoma to strengthen the security of container cargo moving through three of the nation’s largest load centers. These grants were awarded under the third phase of Operation Safe Commerce, a program through which ports, federal, state, and local governments, and private businesses work together to identify, test, and share information about commercially available technologies and best business practices to improve the security of the supply chain. “Operation Safe Commerce takes a partnership approach to developing innovative new ways for ports to track and protect cargo entering the United States from all over the world…

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security today announced $140,857,128 in port security grants. The FY 2005 Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) uses a risk-based formula to allocate funds to protect our ports from acts of terrorism. The program fortifies security at our nation’s ports by providing funding to increase protection against potential threats from small craft, underwater attacks and vehicle borne improvised explosives, and to enhance explosive detection capabilities aboard vehicle ferries and associated facilities. The new risk-based formula considers three elements: threat, vulnerability, and consequence. As part of this risk-management approach, the port security grant program will ensure federally regulated ports, terminals, and U.S.

U.S. Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, called on the Coast Guard to submit the designs for National Security Cutter (NSC) 3 for analysis by the Naval Surface Warfare Center (Carderock Division) and to submit the results of the analysis to Congress. In a letter to the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Thad Allen, Chairman Cummings also called on the Coast Guard to commit to having the design and construction of all future NSCs certified by an independent, third party. Chairman Cummings said, "Last week, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure unanimously adopted by voice vote the Integrated Deepwater Program Reform Act, H.R.

Representatives from Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS) presented testimony on the Integrated Deepwater System program before the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard. Philip Teel, president of Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, and Dr. Leo Mackay, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Coast Guard Systems, highlighted ICGS' commitment to the Coast Guard and its continued support of the service's evolving post-9/11 mission requirements. Renewal of the service contract for the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) based in Jacksonville, Fla., for a fifth year. These eight MH-68A helicopters are equipped with airborne use of force and have had a significant impact on illicit drug interdictions.

The US Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a revised version of its earlier review of the port security grant program. The new review finds that many of the deficiencies identified earlier have been rectified, but that there is still room for improvement. OIG-06-24 Source: HK Law