United States Coast Guard Commandant Thomas H. Collins testified before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Science and Technology and the Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities on responding to catastrophic events. His written statement identified the Coast Guard’s primary missions in disaster response (saving lives, security and reconstitution, hazardous material response, and support to other agencies), and discussed how the strengths and weaknesses of the organization affect its ability to perform them. Perhaps most significantly, the report addressed the ineffectiveness of the government’s response to hurricane Katrina…