Us Government Accountability Office News

The Coast Guard has struggled for years to recruit and retain a sufficient workforce. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the non-partisan, fact-based arm of the Congress, has published multiple reports related to the Coast Guard’s workforce including recruitment and retention challenges. Three of these reports published in 2022 and 2023 have resulted in 17 GAO recommendations to address these issues, but as of today, 16 remain open and need to be addressed. Implementing…

Admiral Linda Fagan, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant, visited Austal USA Thursday to tour the Mobile, Ala. shipyard's manufacturing facilities and discuss the company’s contract for the service’s Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC).Austal USA said in a press release its leadership briefed the Commandant on the company’s steel shipbuilding production line. The 117,000 square foot steel panel line, where OPC construction will begin in mid-2024, houses state-of-the-art computerized and robotic steel processing equipment to handle the current and future demands of the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S.

The U.S. Coast Guard must do more to improve safety in the extremely dangerous commercial fishing industry, according to a new report from watchdog agency the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).Commercial fishing has one of the highest industry death rates in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since fiscal year 2011, multiple commercial fishing vessel safety requirements have been enacted. As the principal federal agency for ensuring marine safety, the U.S.

More oil from a massive offshore spill landed on the southern California shore on Monday, with beaches closed and dead fish and birds washing up on shore as officials investigated whether a ship anchor striking a pipeline could have triggered the leak.Crews dressed in white coveralls and helmets raced against an approaching storm as they cleaned damage from 3,000 barrels (126,000 gallons) of oil that spilled into the Pacific Ocean in recent days from a pipeline connected to an…

The commander of the U.S. Navy’s Norfolk Naval Shipyard has been ousted amid ongoing performance issues in repairing and modernizing the service's ships.Commander of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Vice Adm. Bill Galinis relieved Capt. Kai Torkelson, due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command, according to statement from the U.S. Navy.Rear Adm. Howard Markle, Director of NAVSEA’s Industrial Operations Directorate (SEA 04), has assumed duties as the acting commander until a permanent relief is named, the Navy said.

The American Maritime Partnership (AMP), the voice of the domestic maritime industry, today released a statement in response to the sheer number of factual errors in the recent report published by the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure’s (Aii) – Jones Act: Protectionism v. Global Trade. “The publication is littered with fabrications intended to mislead policymakers and we demand a retraction of the report," said Tom Allegretti, Chairman of AMP. “It is shocking that a nonprofit organization led by former senior members of the U.S. military would produce such a factually inaccurate report and take such a myopic view of an important national security issue. They have failed to even acknowledge the fact that the U.S.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 253-166 Wednesday to eliminate a recent Obama Administration rule that gives the federal government new authority to regulate virtually all waters or wet areas in the United States. The House approved S. J. Res 22, a resolution of congressional disapproval that vacates the Administration’s rule, published on June 29, 2015, to broaden the definition under federal law of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) and expand federal regulatory power under the Clean Water Act. The Senate approved S. J. Res 22 in November, and it now goes to the President’s desk.

U.S. Naval War College (NWC) leaders and alumni received a warm welcome on Capitol Hill, Oct. 7 during a congressional breakfast organized by Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed. The event offered a chance for members of Congress and their staff to hear details of how NWC educates and develops leaders, strengthens global maritime partnerships and supports Navy missions and combat readiness. "The war college is an extraordinary asset to the nation and the Navy," Reed noted. "[The value] is not just the instruction in the classroom, it's the war gaming and bringing together individuals from across the government and the nation to talk about critical issues. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John M.

The MIT Sloan School of Management launched the Interdisciplinary Consortium for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, also known as (IC)3, yesterday. Using an interdisciplinary research approach, (IC)3 focuses on the strategic, managerial, and operational issues related to cybersecurity, and invites businesses to join the consortium. “The cybersecurity of our critical infrastructure is a serious national security challenge," said MIT Sloan Dean David Schmittlein. (IC)3…

Conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation argued for increased U.S. port cybersecurity in a report published online this week. "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and maritime stakeholders need to stay ahead of [cybersecurity] risks in order to keep trade flow maximized, while avoiding the creation of regulations that may slow trade and hinder business," wrote author and Heritage Foundation research assistant Riley Walters. The report was published just a day before U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm.

IntelliJet Marine, Inc. will present a paper on propulsion and computer simulation for sustainable high speed boats and ships at ASNE Day 2015. Jeff Jordan of IntelliJet Marine will present a paper on propulsion and computer simulation for sustainable high speed boats and ships at the American Society of Naval Engineers’ ASNE Day 2015 on March 5, 2015 in Arlington, Va. According to IntelliJet, the military prefers jet boats but struggles with their fuel efficiency. Valued for their high speed capability and shallow draft…

India will use an upcoming visit by Barack Obama to press the United States to remove Indian oil companies from a list naming firms doing business in Iran, and to seek priority access to U.S. LNG exports, sources in the Oil Ministry said. The U.S. president will arrive in New Delhi on Jan. 25 and hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Washington in September. An official agenda has not been released. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) listed three Indian companies as having commercial activity in Iran's energy sector in a report this week, potentially making it difficult for them to do business with other countries, mainly the United States.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is calling for vigilance in the maritime sector as it emerges that shipping and the supply chain is the ‘next playground for hackers’. IMB said, “Recent events have shown that systems managing the movement of goods need to be strengthened against the threat of cyber-attacks. The threat of cyber-attacks on the sector have intensified in the past few months, with cyber security experts and the media alike warning of the dangers posed by criminals targeting carriers, ports, terminals and other transport operators. They argue that while IT systems have become more sophisticated and thus enabling companies to better protect themselves against fraud and theft, it has also left them more vulnerable to ‘cyber criminals’.

In a new report, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) states that the Navy faces technical, design, and construction challenges to completing 'Gerald R. Ford' (CVN 78) that have led to significant cost increases and reduced the likelihood that a fully functional ship will be delivered on time. The Navy has achieved mixed progress to date developing CVN 78's critical technologies, such as a system intended to more effectively launch aircraft from the ship. In an effort to meet required installation dates aboard CVN 78…

GAO finds it is broken, and now the question is; can it be fixed? Recently, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a scathing report on the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) electronic reader pilot test and on the TWIC program in general. The GAO said that the test of the electronic readers that are intended to largely automate access of credentialed maritime workers into secure areas not only failed, but that test results were so badly gathered that it is impossible to determine exactly where the problems lie and what needs to be corrected.

The Obama administration’s failure to budget $1.6 billion for two of the Coast Guard’s flagship vessels is drawing criticism from U.S. lawmakers, who contend that the service’s missions will be threatened. The Department of Homeland Security’s proposal for the fiscal year, beginning October1, requests $683 million to fund only the sixth of eight planned National Security Cutters, made by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. The agency, which oversees the Coast Guard, didn’t seek funding for the remaining two cutters for fiscal years 2014 to 2017. The 418-foot-long cutters are needed to replace an aging fleet of vessels, many of which are more than 40 years old and expensive to maintain, according to the service.

The Maritime Cabotage Task Force stated that it opposes legislation to repeal the Jones Act, saying that all the McCain bill would do is put more Americans out of work. “The McCain bill proposes to eliminate the very American industry that is helping to clean up the spill - an industry that supports 500,000 U.S. jobs - and outsource that work to foreign workers and foreign companies registered in nations like Liberia and the Marshall Islands that operate outside of American law. Using a spill caused by foreign companies as a pretext to bring in more foreign companies is a backward approach. It makes as much sense as replacing the American workers currently cleaning up the Gulf beaches with foreign companies and foreign workers.

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.

On Jan. 12, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a bid protest decision that upheld the U.S. Coast Guard’s award of the Sentinel-class Patrol Boat to Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. GAO provides a forum for bidders and offerors seeking federal government contracts who believe that a contract has been, or is about to be, awarded improperly or illegally or that they have been unfairly denied a contract or an opportunity to compete for a contract. Marinette Marine Corporation filed a protest with GAO on October 7…

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report on implementation of smart card technology by federal agencies. It discusses, among other things, plans by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to issue Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWICs) to an estimated 6 million workers. GAO-04-948 (HK Law).

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a Report stating that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has largely succeeded in its initiatives to create a national, all-hazards coordinated and comprehensive response program for large-scale incidents. DHS has developed plans to implement related programs to enhance first responder capabilities. DHS will face continuing challenges with regard to integrating internal and external assessment approaches, assessing state and local risks in a national context to effectively prioritize investments, and establishing common training requirements across responder disciplines. Note: this report (and most other analyses) fail to recognize that various federal agencies (such as the U.S. Coast Guard) are also first responders.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report stating that some federal agencies have taken steps to strengthen the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), but that more effort is needed to expand the program. In particular, the GAO recommends that federal law enforcement agencies (including the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation) establish clear policies, procedures, and indicators to support PSI activities. (Source: Holland & Knight)

According to Reuters, the U.S. Navy ordered Lockheed Martin Corp. to halt work on one of its two littoral combat ships due to significant cost overruns, the service said on Friday. The Navy said Lockheed's work would be stopped immediately for 90 days, while costs are reviewed. The Navy would not disclose how much costs had risen, but defense officials called the overrun significant. The $1.3b littoral combat ship program is a major piece of the Navy's vision for its future fleet. Lockheed, the top U.S. defense contractor, is building the first and third of the Navy's littoral combat ships, designed for closer-to-shore missions, while General Dynamics Corp. is building the second and fourth. Lockheed won the $198m contract in June for the second ship.