Adm. Karl Schultz, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, said that the service faces a more than $1.7 billion shore infrastructure backlog, USNI News reported Friday. Schultz noted during his “State of the Coast Guard†speech at USCG’s Los Angeles-Long Beach base that the service’s purchasing power has reduced by almost 10 percent, and that it’s working through the obstacles such as understaffing and outdated systems.Â
He added that the Coast Guard needs a five percent increase in funding every year to address crucial requirements, including the purchase of assets such as offshore patrol cutters and polar security cutters. He outlined other USCG initiatives such as a Personnel Readiness Task Force and other inclusivity-related efforts.Â
The Coast Guard plans to expand its fleet of Sentinel-class fast response cutters and acquire initial OPCs to be homeported at Los Angeles-Long Beach. The service intends to have around 25 OPCs which will represent 70 percent of its offshore presence.