Office serves as CG-922’s implement- ing agency (i.e., de facto higher head- quarters) and provides the authority and oversight that enables CG-922 operation within the larger FMS en- terprise. For nearly two decades, the Coast Guard’s FMS program had fewer than a dozen civilian employees, supported by about as many contractor staff. A recent expansion has pushed CG- 922’s civilian and contractor team members to 30, but the office still operates with a lean force structure that relies heavily on a few uniquely qualified managers and support staff to oversee the myriad geographically dispersed projects that are underway at any point. CG-922 historically has focused on two primary lines of effort: new procurement and the transfer of ex- cess defense articles (EDAs). As its name implies, new procurement in- volves purchasing newly manufac- tured boats, planes, etc., along with spare parts, ancillary support, and the training and technical assistance needed to keep those resources in operational condition. Generally, the “menu” of assets available to foreign partners reflects the capabilities organic to the Coast Guard’s own operational forces. That said, for reasons related to both the idiosyncrasies of the FMS process along with the need to cater to a multitude of different FMS customers, CG-922 cannot leverage the existing contracts used to equip organic Coast Guard units. This means that, while the assets provided to partners may look very similar to those employed by the Coast Guard, they actually
Above: In May 2024, the U.S. Coast Guard Office of International Acquisition on behalf of Paraguay awarded a contract to procure nine 25-foot interdiction boats with trailers and equipment to SAFE Boats International of Bremerton, Wash. Pictured is one of the boats awaiting inspection and acceptance by the U.S. Coast Guard at SAFE Boat’s Tacoma Production Facility before being shipped to Paraguay. Source: Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Yen, U.S. Coast Guard
Right: Source: U.S. Coast Guard, CG-922
are procured through singular stand- alone contracts that must be man- aged cradle-to-grave by the CG-922. The second line of effort is the EDA transfer. Despite constituting roughly 40 percent of CG-922’s total workload, EDA garners significant at- tention both within the Coast Guard and throughout external Security Co- operation stakeholders. EDA involves transferring decommissioned assets to foreign partners and refurbishing to afford the generation of their max- imum utility. The assets themselves are technically free to the partner, or more specifically, transferred as $0 grants. However, the entire effort to return the assets to an operational status and incorporate any enhance- ments requested by the partner can become quite costly, with that cost borne by the partner (though, in some cases, subsidized by a variety of U.S. Government funding sources). Characterizing EDA as an acqui- sition project understates the actual
scope and scale of the effort. The transfer of a decommissioned ves- sel generally includes hundreds of separate procurements executed using various types of purchasing methods, often over a year or more. Major contracting efforts such as those needed to award and manage dry dock evolutions for ships, pro- cure communication and navigation suites, and even conduct engineering studies associated with weaponizing vessels, often overlap with more mun- dane requirements such as procuring tug services and oily waste offloads. Because the foreign crews are usually present for the refurbishing and often live onboard their “new” vessels, all procurements associated with their daily “care and feeding” provide yet more recurring requirements that further complicate the Coast Guard’s management of EDA transfers. A standard FMS case that involves the procurement of newly produced boats, spares, and training generally
The Coast Guard’s presence is ubiquitous throughout offshore, coastal, and inland waterways. The Service’s iconic blue and orange racing stripe and logo are recognized around the globe.
20 | DEFENSE ACQUISITION | July-August 2025
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker