Enhancing US Sea Services Capabilities and Readiness

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson participates in a group sail during the Rim of the Pacific exercise off the coast of Hawaii on July 26, 2018. (Petty Officer 1st Class Arthurgwain L. Marquez/U.S. Navy via AP)

Commentary

During Memorial Day weekend, Americans were able to witness the might of the Sea Services at the Port of Los Angeles during Fleet Week. The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and an assortment of Coast Guard and Navy vessels were on display, along with band routines and armed forces flyovers.

Although the activities and tours were impressive, the Sea Services and other military branches are undergoing numerous challenges despite an annual budget approaching $1 trillion. As we ponder the current and future emerging threats, what can be done to strengthen the Sea Services as proactive forces vis-a-vis peer competitors such as China and Russia?

First, the Coast Guard and Navy could emulate the example of the Marine Corps. The Marines routinely meet recruitment goals while maintaining mental and physical training standards. Because of a range of factors, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and Navy have fallen short of their enlistment and retention goals in recent years. Fortunately, USCG Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti are working to rectify these shortfalls.

Next, the Sea Services ought to make life in the armed forces more attractive for both enlisted ranks and officers. That involves better benefits, reenlistment incentives, life-work balance, and reasonable deployments and transfers that aid in professional development. How the services treat their personnel can go a long way in making tours rewarding and can also turn a shorter commitment into a career. Moreover, service members who refused the COVID-19 vaccine and were forced out should be reinstated if they request it, as they represent critical skillsets and valuable experience.

Third, the Sea Services should avoid current ideological trends in favor of training warfighters who are capable of confronting any crisis instead of reacting to events. Promotions through experience and merit must be the standard in order to prevent accidents or even loss of lives. Military leaders should encourage intellectual diversity and innovative ideas. Moreover, nimble special forces specialties ought to be increased.

Fourth, for the most part, the Marines and Navy are acquiring most of the equipment that they need. However, the Navy could use a few more destroyers, frigates, and supply ships to bolster the 11 carrier strike groups in long-range endeavors. They are utilized to protect the force from air, land, subsurface, and surface threats. Marine and Naval vessel maintenance shipyards could also benefit from expansion and upgrades.

Fifth, although this idea has been controversial, we should bring the USCG into the Department of Defense at the Pentagon, where it could more effectively battle for adequate funding along with the other five military branches. The Coast Guard has been an armed force since 1915 and has collaborated with the Marines and Navy during conflicts and disaster response crises.

For decades, the USCG has fought each year to receive funding to carry out its statutory missions both in the Department of Transportation (1967–2003) and in its transfer into the Department of Homeland Security following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Former USCG Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft noted that the Coast Guard punches far above its weight class but is funded at the flyweight level. At the minimum, its appropriated funds should increase by 10 percent to meet its expanding missions.

Moreover, carrying out 11 statutory missions is an awesome responsibility for a small force of 43,000 active personnel and 8,000 reservists. The primary missions are coastal security, enforcement activities against traffickers, and search and rescue operations. However, commercial ship inspections, icebreaking, marine disaster response, monitoring unlawful fishing, and patrolling inland waterways, among others, are also within the USCG portfolio.

One wonders if federal port inspectors, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency could handle some of these missions. That would free up the USCG to focus on guarding 95,000 miles of coastlines and coordinating with the Marines and Navy in crisis situations. During wartime, the Coast Guard has often been interoperable under the Navy umbrella.

Currently, the Coast Guard is transitioning from its aging fleet of medium- and high-endurance cutters into the modernized fast response, offshore patrol, national security, and polar security cutters. These are equipped with Starlink communication systems and vastly improved navigation and propulsion systems for greater range. Many also will be equipped with C5ISR (command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) capabilities.

This urgent modernization project takes time but is necessary because of the hybrid warfare and military buildup occurring with our adversaries China and Russia. China has the largest coast guard cutter in the world and augments its regular fleet with armed fishing boats that form a maritime militia.

While the United States has only two heavy-duty icebreakers (Healy and Polar Star) and one for the Great Lakes (Mackinaw), Russia has dozens of icebreakers. Indeed, Russia has the largest icebreaker on Earth (Arktika), which can smash ice 13 feet thick. The United States needs a stronger presence in the Antarctic and Arctic regions as a balancing counterpoint.

The mottos for the Sea Services are Semper Paratus (Always Ready) for the Coast Guard, Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful) for the Marines, and Semper Fortis (Always Courageous) for the Navy. If we want these mottos to be more than mere slogans, then resilient personnel, effective aviation and ship platforms, and relevant rigorous training must be ramped up to deter threats, coordinate with our allies, and project peace through strength.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.