Washington, D.C. – The following is the opening statement of U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Ranking Member, from today’s hearing to review the U.S. Coast Guard’s search and rescue programs. Last year, the Coast Guard conducted 24,229 search and rescue cases and saved 4,044 lives.
Watch Rep. LoBiondo’s statement on YouTube.
“Of the Coast Guard’s many missions, search and rescue is the one the public most closely associates with the service. From the coverage during Hurricane Katrina to countless television programs and films, Americans regularly see images of Coast Guardsmen responding to urgent calls for help at sea, often in the most challenging of conditions. These first responders are true professionals and I commend the Coast Guard for this incredible service to the American public.
“However, while the vast majority of Coast Guard search and rescue missions are carried out with great success, the Subcommittee will be looking this morning at a few instances where the Coast Guard’s response was faulted. The underlying connection between many of these cases seems to be due to inadequate training or experience among search and rescue personnel at Coast Guard command centers and a failure of those personnel to comply with standard procedures governing search and rescue missions. While these cases are rare, they do point to the need for continued efforts to improve mission performance and capabilities.
“The Coast Guard is in the process of acquiring new tools and assets that will enhance the search and rescue mission. The Rescue 21 communications system is already in place in 17 Coast Guard sectors and is providing directional finding capabilities to command centers monitoring more than 28,000 miles of U.S. coastline. The service is also acquiring new small boats and coastal patrol boats under the Response Boat-Medium and Deepwater projects which will provide servicemen enhanced and more reliable platforms to respond to calls for help. Both of these programs have had their setbacks; however, it is of the utmost importance for these new, more capable assets to be added to the Coast Guard’s fleet as soon as possible and at the best price to the American taxpayer.
“Professional mariners and recreational boaters are aware of the potential dangers that they face each time they leave port, but they do this with the knowledge that the Coast Guard is prepared to respond to any future calls of distress.
“I want to note that Coast Guard crews are responding to the tsunami in American Samoa as we speak. While information regarding this situation is spotty at the moment, the Coast Guard, in conjunction with other federal agencies, has dispatched emergency management, law enforcement, pollution investigators, and other qualified personnel to restore basic governmental functions.
“This again demonstrates the service’s capabilities to quickly respond to emerging situations, and I want to commend them for their rapid response.”
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