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As many of you have heard me say before Alaska has over half the coastline of the United States. The U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska has the daunting task of patrolling an area of over three and a half million square miles. Whether it is rescuing fisherman in the icy waters of the Bering Sea or flying medivac missions in the southeast the Coast Guards has played a critical role in the lives of many Alaskans. They were called Alaskan mid-wives for a while because of all the babies that they delivered. In fact the largest Coast Guard station in the United States is Station Kodiak. It is worth noting that on February 8th, just over two months before this hearing, the Coast Guard decommissioned its oldest ship, the Coast Guard Cutter Storis, which was home ported in Kodiak, Alaska. The Storis was in service over 64 years. Taking its place as the Coast Guard’s “Queen of the Fleet” will be the Cutter Acushnet. The Acushnet, home ported in Ketchikan Alaska, celebrated its 63rd birthday on February 5th. We look forward to the day that the Acushnet will be replaced by one of the state of the art national security cutters developed under the Deepwater program. I am concerned about the recent reports of cost overruns and delays with the Deepwater program. Many of the Coast Guard’s existing fleet of vessels and aircraft are nearing or have reached the end of their service lives. Modernizing the Coast Guard must remain a top priority. Admiral Allen, it is critical to get this program back on the right track.
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