Project History
The following provides a high-level history and timeline of the Rescue 21 program.
- 1970s - National Distress System (legacy system) is installed to receive and respond to VHF distress calls.
- May 1994 - the Mission Analysis Report is completed. This document states the needed requirements and
capability gaps of the legacy coastal communications system.
- July 1995 - the Mission Need Statement is approved. The approval of this document provides formal
acknowledgement that a materiel solution is required to address the capability gaps.
- July 1995 - the acquisition project is chartered as the National Distress and Response System Modernization
Program (NDRSMP).
- December 1997 - Morning Dew accident. Validated the need for a new VHF-FM system for the Coast
Guard.
- August 2000 - Phase I contract awards to SAIC, Lockheed Martin, and Motorola.
- January 2001 - General Dynamics buys Motorola.
- November 2001 - Phase I contractors demonstrate that designs meet critical functions.
- September 2002 - General Dynamics awarded Phase II contract.
- September 2002 - NDRSMP name changed to Rescue 21.
- March 2003 - work started at Group Eastern Shore, MD.
- August 2005 - Project Resident Office stood up in Scottsdale, Arizona.
- September 2005 - the Disaster Recovery System is deployed to Louisiana in response to Hurricane Katrina.
- November 2005 - first rescue attributed to Rescue 21 from Group Eastern Shore.
- December 2005 - Coast Guard officially accepts the Rescue 21 system at Atlantic City, New Jersey and Eastern
Shore, Virginia.
- May 2006: Sector Mobile accepts Rescue 21 system.
- June 2006: Sector St. Petersburg accepts Rescue 21 system.
- July 2006: Sector St. Petersburg starts using Rescue 21 and quickly identifies several calls as hoaxes based
on lines of bearing emanating from inland areas.
- December 2006: Sector Seattle and Group Air Station Port Angeles accept Rescue 21 system.
- December 2006: Rescue 21 helps locate source of a Mayday call in waters off the west coast of Fla. Rescue 21
locates mariners 13 miles from the location they reported when their boat capsized.
- August 2007: Coast Guard commissions Project Resident Office Alaska in Juneau to begin design and
implementation of Rescue 21 capabilities in that State.
- September 2007: Sector Delaware Bay accepts Rescue 21 system.
- October 2007: Sector Long Island Sound accepts Rescue 21 system.
- November 2007: Sector New York accepts Rescue 21 system.
- January 2008: Sector Jacksonville accepts Rescue 21 system.
- February 2008: Sector Hampton Roads accepts Rescue 21 system.
- March 2008: Sector Miami accepts Rescue 21 system.
- April 2008: Group/Air Station Astoria, OR accepts Rescue 21 system
- May 2008: Sector Baltimore accepts Rescue 21 system
- June 2008: Group/Air Station North Bend accepts Rescue 21 system
- July 2008: Sector Portland accepts Rescue 21 system
- August 2008: Sector New Orleans (Phase II) accepts Rescue 21 system.
The Rescue 21 system is standing the watch and answering the call of duty across 20,537 miles of the nation's coastline.