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• Boats acquisition funding currently is split between Operating Expense and Acquisition, Construction, and Improvement, which helps with financial flexibility as a whole but can slow the acquisition process and adversely affect planning.
• Stakeholders outside USCG acquisition had trouble finding points of contact in the current organizational structure.
• USCG boats acquisition staffing has not kept pace with workforce demands.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) depends on its fleet of more than 1,600 boats to conduct its most critical operations, which span all 11 of the USCG's statutory missions. These boats must be replaced frequently, given the harsh environments and challenging operations in which they are used. To keep up with this demand in a cost-effective way, the USCG has determined that it needs an enduring Program Management Office to manage boats acquisition efforts. The RAND Corporation's Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) was asked to conduct a 90-day study to identify best practices and lessons learned for improving boats acquisition by reviewing the current boats acquisition program and similar programs inside and outside the USCG and make recommendations for the structure, funding strategy, and processes of a future enduring boats acquisition program. We review the current boats acquisition program and similar organizations inside and outside the USCG, assess possible funding and structural strategies, and make recommendations on these topics for USCG leadership.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Current Small Boats Acquisition Work Requirements, Procedures, and Processes

• Chapter Three

  Acquisition Work Requirements, Procedures, and Processes in Other Organizations

• Chapter Four

  Comparative Assessment of Boats Acquisition Programs

• Chapter Five

  Findings and Recommendations