Initial operational testing early in 2014 of the Coast Guard’s high-endurance National Security Cutter (NSC) revealed 10 major deficiencies but so far none of those have been formally closed out and the ships will be operating for a few years without key capabilities, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says in a new report.
The testing done by the Navy for the Coast Guard found major deficiencies in a number of areas on the cutter, including an equipment failure on the close-in weapon system (CIWS) that resulted in a loss of capability, an inoperable decoy launcher for defending against anti-ship missiles, equipment failures on the air search radar and common operating picture display, and a misfire on the 57mm gun.
The Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOT&E) on the Coast Guard’s third NSC, the Stratton, was performed from January to April 2014 by the Navy Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force.
Despite the deficiencies on the ship, the Navy declared the NSC operationally effective and suitable. The test authority’s finding and identified deficiencies were discussed by the GAO last May in a congressional hearing more than six months before the official release of the auditor’s report (Defense Daily, May 14, 2015).
In its report on Tuesday, the GAO says the Coast Guard has resolved some of the deficiencies but hasn’t submitted any corrective action plans to the Navy test agency, adding that “Further, the Coast Guard may not correct all of the deficiencies due to the cost involved with making fleet-wide changes. As a result, the Coast Guard may move forward with cutters that are not as capable as intended.”
The deficiencies that have been resolved and are pending close out include the CIWS, decoy launcher, air search radar, and 57mm gun system.
One point of disagreement between the Coast Guard and Navy testers relates to identifying the inability of NSC’s on-board small cutter boats as not being able to operate in all of sea state 5 conditions, which the NSC routinely operates in, GAO says. The report says that the Coast Guard’s requirements for the small cutter boats are operations up to mid-sea state 5, not all of sea state 5 which is waves up to 13.1 feet. However, GAO notes that the NSC’s requirements call for the launch and recover of cutter boats through sea state 5.
The Stratton met most of the key performance parameters required by the NSC, although tests of some systems, such as operations with unmanned aircraft systems, were delayed until Follow-on Operational Test & Evaluation occurs. The FOT&E phase is slated to begin this fall.
Testing of the ship’s cyber security capabilities was also deferred until this year.
The GAO report also says that there have been performance issues discovered outside of IOT&E that are limiting NSC operations. For example, the report says the ship’s engines and generators have had “persistent problems” but the “reasons for which are not yet known.”
The report also notes that so far the Coast Guard has identified $202 million in costs to retrofit design changes to the fleet due to problems encountered during operations and outside of IOT&E. There are still costs to be borne, it says.
Huntington Ingalls Industries [HII] builds the NSCs for the Coast Guard. So far five of the planned eight ships have been delivered, two are under construction, and preparations have begun to construct the eighth vessel. Congress in the FY ’16 provided funds for a ninth NSC although no contract has been awarded yet for this ship.