Summary: GAO evaluated the Coast Guard's and Navy's mobilization planning to consider whether improvements have been made in this area since an earlier report reviewed these same issues. The review focused on: (1) the need to more fully evaluate the Coast Guard's wartime roles and missions, and (2) the readiness of Coast Guard forces.
Difficulties have continuously hampered efforts to assign the Coast Guard wartime tasks to support Navy operations and to develop viable plans for carrying out the tasks. The primary problem has been the inability to realistically match the Coast Guard's assigned wartime tasks and its existing or planned capabilities. Studies of wartime tasks and missions have had little effect because the Coast Guard's wartime duties have not been adequately evaluated. GAO believes that major questions remain regarding the tasks that should be assigned to the Coast Guard in wartime and the ability of its services to effectively carry out these tasks. GAO concluded that, until the issue of assigning wartime tasks is resolved, there will be no baseline against which to make effective decisions.
