Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Washington- based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said that although it was surprising the Coast Guard once again did not invest substantial funds for UASs, there are other options.
“Some of these systems are inexpensive enough to be purchased as part of operating expenses, as opposed to acquisition. Also, the Coast Guard could pursue getting some DoD [Department of Defense] systems that are no longer being used,” he said.
Looking at the budget as a whole, Clark believes the service placed enough priority on key acquisition programs to sustain today’s fleet of ships and aircraft with procurement of new platforms.
“The emphasis on ships was evident in the fact that half the procurement budget goes to ship procurement and sustainment,” he said.
The service could face issues funding the OPC and icebreaker programs in the future while completing the FRC program at the same time, with the usual acquisition dollars the service receives, he added.
“These programs may be difficult to procure in future budgets unless the Coast Guard gets more money or forgoes most other procurement during the early 2020s,” he said.