by
William McCullough
”Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.”
Steve Covey
The cuts to the U.S. Coast Guard budget proposed by the Obama Administration are nothing short of a recipe for disaster and could severely undermine the nation’s port and maritime security. The Coast Guard is our first line of defense against any threats of waterborne terrorism, and the service leads U.S. efforts to stop the flow of illegal drugs and immigrants into the country. Maritime safety, search and rescue and marine environmental protection are other critical missions performed every day by the capable men and women who serve in the Coast Guard. It is outrageous that the Administration would propose cutting personnel, equipment and assets so essential to American security and safety…. Rep. Joh Mica (R-Fl)
This budget would reduce funds for port, waterway and coastal security by more than $100 million. It would also eliminate five Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSST): specially trained anti-terrorist teams responsible for providing security at our largest ports. Included among the cuts would be the MSST station at our nation’s second largest port, the Port of New York/New Jersey.
The Administration’s proposal would also reduce the number of vessels, air facilities and aircraft available to the Coast Guard to carry out its missions. The fleet of large oceangoing cutters would be reduced by 1/3 before replacements for those vessels have been completed. In addition, five recently upgraded helicopters would be mothballed, reducing the Coast Guard’s anti-drug operations in Florida and the Caribbean and hamstringing its nationwide capability to respond to any at-sea terrorist events.
Most egregiously, the Obama budget would cut more than 1,100 Coast Guard military positions, yet it would grow an already bloated Transportation Security Administration (TSA) bureaucracy of over 60,000 by another 4,500 positions. This out of control, top heavy agency already has more than 3,000 administrative staff in its Washington, DC headquarters with average salaries over $100,000, and another 8,700 administrators and managers across the country. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-a-budget/83973-obamas-coast-guard-cuts-a-recipe-for-disaster-rep-john-mica
Once again we see a desperate move by the administration to “rob from Peter to pay Paul.” Obama’s proposed budget cut as outlined by Rep. Mica in the article above, shows a lack of concern and a flawed perception of the importance of protecting our nation’s ports and waterways. The Coast guard has a more important job of guarding our coastal borders than does the extremely flawed mission of the TSA. The men and women of the Coast Guard are our first line of threat interdiction on our coasts and waterways.; the TSA is nothing more than a job creation project gone awry.
In closing; If we want more “bang for our buck” then the Coast Guard is a better way to spend our money. The obvious solution to Obama’s delima would be to cut the TSA budget and shift the funds over to the Coast Guard budget. If you care about our coastal security you might want to let your representative in D.C. know how you feel, because Obama as usual, hasn’t a clue. Just my opinion.
National Security = sovereignty. Both have been in their crosshairs since well before the election. There’s no one interested in delving too deeply into what appears to be a huge ideological coup that is draining us of a robust pro-active defense and a wholesome reactive victory. The entire realm of the last year is nothing but a pattern and practice treason.
I will never let these people off by a nonchalant rationalization that they are mew, naieve, and busy undoing a colossal screw of the previous administration. Those are all covers for action to make this country unable to defend itself or win a war. And I believe Obama does in fact know exactly what he is doing.