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* Personnel figures based on average of WHEC=154, WMEC=70, and WPB-ACTUAL (VARIOUS)

** Spending totals for entire fiscal year

COAST GUARD ATLANTIC AREA DRUG SEIZURES

SENATOR D'AMATO: How many drug seizures did the Coast Guard ake north of Florida and particularly in the New York area in .974?

ANSWER: See the following table.

FISCAL YEAR 1984 DRUG SEIZURES IN THE ATLANTIC NORTH OF
FLORIDA (31-00 degrees North Latitude) WITH U.S. COAST GUARD
INVOLVEMENT:

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FISCAL YEAR 1984 COAST GUARD DRUG SEIZURES IN NEW YORK AREA:

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*

The cargo aboard the ADINA was jettisoned at sea, 700
pounds recovered by the CG cutter.

COAST GUARD TACTICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TEAM (TACLET)

SENATOR D'AMATO: What is your experience with the TACLET

program?

ANSWER: The Coast Guard is very pleased with the performance of Tactical Law Enforcement Teams (TACLET ́s). The concept of fielding a wide mix of professional capabilities, including intelligence specialists, search experts, defensive tactics specialists, special agents and others, all under the leadership of an experienced law enforcement officer, has proven a success. They have provided a wide range of enhanced law enforcement capability, from training Navy P-3 aircrews in how to identify profile drug smuggling vessels, to deploying as boarding parties on U. S. Navy vessels, as well as providing critical law enforcement training to Coast Guard shore stations and floating units. TACLET's are the key to the effective use of Navy ships. Since their inception, TACLET's have made 18 drug seizures from Navy ships.

SENATOR D'AMATO: Does the 1986 budget request increase or decrease your budget for that program?

ANSWER: There is no change in the FY 1986 budget from our current level of effort in the TACLET program.

SENATOR D'AMATO: I have heard that we are not getting full use out of the aerostat radar balloons because we are not assigning sufficient personnel to operate them. What additional personnel should we be assigning to that to increase its productivity?

ANSWER: During the test, evaluation and early deployment of lease aerostat #1 we operated the system with a "temporary duty" on-board crew of seven Coast Guard personnel. Our experience has shown that to get full benefit of the aerostat radar and communications/data link capability an on-board crew of twelve would be required. Note that two crews are necessary for each aerostat system (due to training, leave, and crew relief requirements).

The FY 1986 budget contains 14 military billets to operate leased aerostat #2 (two 6-person crews plus 2-person general detail), and 43 military billets to operate procured aerostats #3, 4 and 5 (two 6-person crews for each aerostat plus 2-person general detail). An additional 87 military billets would be required to achieve maximum utilization and effectiveness of the five aerostat systems.

Note: General Detail are additional personnel required to provide replacements for leave, illness, training, etc.

NIGHTTIME DETECTION SYSTEMS

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SENATOR D'AMATO: How may Coast Guard units do you plan to equip with nighttime detection systems? Of that number, how many does the budget provide for? this rate, when will the entire fleet be adequately equipped?

ANSWER: Since the Coast Guard began its procurement process for hand-held Night-Vision Scopes (NVS) in September 1981, over 275 NVS ́s have been purchased. None of these are provided for in the FY

1986 budget. Only those units with a law enforcement mission have been outfitted with NVS ́s. Currently the units assigned NVS's are:

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*Note: WMEC 270' foot cutters now equipped with

permanent

Night-Vision System

COAST GUARD SPECIAL OPERATIONS

SENATOR D'AMATO: Last year, the Coast Guard participated with the Colombians in a very successful drug interdiction effort known as Operation Wagonwheel. More recently, you cooperated, and again very successfully, with the Bahamas in Operation Blue Lightening. Can you summarize the results of those programs, tell us what impact they had on your budget, and whether this budget request provides for repeating such programs in fiscal year 1986. ANSWER: Conducted during November and December 1984, Wagonwheel was the largest maritime drug enforcement effort ever, and was designed to disrupt and interdict the fall harvest of South American marijuana. Wagonwheel was part of Hat Trick, a larger operation coordinated by the National Narcotics Border Interdiction System (NNBIS) involving other U.S. law enforcement agencies. The operation was a major success. Wagonwheel forces seized 37 vessels and 169 tons of marijuana; three other vessels were forced into Mexican waters by Coast Guard cutters, where they

and their 32 tons of marijuana were seized by Mexican naval units. More importantly, as the Wagonwheel squadron deployed close to the Colombian coast, it effectively sealed off the sea lanes traditionally used by maritime smugglers and accomplished the main objective of the operation: disruption of the smugglers' normal activity during the prime shipping season. Smugglers were forced to stockpile their crop or seek alternate, less efficient and more costly methods of moving their product. Because of stockpiling, Colombian armed forces and police were able to destroy some 300 tons of marijuana in special land operations planned to capitalize on the anticipated impact of Wagonwheel. An increase in air smuggling and a rise in the street price of marijuana in some parts of the U.S. were other indicators of our success. There were reports from Colombia that maritime interdiction, in-country stockpile destruction, and the U.S. supported Colombian eradication program eliminated as much as 50% of the fall harvest. Maritime trafficking has remained uncharacteristically low thus far in 1985, apparently showing the operation's long term effects on the smuggling organizations. Finally, this operation demonstrated the success that can be gained from international cooperation on a mutual problem.

Operation Blue Lightening was a coordinated law enforcement effort between the Government of the Bahamas and the United States conducted from April 3 - 19, 1985. The operation was coordinated by the Southeast Region of the National Narcotics Border Interdiction System and involved 26 Federal, state and local agencies of both governments. The goal of the operation was three-fold: (1) to disrupt the primary maritime smuggling routes through the Bahamas, (2) to destroy cached contraband and facilities on various islands throughout the Bahamas, and (3) to intercept those smugglers approaching the Florida coast who had been "flushed out" by the pressure being applied in the Bahamas. The operation resulted in the seizure of 26 vessels, 18 tons of marijuana, 5500 pounds of cocaine, $1.5 million in assets, and the arrest of 57 people.

Special operations such as Blue Lightening and Wagonwheel are not specifically funded within the budget. They are conducted within existing resources. Drug smuggling is a dynamic business; threat assessments and strategic situations determine if such special operations are the best utilization of resources. Of course, when we conduct such special operations, we must do so at the expense of other law enforcement efforts or mission areas, and there is some post-operation recovery time for crew rest and deferred maintenance. Nevertheless, these two successful operations we've conducted in the last six months have been a most productive use of our law enforcement budget.

SENATOR D'AMATO: Can you explain to this committee the advantages of providing double or augmented crews for Coast Guard patrol boats (for example, providing 3 crews for 2 boats).

ANSWER: Augmented or multiple crewed cutters can provide up to 50 per cent more underway time per vessel over a single crewed patrol boat of the same class. The exact figure will vary with the number and qualification of maintenance and support personnel available both aboard and ashore.

SENATOR D'AMATO: Does this budget request provide for this? To what extent?

ANSWER: Yes, this budget request will continue to multiple crew the surface effect ship division in Key West, Florida, and two 95-foot patrol boats in Miami, Florida.

QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SENATOR CHILES

SENATOR CHILES: The budget process proposes 38,259 military positions and 38,220 full time equivalents in FY 1986. The Coast Guard authorization established a full time equivalent floor of 39,150. Is this shortfall the reasons for the requested bill language limiting funds for military compensation? What amount is necessary to fully fund the authorized personnel level? Why hasn't the Department addressed this funding requirement in a reprogramming request, as directed for the Senate report? ANSWER: Yes, the personnel shortfall is the reason for requesting limited funding. $773,800,000 in the Operating Expenses appropriation will fund compensation for 36,543 military full-time equivalents (FTEs) of our budget total 38,220 FTEs and is consistent with our overall appropriation levels. The remaining FTEs will be funded from our other appropriations or on a reimbursable basis by other agencies.

To reach the floor (39,150 plus 157 Public Health Service officers) would require 1,087 more FTE. An increase of $32,134,981 would be necessary to fund those additional FTE.

USER FEES

SENATOR CHILES: The budget proposes legislation to authorize a system of user fees sufficient to collect $236 million in FY 1986. Yet the so-called White House House/Senate leadership budget compromise assumes only $150 million in Coast Guard user fees. What changes will be made to the Department's legislative proposal of April 2 because of this reduction?

ANSWER: If the amount to be collected is less than the amount contained in the Department's legislative proposal, the level of cost recovery would be adjusted to reflect the change. The same services would continue to be eligible for cost recovery, and the fee schedules and collection systems would still be determined through the regulatory process.

SENATOR CHILES: Why does the estimated number of search and rescue cases increase in Fiscal Year (FY) 1986 when the proposed legislation would establish charges for non-emergency operations?

ANSWER: Boating activity is expected to increase at a rate of one to two percent per year during the next five years as a result of an improving economy and population growth. Accompanying this increase in activity will be an increase in the level of exposure and risk, and the need for the availability of search and rescue services.

The Coast Guard will maintain a full capability to receive and evaluate calls for assistance, and will continue to maintain a capability to respond to all calls for assistance, both life threatening and non life threatening. Even if commercial service is available, it will still be necessary for the Coast Guard to be able to respond to all calls for assistance and to ensure that comprehensive search and rescue services are available.

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