U.S. Coast Guard reorganization: why merging the field units is not enough to remain Semper Paratus (always ready)

Abstract

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the U.S. Coast Guard shifted much of its effort toward Maritime Homeland Security activities. In response to this major shift in mission priorities, the Coast Guard is merging its Operational and Marine Safety field units into Sector commands. This reorganization is designed to ensure unity of effort, allow more efficient use of resources, improve training of Coast Guard members, and ensure better customer service. This thesis shows that further reorganization will be necessary at the operational and strategic levels of the Coast Guard. The organization-wide changes recommended by the author will allow the Coast Guard to align with the new Sector field commands, better align with the other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, and ensure the critical tenets of unity of command, unity of direction, and unity of accountability are realized. Research data gathered for this project included surveys, personal interviews, and a use-case. The author also conducted a detailed review of documents produced at a Coast Guard Reorganization Summit, other internal Coast Guard documents, and the published literature. Based on the results of this study, the author offers 10 recommendations for the leaders of the post-9/11 Coast Guard.