Over five years ago,
the U.S. Coast Guard
was faced with a fleet
of old and rapidly
aging large cutters,
fixed and rotary winged
aircraft and old or
obsolete command and
control systems that
are crucial to police
and protect the martime
infrastructure.
To meet the challenge,
the Coast Guard took
a "systems-of-systems"
approach to procure
new or update existing
ships, aircraft, command
and control systems
while also developing
a streamlined logistics
structure to support
and maintain their
new and updated assets.
This is a departure
from traditional one-for-one
asset acquisition
programs.
The Deepwater Program
was created and awarded
as a "performance
based" contract
- creating a public/private
partnership in which
the Government identifies
mission performance,
allowing industry
to develop products
and systems to meet
those requirements.
Deepwater
acquisition priorities
include:
