History

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The Coast Guard marked a major milestone July 13, 2007, with the establishment of a new, consolidated Acquisition Directorate (CG-9). The new organization had begun to take shape in 2006, when then-Commandant Adm. Thad Allen directed the establishment of CG-9 as one of his 10 visionary transformation initiatives for the Coast Guard.

Under the new organization, programs from the legacy Coast Guard acquisition directorate and the Integrated Deepwater System program were brought together under a single executive authority. The new directorate also brought together the Office of Procurement Management; the Office of Research, Development and Technical Management; the Research and Development Center; and the Head of Contracting Activity. Together, these offices helped to establish the foundation for a full-service acquisition and procurement management organization.

Acquisition Successes

Today, the Acquisition Directorate manages a multi-billion dollar investment portfolio to recapitalize the service's fleet of surface, aviation and C4IT assets and capabilities. Several of the service’s recapitalization programs already have provided significant value to the Coast Guard. Some of the directorate’s successes include:

  • Delivering Legend-class 418-foot national security cutters, the most technologically advanced white hull patrol cutters ever to see service with the Coast Guard.
  • Upgrading the MH-65 Dolphin short range recovery helicopter fleet with new engines, adding 40 percent more power (B to C conversion); and airborne use-of-force capabilities and other enhancements (C to D conversion).
  • Completing Mission Effectiveness Project (MEP) refurbishment and upgrades for the Reliance-class 210-foot and Famous-class 270-foot medium endurance cutters and for the Island-class 110-foot patrol boats.
  • Delivering MH-60T Jayhawk medium range recovery helicopter conversions, with upgraded avionics, airborne use-of-force capabilities and new sensor systems.
  • Delivering response boats-medium, which replaced the service’s 41-foot and nonstandard utility boats with a high-performance platform featuring greater range and speed as well as a state-of-the-market communication suite.
  • Delivering Rescue 21, the Coast Guard’s advanced command, control and communications system, which is now operational along the coasts of the contiguous United States; Hawaii; Puerto Rico; Guam; the U.S. Virgin Islands; the Northern Marianas Islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota; in parts of Alaska; and in much of the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio rivers and their major tributaries.