Capt. Douglas Russell, Program Manager for the
Integrated Deepwater
System, responds to questions from defense-industry representatives at
"Sea Shield 2004" Conference. Photo by Gordon I. Peterson (USCG).
A transformed Coast Guard has important implications for the Coast Guard, the nation, and U.S. naval power in the post-9/11 era. That was the message that Capt. Douglas Russell, Deepwater's program manager, told an audience of approximately 200 naval officers and industry representatives at a "Sea Shield" Conference in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 5th. The conference, organized by the Global Defense Institute, focused on "Sea Shield: Creating and Sustaining Maritime Layered Defense", a concept coined by CNO Admiral Vern Clark. .
"Since 9/11, our maritime challenges have changed," Russell said. "Today's asymmetric threats mean that our world of work in the Coast Guard also has changed in many ways." In addition to its traditional missions in search and rescue, marine safety, law enforcement, environmental protection, and fisheries enforcement, the Coast Guard's responsibilities for homeland security and homeland defense have grown exponentially since 9/11. Deepwater's additional capabilities and capacity are critical to the Coast Guard's ability to sustain mission performance into the 21st century in nearly all of these multi-missions. As Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thomas H. Collins noted recently, "Deepwater is the future of the Coast Guard."
The Coast Guard, with statutory responsibilities for both homeland security
as well as homeland defense, is the one branch of the U.S. armed forces
that straddles the seam between each mission area. For this reason, it is
imperative that its cutters, aircraft, and systems are seamlessly interoperable
with other federal agencies, the Navy, and local authorities. "C4ISR
is the backbone to do Sea Shield right," Russell said, in describing
Deepwater's system for command, control, communications, computers, intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance.
In describing the purpose and scope of Deepwater's system-of-systems recapitalization,
Russell described for the audience the status of each program in the surface,
air, C4ISR, and integrated logistics domains. He noted the important cooperation
existing between the Coast Guard and the Navy in developing compatible,
complementary platforms and system through the Deepwater Program and the
Navy's Littoral Combat Ship program in support of the National Fleet policy.
"We can--and will--work as one fleet," he said. "Passing
information through our C4 architecture is the bottom line to make it possible."
Learn more about the Coast Guard’s partnership
with DoD.
Learn more about Deepwater’s C4ISR.
View Captain Russell’s Sea Shield presentation.
Last Updated: 12-October-2004
The Integrated Deepwater System is critical to the Coast Guard's future and to America's ability to safeguard our homeland and maritime security for generations to come. Learn more about the IDS Program.
Keep up-to-date on the IDS Program by checking out our Recent Milestones and the planned phases for Deepwater assets.
A Deeper Meaning: Interview with RADM Stillman, Unmanned Vehicles, August 2004
