Title 14Coast GuardRelease 119-73

§5103 Major acquisitions

Title 14 › Subtitle SUBTITLE IV— - COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATIONS AND REPORTS TO CONGRESS › Chapter CHAPTER 51— - REPORTS › § 5103

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Require the Secretary to send a report to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee when the President sends the fiscal year 2014 budget and every two years after that. The report must cover every Level 1 and Level 2 acquisition and explain the Coast Guard’s mission needs and goals, why the number and abilities of the assets being bought meet those needs, any gaps in mission hours and how they will be fixed, changes in schedules or costs (including total program cost), and why any changes still meet mission goals. The report must also describe how new assets will be added into the service (including shoreside facilities and staffing), say how budget money will be used and which assets will be bought, estimate how long legacy assets will keep working and their life‑cycle costs, show how legacy costs are tracked, and compare how new assets perform versus old ones. It must describe next year’s planned acquisition work and whether the acquisition workforce is big enough, list current and planned numbers of officers, members, and employees for positions under section 1102(c), name understaffed jobs and fixes, and say which cutters with American Bureau of Shipping certificates are not being kept “in class” and why. The report must also give a plan for the coming year and each of the next 20 fiscal years showing numbers and types of cutters and aircraft to be retired, numbers and types to be bought to replace them or fill gaps, and estimated funding each year to buy, operate, and support those assets, related C4ISR systems, and shoreside infrastructure. Level 1 acquisition — defined in section 1171. Level 2 acquisition — defined in section 1171.

Full Legal Text

Title 14, §5103

Coast Guard — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In conjunction with the transmittal by the President to Congress of the budget of the United States for fiscal year 2014 and biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report on the status of all Level 1 acquisitions or Level 2 acquisitions.
(b)Each report under subsection (a) shall include for each Level 1 acquisition or Level 2 acquisition—
(1)a statement of the Coast Guard’s mission needs and performance goals relating to such program, including a justification for any change to those needs and goals subsequent to a report previously submitted under this section;
(2)a justification explaining how the projected number and capabilities of assets acquired under such program meet applicable mission needs and performance goals;
(3)an identification of any and all mission hour gaps, accompanied by an explanation of how and when the Coast Guard will close those gaps;
(4)an identification of any changes with respect to such program, including—
(A)any changes to the timeline for the acquisition of each new asset and the phaseout of legacy assets; and
(B)any changes to—
(i)the costs of new assets or legacy assets for that fiscal year or future fiscal years; or
(ii)the total acquisition cost;
(5)a justification explaining how any change to such program fulfills the mission needs and performance goals of the Coast Guard;
(6)a description of how the Coast Guard is planning for the integration of each new asset acquired under such program into the Coast Guard, including needs related to shore-based infrastructure and human resources;
(7)an identification of how funds in the applicable fiscal year’s budget request will be allocated, including information on the purchase of specific assets;
(8)a projection of the remaining operational lifespan and life-cycle cost of each legacy asset that also identifies any anticipated resource gaps;
(9)a detailed explanation of how the costs of legacy assets are being accounted for within such program; and
(10)an annual performance comparison of new assets to legacy assets.
(c)Each report under subsection (a) shall—
(1)include information on the scope of the acquisition activities to be performed in the next fiscal year and on the adequacy of the current acquisition workforce to meet that anticipated workload;
(2)specify the number of officers, members, and employees of the Coast Guard currently and planned to be assigned to each position designated under section 1102(c); 11 See References in Text note below. and
(3)identify positions that are or will be understaffed and actions that will be taken to correct such understaffing.
(d)Each report under subsection (a) shall identify which, if any, Coast Guard cutters that have been issued a certificate of classification by the American Bureau of Shipping have not been maintained in class, with an explanation detailing the reasons why the cutters have not been maintained in class.
(e)Each report under subsection (a) shall include a plan that describes for the upcoming fiscal year, and for each of the 20 fiscal years thereafter—
(1)the numbers and types of cutters and aircraft to be decommissioned;
(2)the numbers and types of cutters and aircraft to be acquired to—
(A)replace the cutters and aircraft identified under paragraph (1); or
(B)address an identified capability gap; and
(3)the estimated level of funding in each fiscal year required to—
(A)acquire the cutters and aircraft identified under paragraph (2);
(B)operate and sustain the cutters and aircraft described in paragraph (2);
(C)acquire related command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; and
(D)acquire, construct, or renovate shoreside infrastructure.
(f)In this section:
(1)The term “Level 1 acquisition” has the meaning given such term in section 1171.
(2)The term “Level 2 acquisition” has the meaning given such term in section 1171.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 1102(c), referred to in subsec. (c)(2), was, prior to amendment of this section by Pub. L. 115–282, a reference to section 562(c) of this title, which was redesignated as section 562(b) by Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title VIII, § 899(b)(1)(B), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2333. section 562 of this title was renumbered section 1102 of this title by Pub. L. 115–282, title I, § 108(b)(2), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4208.

Amendments

2025—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 119–60, § 7112(a)(1), substituted “Level 1 acquisitions or Level 2 acquisitions” for “major acquisition programs”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 119–60, § 7112(a)(2), substituted “Level 1 acquisition or Level 2 acquisition” for “major acquisition program” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 119–60, § 7112(a)(3), amended subsec. (f) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “In this section, the term ‘major acquisition program’ means an ongoing acquisition undertaken by the Coast Guard with a life-cycle cost estimate greater than or equal to $300,000,000.” 2021—Subsec. (e)(3)(B) to (D). Pub. L. 116–283 added subpar. (B) and redesignated former subpars. (B) and (C) as (C) and (D), respectively. 2018—Pub. L. 115–282, § 122(b), renumbered section 2903 of this title as this section. Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 115–282, § 123(b)(2), substituted “section 1102(c)” for “section 562(c)”. Subsecs. (f), (g). Pub. L. 115–232 redesignated subsec. (g) as (f) and struck out former subsec. (f) which required quarterly updates on risks of programs. 2016—Pub. L. 114–120, § 101(d)(3)(A), (B), renumbered section 569a of this title as this section. Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 114–120, § 101(d)(3)(C), struck out “of this subchapter” after “section 562(c)”. Subsecs. (e) to (g). Pub. L. 114–120, § 204(e), added subsecs. (e) and (f) and redesignated former subsec. (e) as (g).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Additional SubmissionsCommandant of the Coast Guard shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives each plan required under subsection (e) of this section, see section 101(f) of Pub. L. 114–120, set out as a note under section 5110 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

14 U.S.C. § 5103

Title 14Coast Guard

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73