Title 14 — Coast GuardRelease 119-73not60

§1158 Authority to Enter Into Transactions Other Than Contracts and Grants to Procure Cost-effective, Advanced Technology for Mission-critical Needs

Title 14 › Subtitle SUBTITLE I— ESTABLISHMENT, POWERS, DUTIES, AND ADMINISTRATION › Chapter 11— ACQUISITIONS › Subchapter III— PROCUREMENT › § 1158

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Commandant may use other types of agreements (not contracts, cooperative agreements, or grants) to run, test, and buy cost‑effective technology to meet Coast Guard mission needs. Those activities must follow Coast Guard policies and match operational requirements. The Commandant may not use this authority for tech that fails Coast Guard cybersecurity rules or is from an entity domiciled in the People’s Republic of China, unless it is for counter‑UAS testing or for intelligence, electronic warfare, or information warfare testing and analysis. The Commandant must train staff who handle these agreements and write any needed rules. The term counter‑UAS means what section 44801 of title 49 defines.

Full Legal Text

Title 14, §1158

Coast Guard — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Subject to subsections (b) and (c), the Commandant may enter into transactions (other than contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants) to operate, test, and acquire cost-effective technology for the purpose of meeting the mission needs of the Coast Guard.

(b)Operation, testing, and acquisition of technologies under subsection (a) shall be—

(1)carried out in accordance with Coast Guard policies and guidance; and

(2)consistent with the operational requirements of the Coast Guard.

(c)The Commandant may not enter into a transaction under subsection (a) with respect to a technology that—

(1)does not comply with the cybersecurity standards of the Coast Guard; or

(2)is sourced from an entity domiciled in the People’s Republic of China, unless the Commandant determines that the prototype or procurement of such a technology is for the purpose of—

(A)counter-UAS or surrogate testing; or

(B)intelligence, electronic warfare, and information warfare, testing, and analysis.

(d)The Commandant shall ensure that management, technical, and contracting personnel of the Coast Guard involved in the award or administration of transactions under this section are provided adequate education and training with respect to the authority under this section.

(e)The Commandant shall prescribe regulations as necessary to carry out this section.

(f)In this section, the term “counter-UAS” has the meaning given such term in section 44801 of title 49.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

14 U.S.C. § 1158

Title 14 — Coast Guard

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60