The agency’s nearly 40,000 shore infrastructure assets, including critical facilities like boat stations, piers, and operational buildings, are in “mediocre to fair” condition, according to the Coast Guard’s 2023 internal assessment. Nearly half of these assets are operating beyond their intended service life.
“Years of deferred maintenance have contributed to the backlog’s growth,” Coast Guard officials reported. Making matters worse, presidential budget requests from FY 2019 to FY 2025 have consistently fallen short of the funding levels the Coast Guard identifies as necessary for proper maintenance.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that while the Coast Guard has made some progress in implementing recommended improvements, it still lacks crucial tools for analyzing trade-offs and predicting investment outcomes that could help manage maintenance costs.
