U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and his colleagues in the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted to approve the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022. The legislation reauthorizes the Coast Guard for fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
Sen. Sullivan helped increase appropriation levels that will enable the Coast Guard to carry out vessel capitalization and infrastructure development, particularly in the Arctic and Alaska, and support its missions, including stopping the movement of drugs and illegal migrants, enforcing U.S. laws at sea, combatting illegal fishing, and protection of the nation’s borders. The authorization also provides support for Coast Guardsmen and their families through pay and benefits improvements.
“The Coast Guard is a huge part of my state,” according to Sen. Dan Sullivan. “I just spent time in Kodiak, Alaska, that’s the largest Coast Guard base in the country. Importantly, this bill has important provisions that move forward on the issues of the strategic importance of the arctic.”
Major authorizations of the 2022 Coast Guard Authorization Act include:
- $650 million dollars for the acquisition of a twelfth National Security Cutter.
- $650 million dollars for the continued acquisition of Offshore Patrol Cutters.
- $3.9 billion dollars over two years for shoreside infrastructure in support of Coast Guard operations and readiness.
- $841 million dollars for a third Polar Security Cutter.
- $20 million dollars to establish a program office to begin developing the program and requirements for an Arctic Security Cutter.
Sullivan added, “This bill builds upon those investments by fully funding the third polar security cutter and creating a program office to begin work on the next class of ice breakers, the Arctic Security Cutters. Alaska Rescue 21, the communication system that’s used by mariners throughout my state to communicate distress has long been plagued with issues.”
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