Mark Amodei To Coast Guard Admiral: Do You Expect To Get Billed By Navy For Supporting Interdiction?

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During a House Appropriations Committee hearing last week, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) asked Coast Guard Admiral, Kevin Lunday if the Navy expects reimbursement for supporting interdiction missions.

Transcript

00:00Admiral, I've got a couple areas I want to cover generally before we wrap up.

00:11And these are ones that can be, I'd like you to kind of respond to us later, not at

00:17the hearing.

00:19I don't know what the mix should be for your mission in terms of manned versus unmanned

00:24aircraft.

00:25I think one of your biggest selling points is your personnel, folks sitting behind you

00:30and you sitting there in front.

00:31I mean, there's nothing wrong with that.

00:34But as we talk about making more, making less do more, and I'm not suggesting what the answer

00:40is, but I think it's appropriate for us to have an idea of here's how that's being incorporated

00:47as we go forward, especially in this new time when we talk about reconciliation, fiscal year

00:5226, that sort of stuff.

00:54So it's one of those things that we've checked on.

00:57So I'm happy to talk with your folks offline about that.

01:06Not that it'll be a secret, but we want to know that everybody else is talking about the

01:10wonders of this and that in terms of as a force multiplier and those sorts of things.

01:15So that's one of the boxes I think we need to check.

01:21Shoreside infrastructure is always one of those things that's not sex and violence.

01:24But nonetheless, when we talk about doing the right thing in terms of cutters, in terms

01:30of regions, in terms of air operations and all that other sort of stuff, and it's not

01:35a blame thing.

01:36It's just a reality that shoreside infrastructure has not been the tip of the spear, if you will,

01:41for a long time.

01:43And that's, like I said, you've got your mission to do.

01:45You've got to take care of your people.

01:46You've got to take care of your equipment.

01:48You've got all that stuff.

01:49But nonetheless, it probably is an appropriate time to go, okay, as we sit here to jump off

01:56in terms of potentially some historic funding in terms of reconciliation, as well as going

02:06forward into the next fiscal year.

02:09That's one of the areas I think we need to be able to say in our work product when somebody

02:12goes, it's like, well, we've talked about that and here's what our understanding is.

02:17And so that there's at least been a discussion and a consideration when the inevitable discussion

02:24comes on the floor for the Homeland Bill, that we can say with some factual basis, I know

02:29that's kind of novel these days in some quarters, but some factual basis, well, we've talked about

02:34that and here's where we're at.

02:39The Indo-Pacific is, God bless you, and by the way, shout out to your folks in District 11.

02:47Who basically had the unenviable task of picking me up in Minden, Nevada, and a C-27 out of the

02:54Sacramento base and getting me down to San Diego to look at everything you're doing as well

03:00as some of the other folks down there.

03:04Absolutely impressive organization of time and whatever.

03:09So if anybody wants to go to San Diego for a break, don't have these guys do it for you

03:13because we hit the ground running.

03:16There were demonstrations in terms of Customs Border Patrol stuff on the aircraft on the

03:20way down, right off onto the boats.

03:22And listen, for a guy from a state without a coastline, that's kind of, it's a little scary,

03:29you know, when you're, but I was in good hands and hats off to that command structure and those

03:34folks all the way through the organization.

03:37But as we look at that Indo-Pacific region, and you're talking about people swimming around

03:42the fence, boats turning over and surf, people, you know, rolling them up on the beach and running,

03:48and even some folks running through the yard of your commander down there.

03:53It's a, it's, it's not a last post for retirement.

03:57I, I, I understand that.

03:59But as we talk about things a little farther offshore, obviously everybody focuses on the

04:04Customs Border Patrol mission, but we want to make sure that we've, we've spent some time on.

04:10So what's going on on the, on the mundane stuff like fishing, stuff like that, which is also

04:15part of the mission, lucky you folks.

04:17So, we need to, we need to make sure that, that, that we've kind of hit that.

04:25And then, I think the questions regarding, regarding migrant interdiction have been pretty good.

04:33The one thing I want to put on your folks' radar screen though, is one of our sayings here

04:39is, is we won't surprise you and we don't want you to surprise us.

04:43So, if, if you have an idea right now, I'd appreciate it.

04:48And, maybe I shouldn't be nervous about it, but I'm nervous about, that's great that all,

04:52that everything, all these assets are integrated with DOD and, and, and all these other agencies

04:57and blah, blah, blah.

04:58And when you talk about naval vessels, you know, in the Gulf or off the coast of San Diego,

05:03and I'm sure there's drone technology being whatever and all that.

05:06Do you expect to get billed by DOD or the individual services, Navy, Marines, you know,

05:16when, when, when you see vehicles running around, air assets, rotary wing, drone, whatever

05:21it is, do you expect to have any bills back to you from the Navy or whatever saying, hey,

05:28love supporting you, here's the bill?

05:30Thank you, Chairman.

05:33With the respect to the two Navy ships that have been supporting us, we do not expect

05:38any request for reimbursement for the Navy for those operations.

05:41That's never been part of our discussion specific to those assets that are supporting us.

05:46So, my ongoing request of you during this hearing is, as soon as the canary starts to

05:50cough in that mine and somebody goes, hey, by the way, I hope you folks are, are, are saving

05:55up because we're getting ready to send you a bill.

05:57We need to know about it soonest because based on the information we've got so far, we're

06:03not planning for any of that.

06:05And so, you know, the old saying, it works in your mission as well as anybody's, forewarned

06:10is forearmed.

06:11So, we're thinking there's no warning due at the moment.

06:14So, if any of that starts to change, comms needs to kick into, into active gear.

06:21I understand, Mr. Chairman.

06:22And I'll work with the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense to make

06:25sure we tell you if that's changed.

06:27Okay.

06:32Last thing is, and every organ, every federal organization that I'm aware of struggles with

06:36this, and, and I like what I've heard so far, but obviously you've, you've got the

06:41right concern regarding, hey, we've got to take care of our folks with all this stuff.

06:46So, the challenge will be, and as, and as the ranking member of the full committee indicated

06:51and the ranking member of this committee indicated, it's like, we've got to keep that balance

06:56in terms of how we take care of our peeps with, obviously with equipment facilities, but

07:01also with what's going on with, with recruiting, which I understand is, has ticked up a lot and

07:07that's good.

07:08But, obviously, along with all the other multitasking, I'm glad to hear that that's part of the deal

07:16where we're, we're, we're trying to keep an eye on that and, and we'll continue to.

07:22With that, I think I have missed Mr. Gonzalez.

07:26The floor is yours for, for five minutes for questions.

07:29Thank you, Chairman, for holding this hearing.

07:30And thank you, Admiral, for being here.

07:32I mean, just to piggyback off the Chairman, this is the committee that's, that wants to make

07:36the chair of the Chairman's Office.

07:36Thank you very much.

07:37Thank you very much.

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