By Mary Kerr, (202) 226-4496
At 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18, the full House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will hold an oversight hearing on failures to comply with contract requirements of the U.S. Coast Guard’s troubled Deepwater Program.
The Deepwater Program is a $24 billion, 25-year modernization initiative to upgrade the Coast Guard’s cutters, patrol boats, airplanes and helicopters. Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS), a joint venture by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp., was awarded the contract to implement the fleet replacement program in 2002.
This hearing will focus on the results of an in-depth investigation conducted by the Oversight and Investigations staff of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on the 110/123-foot patrol boat conversion undertaken as part of the Deepwater Program. The investigation assessed how the multi-million dollar extension of 110-foot patrol boats to 123-foot patrol boats left eight legacy cutters unseaworthy.
The Committee’s investigation uncovered facts previously undisclosed in other investigations and has raised serious concerns about contractor compliance with the Deepwater Program contract and about the ability of other Deepwater acquisitions to yield reliable assets.
DATE: Wednesday, April 18, 2007
TIME: 2:00 p.m.
SUBJECT: Compliance with Requirements of the Coast Guard’s Deepwater Contract
LOCATION: 2167 Rayburn HOB
WITNESSES:
• Mr. Michael De Kort, former Lockheed Martin Project Management Specialist for 123 Systems
• Mr. Robert Braden, Senior Technical Staff, Processor and Systems Design, Lockheed Martin (Systems program manager for the 270’ Legacy Cutter)
• Mr. Scott Sampson, Section Chief of the Development Section, U.S. Coast Guard Maintenance and Logistics Command Atlantic in the Vessel Specifications Branch
• Mr. James Atkinson, President and Senior Engineer, Granite Island Group (TSCM/TEMPEST Expert)
• Mr. Thomas Rodgers, Vice President Technical Operations, Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors (former program manager for the Integrated Deepwater System)
• Mr. Bruce Winterstine, Principal Project Analyst, Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors (ICGS program manager for the 123s)
• Ms. Maryanne Lavan, Vice President for Ethics and Business Conduct, Lockheed Martin
• Dr. Leo Mackay, Vice President and General Manager, Coast Guard Systems
• Mr. James E. Anton, Executive Vice President, ICGS
• Mr. T.R. Hamblin, Vice President of Government Affairs, Bollinger Shipyards
• Mr. Marc Stanley, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs, Bollinger Shipyards
• Mr. Debu Ghosh, Naval Architect, Branch Chief Coast Guard Boat Engineering Branch
• Mr. Joe Michel, Assistant Deputy for Systems Implementation, Coast Guard Nationwide Automatic Identification System Project
• LCDR Chad Jacoby, Program Manager, Scaleable Composite Vessel Prototype Program Science & Technology Directorate Department of Homeland Security
• Ms. Cathy Martindale, Contracting Office Chief, Coast Guard Engineering and Logistics Center
• Rear Admiral Gary T. Blore, Program Executive Officer, Coast Guard Integrated Deepwater System
• Vice Admiral Paul E. Sullivan, Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command, U.S. Navy
