Coast Guard Grilled on Whether Force Design Is Modernization or Managed Decline

Why it matters

The House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee hauled the Coast Guard's second-highest-ranking officer before lawmakers on March 17, 2026, to answer a blunt question baked into the hearing's title: Is the service's flagship modernization effort — Force Design 2028 — actually working, or is the Coast Guard in freefall? The hearing landed one month into a partial government shutdown that has left Coast Guard members facing pay disruptions, even as the Trump administration touts a historic $25 billion investment in the service and champions military force restructuring across branches. The tension was structural: an administration simultaneously demanding more from the Coast Guard on border security while failing to resolve the DHS funding lapse that keeps its members from getting paid.

The big picture

This wasn't a one-off. The subcommittee has held multiple oversight hearings on Coast Guard readiness since the 119th Congress began, building a legislative record that already produced the bipartisan Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 4275).

Several converging crises forced the hearing:

The pattern echoes earlier GAO Marine Corps findings and congressional hearing testimony on military readiness across the armed services, where historic funding has not always translated into measurable capability gains.

What they're saying

Vice Commandant Thomas Allan, the sole witness, appeared to defend the Coast Guard's progress under Force Design 2028 while navigating pointed questions from both sides. His written testimony framed the initiative as delivering results — the service grew its workforce by over 1,100 people, exceeded recruiting goals, and created a Rapid Response Prototype team for technology adoption.

Subcommittee Chair Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS-4) has been the primary legislative champion of Force Design 2028 and the Coast Guard Authorization Act. At the bill's markup, he said the legislation "builds on the Force Design 2028 strategy, laying the foundation for a stronger, more agile maritime force."

But Democrats came loaded. Ranking Member Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) has spent months building a case that the administration itself is the readiness threat. After the Trump administration fired Commandant Linda Fagan in January 2025, Carbajal called it "an undeserved and cowardly act that will have lasting negative impacts on the workforce."

Full Committee Ranking Member Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA-2) went further, calling out DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for "purchasing luxury jets while some Coast Guard personnel miss paychecks." In a February 2025 letter to Acting Commandant Lunday, Larsen, Carbajal, and Vice Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA-42) warned that "surging Coast Guard assets and personnel to the border is putting tremendous strain on a service already stretched thin."

Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI-3) brought her own angle, having reintroduced legislation to protect Coast Guard pay during shutdowns — a bill that gained fresh urgency with the current funding lapse.

Political stakes

Admiral Allan's Thomas Allan testimony put the Coast Guard's chief operating officer in a difficult position: defend the administration's modernization vision while the service's own members face pay uncertainty. A proposed 5 percent discretionary funding increase for FY2026 remains stalled in the DHS spending fight.

The hearing also carries weight for the defense industrial base. Bollinger Shipyards, the primary OPC builder, spent roughly $250,000 lobbying on Coast Guard vessel contracts in 2025. Huntington Ingalls Industries, builder of the National Security Cutter, spent over $120,000. Sea Machines Robotics — pushing autonomous maritime systems — spent approximately $270,000.

For members representing coastal and military-heavy districts, the stakes are personal. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ-2) recently highlighted the importance of Coast Guard Training Center Cape May in his district. Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK) represents a state where Arctic Coast Guard operations are existential. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH-1) secured New Hampshire provisions in the authorization bill.

The other side

The administration points to real progress. The Coast Guard's Force Design 2028 Initial Update, released in January 2026, reported the service is "better positioned today than at any point earlier this year" to defend the southern border and respond to contingencies. The $25 billion investment is described as "already paying dividends in terms of operations, recruitment and innovation."

The administration's DOGE initiative also cut $33 million by eliminating what it called an "ineffective" Coast Guard program — a move DHS Secretary Noem praised as "another win for government" efficiency. But that efficiency push sits uneasily alongside the GAO's 26 unresolved recommendations and a 4,500-person workforce shortfall.

At the WEST Conference in February 2026, Coast Guard Vice Commandant Sean Plankey said bluntly that despite the $25 billion, the service "still needs higher annual appropriations." The headline captured the message: "Everything costs what it costs."

What's next

The subcommittee is building toward a Coast Guard authorization cycle for the 119th Congress. The Coast Guard must obligate remaining supplemental funds by January 2027, creating a hard deadline for congressional oversight.

The DHS government shutdown remains unresolved. Until it ends, Coast Guard members remain the only military branch facing potential pay disruptions — a fact Democrats will continue to weaponize.

GAO's 26 recommendations create a rolling accountability clock, with the Coast Guard expected to respond within 60 to 180 days. Follow-up hearings are likely.

The bottom line

The Coast Guard received the biggest investment in its history — and Congress still isn't convinced it's enough to prevent the "force in decline" scenario the hearing title warns about.

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