Deepwater information technology at risk, says IG.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs

While the Coast Guard's ongoing problems with its new fleet of ships and aircraft have been well documented, the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general warned that the service's information technology backbone may also be headed for rough seas.

Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, known in the business as C4ISR, is a key part of the Coast Guard's Integrated Deepwater program, a 20-year effort to modernize its ships and aircraft. The program has run into problems with the fast response cutter, the Eagle Eye unmanned aerial vehicle and upgrades to the already existing HH-65 series of search-and-rescue helicopters.

The Coast Guard's failure to properly oversee the work of contractor, Integrated Coast Guard Systems, has received much of the blame.

When and if these components are fully deployed, inner-connectivity--an envisioned system of systems--is intended to be one of the program's strengths.

The Coast Guard's "limited influence over contractor decisions toward meeting Deepwater IT requirements and a lack of discipline ... provide little assurance that the requirements remain up-to-date or are effective in meeting program goals," said the inspector general's annual performance...