Coast Guard Intelligence Industry Day

For the next four years, Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Paul Zukunft has set priorities around four strategies involving (1) the Western Hemisphere (2) the Arctic (3) Cyber and (4) an Energy Renaissance.  The entire Coast Guard is realigning its efforts, attention, and resources to support these areas, including Coast Guard Intelligence. 

For its part, Coast Guard Intelligence will focus on the following areas – many needing industry input: 

• Biometrics-At-Sea. They are looking at big data storage and moving biometrics data to ensure they can interface with other law enforcement and Intelligence Community databases.  They are working the policy issues now but next will address the associated equipment, training, and IT. 

• Document Media Exploitation.  Like with biometrics, Coast Guard Intelligence is seeking tools/capabilities that can be deployed on Coast Guard cutters to exploit radios, GPSs, satphones, computers, fishing buoys, etc.  They need the training that goes with developing this capability for their deployers along with the means to move the data from ship to shore.  They require big data storage and the ability to move the data between law enforcement and Intelligence Community systems.  

• Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR).  They also are seeking to establish permanent SCIFs aboard their medium cutters.  Once established and certified, they will seek to explore portable/module crypto tools/collection gear that can go aboard these ships and the means to move the collected data on/off the cutters.  Unlike the Navy, Coast Guard ships/spaces are smaller and their bandwidth is less robust.  Thus they are looking for systems and solutions that take these requirements into account.  

• ISR Afloat.  Coast Guard ISR efforts over the past decade have focused on afloat platforms.  For the first time they now are entering the phase to conduct SIGINT aloft.  To support this effort, they need modular, palletized solutions to move collection gear on/off their C-130s and C-144s.  They will need solutions that can transmit "take" from the aircraft to ships and ground stations given bandwidth limitations.  

• ISR Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination.  The Coast Guard will be operating more with DOD and Department of Homeland Security unmanned aerial vehicle platforms.  They need the tools and capability to leverage these systems including the ability to "pipe" and exploit full motion video. 

• Cyber.  The Coast Guard’s cyber strategy has three pillars:  (1) defend its own network (2) respond to cyber events in the maritime domain (their regulatory function) and (3) leverage cyber for operational decision advantage.  It is in this last pillar where the Coast Guard believes industry can be of most value for them.  Quite frankly, they are struggling to figure out how they can leverage "cyber" to assist them in their assigned operations.  Right now they are "blind" as to capabilities and platforms that they can leverage into their operational model.  They are very interested in any cyber capabilities that can be employed in an underway/airborne mode to assist the Coast Guard missions.  

• Arctic.  In this area, the Coast Guard is taking its lead from industry, understanding their off shore drilling requirements in the high latitudes.  They need the communications gear and communications solutions for their ships to effectively operate above the Arctic Circle. 

• Energy.  Industry is changing the way the nation produces and uses energy.  Oil is moving across our country in ways not used before...such as barges across the Great Lakes.  The Coast Guard needs industry's assistance with the tools to respond to an oil spill in fresh water or up in the Arctic.  They need the ability to monitor oil movement on and below the sea surface.

The Coast Guard is going on budget to "grow" its workforce to support the Commandant’s four strategy areas.  They are growing their cyber cadre, expanding their marine inspectors to respond to the energy renaissance, moving more operational assets into the Western Hemisphere, and remaining agile to respond to industry's moves in the Arctic.  Coast Guard intelligence is being focused here to support all these initiatives and its operators.

The Coast Guard Intelligence Industry Day on April 2, 2015, in the Engility Heritage Conference Center, Chantilly, VA, will explore all these areas.  The Coast Guard wants to partner with industry to help meet its operational needs.  Come learn more about where and how.

We look forward to seeing you at Coast Guard Intelligence Industry Day on April 2, 2015!