By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Coast Guard in Hawai‘i will have to do some significant belt-tightening in response to a servicewide budget crisis, and long-range patrols designed to catch marine criminals will be the first to go.
The cuts will affect patrols designed to circumvent violators of fisheries laws, drug smugglers and illegal transporters of migrant workers, said Chief Petty Officer Gary Openshaw. First to get the ax: the longest-range patrols.
"We’ll have to step up our efforts on land and rely more on intelligence," said Openshaw. "It will be like depending on 911 calls instead of having a cop on every corner.’’
The Coast Guard has already reduced patrols by 10 percent. It will continue to reduce them by up to a third by this summer unless emergency appropriations are obtained.
The budget crisis was created when Congress approved pay raises for all military personnel, including the Coast Guard, but neglected to provide extra money to pay for those increases to the Coast Guard. The service has had to use money from other parts of its budget to pay its staff.
Escalating fuel costs and unforeseen emergencies, such as the $1 million response to the sinking of the Ehime Maru, have added to the problems.
High maintenance costs associated with the Coast Guard’s aging fleets of airplanes, helicopters and seagoing vessels have made it essential to set mission priorities and stick to them, Openshaw said.
"We won’t cut back on search and rescue,’’ said Openshaw, spokesman for the 14th Coast Guard District, headquartered in Honolulu. "And we won’t cut back on anything that would compromise the safety of our own people."
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