The U.S. Coast Guard is receiving new cutters to help replace its aging fleet. The USCGC William Flores is the third of 58 new Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutters. The new cutter will be put into service officially on Nov. 3, according to Getty Images.
Reuters reports-- The U.S. Coast Guard is on the front lines of national security, but it struggles to complete its missions with one of the world's oldest maritime fleets and a multibillion dollar replacement program years behind schedule.
The cash-strapped service operates with frequent breakdowns and obsolete gear in what one U.S. congressman has called a "death spiral," of too few ships and too many missions.
If forced to give up some of its many jobs patrolling U.S. waters, that could mean more cocaine and illegal immigrants entering the United States, and fewer ships protecting boaters and fisheries and cleaning up oil spills, experts said. Read the full story.
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