An overview of the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center´s contributions to marine technology

The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development (R&D) Center is the Coast Guard´s sole facility performing research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) in support of the Coast Guard´s major mission areas of; Environmental Protection, Maritime Law Enforcement, Protection of Life and Property at Sea and National Defense Preparedness. Since its inception in 1972, the R&D Center has been involved in a number of projects and initiatives that have significantly benefited the Coast Guard and the marine community. These projects are related to the environment, navigation, marine safety and maritime operations. In addition, the R&D Center has established strong links with other national and international research centers. The success of this work exemplifies the importance of maintaining an ongoing R&D organization, especially in these times of budget limitation when the Coast Guard must strive to improve the quality of the services provided to the mariners and to be more efficient in the delivery of these services. This paper presents an overview of the R&D Center´s work in the area of marine technology