Another episode of just what we don’t want to see — more bad news about our collective inability to manage government contract work effectively.

This time our Coast Guard, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General, apparently has contracted for billions of dollars of cutters that are not seaworthy.

When will someone step forth and save us from ourselves?  How can we get a handle on this problem?  Yet, the matter deals with more than contract administration.  There are technical issues which are not being conquered.  It is not merely about the government v. non-government staff.  It’s not like someone who chooses to work for Uncle Sam loses 20 IQ points and can’t function as well as her or his counterpart on the outside.  Contractors employed on this project can’t seem to solve apparent design deficiencies, although there may even be some debate over the extent or existence of any flaws.

The Washington Post article tells this important tale.

Fred Apelquist, contributing editor

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