Commandant
2100 Second Street, SW
United States Coast Guard
Washington, DC 20593-0001
Staff Symbol: G-CIR
Phone: (202) 267-6951
COMDTINST 7044.1A
21 September 2000
COMMANDANT INSTRUCTION 7044.1A
Subj: RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, TEST AND EVALUATION (RDT&E)
APPROPRIATION; PROCEDURES FOR OBTAINING SERVICES AND
APPROPRIATION DEFINITION
PURPOSE. This Instruction describes the function of the Coast Guard Research and
1.
Development Program; provides an overview of the processes the R&D Program uses for
making investment decisions; outlines the procedures for accessing RDT&E services; and
describes authorized uses of the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E)
appropriation.
2.
ACTION. Area and district commanders; commanders of maintenance and logistics
commands; commanding officers of Headquarters units; and assistant commandants for
directorates shall ensure the contents of this Instruction are considered when accessing
RDT&E services.
3.
DIRECTIVES AFFECTED.
a.
The information relating to the RDT&E appropriation will be incorporated into a future
change to the Financial Resource Management Manual (FRMM), COMDTINST M7100.3
(series).
b.
Obtaining and Coordinating Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E)
Services, HQINST 5401.6, 18 SEP 90, is cancelled.
c.
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) Appropriation Definition and Use,
COMDTINST 7044.1, 10 AUG 94, is cancelled.
4.
DISCUSSION.
a.
The Commandant has declared his intent to exploit emerging technologies to move toward
the vision of Coast Guard 2020. Attaining this vision requires appropriate integration of
technology as part of the solutions that will close gaps in the performance of Coast Guard
operations and missions. The R&D Program is adapting two of the best practices that
have helped successful R&D programs maximize their return on investment. The first
uses an investment portfolio process to concentrate R&D activities on significant
performance gaps. The second, the New Product Gating Process (NPG) (enclosure [1]) is
based upon industry Best Practices and is aimed at helping both the R&D Program and the
entire Coast Guard make better decisions about the products we develop and use. These
improvements are designed to complement the Coast Guard's newly emerging planning
process and will allow us to integrate our R&D efforts within the context of an overall CG
investment strategy. The success of the NPG process depends on the involvement of all
key stakeholders throughout the product lifecycle; their participation is essential to the
timely delivery of quality products. Customers access the R&D Program through an Idea
Submission (enclosure [2]), which provides valuable information about customer needs
and requirements, and feeds ideas into the NPG process.
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