iU 



from the Coast Guard. Federal scientific per- 

 sonnel for Antarctic programs are drawn 

 principally from ESSA, Navy, and the Geo- 

 logical Survey, although many other agen- 

 cies are also involved. 



Arctic programs are chiefly the responsi- 

 bility of the Coast Guard and the Depart- 

 ment of Defense. The Coast Guard supports 

 Arctic investigations and has international 

 responsibility for the Iceberg Patrol in the 

 North Atlantic; Navy submarines and sur- 

 face craft liave also conducted extensive 

 Arctic investigations. Additionally, ESSA 

 operates weatlier and geopliysical observing 

 programs, as well as extensive ocean map- 

 ping and charting activities. 



The Commission believes that the civil as- 

 pects of polar scientific research and support 

 would benefit from consolidation in a single 

 agency. To achieve the consolidation within 

 NOAA would free NSF from concern with 

 logistic matters and release the Navy from 

 the burden of supporting a civil program. 

 However, it would take time for the Coast 

 Guard to develop the logistic support capa- 

 bility now provided by the Navy in Antarc- 

 tica, and the Commission does not believe 

 that the consolidation of polar research activ- 

 ities is an immediate need of the same urgency 

 as the other elements of its recommended 

 organization plan. 



Overseeing the National Program 



The national effort to open up the marine 

 frontier requires informed and firm leader- 

 ship at the top levels of the Executive Branch 

 to accomplish the following objectives: 



• Planning — Articulate objectives and de- 

 velop plans for their orderly attainment, 

 including the delineation of responsibility 

 among the various participants 



• Advocacy — Promote action to advance the 

 national ocean program 



• Evaluation — Assess the progress of the 



Nation in meeting objectives and inform 

 the Nation thereof 



• Coordination — Coordinate policies and 

 basic procedures to assure consistent actions 

 in meeting common objectives 



• Communication — Facilitate cooperation 

 among the various marine interests, in- 

 cluding groups within the Federal Gov- 

 ernment, by ensuring effective communi- 

 cation. 



It would not be sound to place all the above 

 functions in any single organization. Some 

 may be handled best by an operating agency 

 which is directly involved in the marine pro- 

 gram and can draw on its technical staff. 

 Others need to be carried out through ad- 

 visory machinery, drawing upon broad ele- 

 ments of the marine community. Still others 

 require the broad perspective that can best be 

 provided by staff agencies within the Execu- 

 tive Office of the President. 



Operational Planning and Coordination 



A principal result of establishing a strong 

 operating agency concerned with marine ac- 

 tivities would be to permit the head of that 

 agency to assume responsibility for inter- 

 agency planning and coordination, at the di- 

 rection of the President, in areas closely 

 related to the agency's mission. There is 

 ample precedent for the heads of agencies 

 with broad operating missions to exercise 

 such a lead role within the areas of their 

 agencies' technical competence. The fields of 

 health services and reactor technology pro- 

 vide examples. In addition, the head of 

 NOAA would naturally assume responsibil- 

 ity for several existing mechanisms for inter- 

 agency coordination which relate to functions 

 proposed for consolidation into the new 

 agency. One such mechanism is the system for 

 meteorological coordination now lodged by 

 Bureau of the Budget directive with the Sec- 

 retary of Commerce but delegated to the 



