Original broadcast 6/15/25
Rear Admiral Rusty Dash, the U.S. Coast Guard’s Assistant Commandant for C4IT and Chief Information Officer, is steering the service through a sweeping digital transformation effort. On the latest episode of Fed Gov Today with Francis Rose, Admiral Dash lays out the vision, drivers, and expectations behind the Coast Guard’s modernization journey—and why interoperability and customer experience are now just as critical as ships and aircraft.
For the Coast Guard, digital transformation means two foundational things: first, creating a complete digital thread that connects everything from requirements through development, testing, and delivery; second, delivering capabilities with a user-centric mindset that prioritizes operators’ needs. “It’s really two key outcomes for us,” Dash explains. “Critically important for our interoperability with the Navy, and it’s where industry is going.”
Instead of relying on lengthy paper-based documents and static artifacts, the Coast Guard is embracing model-based systems engineering (MBSE) to design, simulate, and validate systems digitally. This new approach offers dramatically higher confidence in how components will function together—even when developed asynchronously—because models provide a clear blueprint for interoperability. “We’re not hoping they’ll work together. We know they will, because we’ve done the modeling,” he emphasizes.
The shift is not just a technological one. Dash highlights that digital modernization has become a “must-do,” especially in light of the Biden administration’s commitment to investing in integrated capabilities across the Coast Guard—from ships and aircraft to C5I systems. “The only way we do that is if we really model the outcomes that we want to achieve,” he explains. “Very hard to do that the old school way.”
That transformation also extends into the Coast Guard’s acquisition processes. Rather than pausing current projects to overhaul systems, the organization is gradually phasing in digital engineering at milestone points across programs. This strategy allows individual projects—whether focused on ships, aircraft, or IT systems—to adopt new methods as they evolve. “We don’t have to start once and go all the way to the end,” Dash notes. “We can really work in parallel.”
Leadership alignment has been a key enabler. Dash points to Admiral Chad Jacoby, head of Coast Guard acquisitions, who was officially designated as the service’s director of digital transformation in fall 2023. “Everything that I’m saying is in line with Admiral Jacoby’s vision,” he says, projecting confidence that the Coast Guard is on a firm course forward.
Still, Dash acknowledges that resources will determine how fast the service can move. “We will be able to go faster with more resources,” he says. “If we operate at the resources we have now, we’ll be operating at a little slower pace.” Nonetheless, he believes the Coast Guard is well positioned to accelerate as funding and support increase.
Speed also demands modernization of acquisition processes. Dash embraces the administration’s efforts to reform the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) with an emphasis on speed. “The only way we can go fast in acquisitions is if we get out of the 1980s way of managing that,” he argues. Following the Navy’s model, supported by NAVSEA and NAVWAR, reduces risk and enables confidence.
The digital transformation isn’t just inward facing—it’s about delivering better outcomes for the American maritime public. Dash makes it clear that customer experience is a strategic priority. The Coast Guard, he notes, is responsible for providing essential documentation for U.S. vessels and mariners. These are public-facing services that today rely on antiquated systems.
“We owe the maritime industry world-class IT support,” Dash says. That means ensuring vessel registration, mariner licensing, and training accreditation processes are accessible, efficient, and responsive. “We’re delivering world-class customer support to America’s maritime industry, because that’s critically important to our nation as well.”
Ultimately, Rear Admiral Dash sees the Coast Guard’s digital transformation as a journey built on strong partnerships, proven models, and a sharp focus on mission and service. Interoperability, customer experience, and digital engineering are not theoretical goals—they’re essential outcomes.