Night-vision technology, which could help the U.S. Coast Guard rescue stranded boaters, nab drug smugglers and even prevent terrorists from sneaking onto American shores, is collecting dust because of a quirk in the federal bureaucracy, a lawmaker charged Tuesday.
(FOX)- Coast Guard choppers are equipped with the night-penetrating Electro-Optical Sensor System, but the equipment can’t be activated. Although the technology is used by other Pentagon branches of the Armed Forces, the Coast Guard falls under Department of Homeland Security, and its use of the equipment is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
“This laser equipment is essential for the Coast Guard to carry out its mission,” Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, told FoxNews.com.
The system converts even the faintest light into an electronic signal readable by instruments. In addition to its use by the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines, the technology is used in the commercial maritime industry for detecting the threat of approaching pirates.
The Coast Guard has it, but can’t use it, said Hunter.
Earlier this month, Hunter fired off a letter to the FDA, first reported by The Navy Times. Coast Guard spokesman Chief Warrant Officer 3 Chad Saylor said the Coast Guard is seeking authorization to use it.
“The Coast Guard intends to use the ESS technology and is in the process of ensuring that it can be done safely,” Saylor said in a statement. “The systems are administratively prohibited, and there are locks on the controls to prevent access/use.”