Reporter's Notebook

The value of a pre-nup

Coast Guard Capt. Bruce Baffer, program manager for the lifesaving service’s surface acquisition programs, debuted a new phrase Monday to describe the Coast Guard’s ongoing reform of its ship-and-stuff buying: “the Deepwater divorce.”

The Coast Guard is taking back management of its portfolio of new ships and aircraft, but before it can it must resolve many thorny issues with its former life-partner, Integrated Coast Guard Systems, Baffer said.

“And as we all know with any divorce, it can be a painful process,” he said. “And it’s going to be harder the more offspring there are. And there are three offspring — [national security cutters] Bertholf, Waesche and Stratton. So a Vegas-style ‘quickie’ divorce isn’t going to be possible.”