The U.S. Coast Guard is advancing a service-wide technology modernization effort that will place a mobile digital device in the hands of every active-duty member within the next two years.
The initiative, known as Digital Seabag, is part of the Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028 effort. The program is intended to pair mobile devices like tablets, smartphones, and laptops, with the applications, software, and connectivity needed to support operations afloat and ashore. The Coast Guard also plans to allow members to retain their assigned devices as they transfer between units.
“Digital Seabag is all about rapidly delivering technology to positively impact our members in the field,” said Rear Adm. Jon Hickey, assistant commandant and program executive officer for C5I and chief information officer. “Equipping our members with mobile devices and enhanced connectivity will enable them to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. Moreover, we will be able to continuously deliver capability upgrades with speed and scale by pushing them to their devices as they become available. We’re just getting started!”
Alongside the device rollout, the Coast Guard is testing improved connectivity at sea. Secure Wireless Access Network (SWAN) 5G technology is currently being evaluated aboard the national security cutter Hamilton (WMSL-753), with the goal of providing wireless internet access throughout the cutter in port and underway.
To inform the program, the Coast Guard surveyed its workforce and received 5,400 responses from active-duty members, reservists, and civilians. Respondents highlighted the need for reliable devices that function in varied operating environments and improved internet speed and access.
The first phase of the Digital Seabag pilot is now underway in the Boat Forces community. Devices have been issued to Station South Padre Island, Station San Diego, Station Annapolis, Aids to Navigation Team Long Island Sound, and the Boat Forces Operational Assessment & Readiness Support unit. Each unit will test the equipment during a two-month pilot period while Coast Guard teams gather feedback through focus groups.
Early input from the field points to potential time savings. In a focus group with ANT Long Island Sound, one participant said “[…] sometimes, it would take up to an hour to log into a computer,” adding that “a lot of things that we do on those computers now can be done on an iPad.”
Members in the pilot are testing two devices at no cost to their units. The Coast Guard will use feedback and performance data to determine which devices and configurations are adopted across the service. Future phases will focus on developing operational apps and addressing connectivity challenges at remote units, with broader rollout planned across multiple Coast Guard communities.
