For two years now, Allen has been seeking congressional authorization to codify the organizational changes he believes are necessary to carry his modernization initiatives forward after his departure next spring. Besides creating the acquisition organization, Allen is restructuring the stovepiped Pacific and Atlantic Area commands into a single operations command responsible for executing all missions, and a single force readiness command responsible for standardizing doctrine and training. A deputy commandant for operations will be aligning operational plans with the Coast Guard's policy and resources. - Peter Stinson