COMDTINST 5402.4 governs Engineering Technical Authority policy, roles, and systems-engineering support across Coast Guard DCMS directorates.
View COMDTINST 5402.4 on armypubs.army.mil
It unifies engineering-related Technical Authority delegations and establishes roles for Warranting Officers, Deputy Warranting Officers, Technical Warrant Holders, and Certification Agents. It requires qualified personnel, written appointments, technical decision documentation, Warranted Technical Area procedures, and annual assessments.
DWOs shall conduct an annual assessment, which shall include the following, at a minimum: a. A review of overall robustness and effectiveness of the technical domains. b. A summary of major initiatives in the technical domain to improve ETA execution. c. Prioritized issues, risks, and gaps with mitigation plans. d. A schedule for Technical Warrant Holder (TWH) annual qualification reviews. (paragraph 2)
The TWH is responsible for submitting to the DWO the following in support of the annual assessment: a. Specific discussion of positive and negative consequences of notable decisions and recommendations, with particular attention on lessons learned. b. An analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to their WTA. c. Improvement plans for any issues, risks, or gaps identified within their WTA. d. Current TWH qualifications. (paragraph 3)
The relevant DWO nominates, and the WO appoints the TWH. (paragraph 2)
If technical conflicts cannot be resolved at a given level they shall be elevated to the next level in the hierarchy for adjudication and resolution. (paragraph 3)
DWOs or TWHs shall document technical decisions involving the interpretation of defined standards and agreements in a memorandum. (paragraph 4)