2010 Almanac Highlights

U.S. Coast Guard Organization and Missions

The U.S. Coast Guard is the nation’s only military service residing outside the Defense Department. A Department of Homeland Security force of 42,380 active-duty members with law enforcement and military mandates, it handles homeland defense and overseas combat assignments as well as nonsecurity missions such as boating safety, search and rescue and environmental protection. Fiscal 2009 saw the service dispersed globally. In April, the Medium Endurance Cutter Thetis participated in UNITAS exercises in the Caribbean, training with maritime agencies and navies from 11 countries. In June, the Medium Endurance Cutter Legare deployed to central and western Africa, serving as U.S. Africa Command’s and the Navy Sixth Fleet’s primary platform for an Africa Partnership Station mission, conducting maritime law enforcement operations and training exercises with countries such as Morocco, Senegal and Sierra Leone. In September, Coast Guard personnel delivered relief supplies and conducted pollution and environmental impact assessments in American Samoa following a devastating earthquake and tsunami. And throughout the year, the Coast Guard continued ongoing support of Central Command, having six patrol boats and more than 400 personnel serving in the Persian Gulf, protecting Iraqi oil platforms and structures, training Iraqi naval forces and providing security for military offloads in the region.

Closer to home, the Coast Guard prevented more than 5,000 undocumented migrants from entering the United States, seized 167 metric tons of cocaine and responded to 24,229 search-and-rescue cases, resulting in 4,044 lives saved, according to service statistics. It also conducted more than 70,000 inspections of commercial ships and boarded and held more than 12,000 environmental and safety checks on foreign vessels entering U.S. ports.

During Congressional budget hearings last spring, Adm. Thad W. Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard, said the service’s unique capabilities have expanded its workload and dictated a new urgency for equipment, skilled personnel and enhanced programs.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the Coast Guard has increased the size of its active-duty force by roughly 20 percent, largely in response to what Allen calls a return to the service’s “first mission” — homeland security. The 2001 terror attacks spawned vast changes in the Coast Guard’s priorities to protect the country’s 95,000 miles of coastline and 361 ports, including reallocating resources, altering requirements of the service’s $24 billion, 25-year Deepwater recapitalization program, increasing its budget, developing programs to address the need for wider maritime domain awareness and coastal security, and adapting its tables of organization to meet mission requirements.

At the same time, the Coast Guard is bolstering its global presence, an effort Allen said will boost security at home. In his 2009 “State of the Coast Guard” address, Allen told current Coast Guard men and women that the service must reach out to other nations and create global partnerships to promote stability and security worldwide. Such initiatives are the key to enhancing U.S. security, he said.

Regional security around the globe can be achieved by expanding cooperation with foreign governments, promoting interaction with foreign navies and coast guards and finding mutual strategies to prevent illegal activity such as piracy, smuggling and terrorism, he added.

In September 2008, the High Endurance Cutter Munro, with a Chinese fisheries officer onboard, seized two Chinese vessels operating illegal drift nets in the Pacific, the result of information obtained from Japanese and Canadian surveillance flights. According to Allen, such partnerships can help protect the global economy and promote global stability.

'“Through training missions and joint operations, we can build a host nation’s inherent maritime capabilities, create partners for global governance and ultimately prevent conflict,” Allen said in his State of the Coast Guard address. The Coast Guard is two years into an overhaul of its acquisition process and partway through the largest recapitalization in its history. According to service documents, the Acquisition Directorate, CG-9, has moved from its development phase into its “continuous improvement” phase, now able to fully address the service’s acquisition needs rather than focus on its own development. Since standing up and assuming management of Deepwater, CG-9 has commissioned the first National Security Cutter, Bertholf, christened the second, Waesche, and begun fabrication on the third, Stratton. It awarded a contract to Bollinger Shipyards Inc., Lockport, La., for up to 34 Sentinel-class 153-foot patrol boats, replacements for the obsolete 110-foot Island-class boats that currently are undergoing an overhaul because the Coast Guard needs the platforms until the Sentinel class comes online.

CG-9 also has coordinated the placement of new mission systems on three HC-130J aircraft, is outfitting the final three HC-130Js for Coast Guard use, will be accepting the ninth HC-144A Ocean Sentry patrol aircraft and is delivering 102 MH-65C helicopters (the service’s original 95 HH-65s plus seven for air operations in Washington, refitted with powerful dual engines, new avionics, recovery systems and armament) to the fleet.

In 2009, the Coast Guard adopted a new recruiting slogan, “Born Ready,” an effort to reach individuals who feel they can step up to the Coast Guard motto Semper Paratus — “Always Ready.” According to the service, the “Born Ready” campaign seeks to find citizens who have “a call to serve, the determination to make a difference and the desire to do something meaningful with their lives.” In addition to its active-duty force, the Coast Guard maintains a Reserve of 7,484 members and has a civilian work force of 7,750 personnel. The Coast Guard Auxiliary, a volunteer force of 28,000 members, conducts safety and watchdog patrols, teaches safe boating classes and conducts free vessel safety checks for the public.

According to U.S. law, the Coast Guard falls under Title 14, U.S. Code, which established the service as a part of the armed forces and a military service with law enforcement authority on the high seas and in U.S. waters. It also operates under Title 10, U.S. Code, as a military service that can provide personnel to naval vessels for law enforcement purposes and other assignments.

Legacy

The Coast Guard descended from the Revenue Cutter Service, an armed force of 10 ships established on Aug. 4, 1790, to collect tariffs, enforce import laws and prevent smuggling. It merged in 1915 with the U.S. Lifesaving Service, creating the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1939 and 1942, the U.S. Lighthouse Service and the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation, respectively, were folded in with the Coast Guard forming the framework of today’s multimission force. Under Title 14 of U.S. Code, the Coast Guard operates under the Department of the Navy when Congress directs a declaration of war or as the president directs. The Magnuson Act of 1950 solidified the Coast Guard’s responsibilities for the security of U.S. ports and harbors.

Commandant

Adm. Thad W. Allen is the Coast Guard’s 23rd commandant. He assumed command of the service on May 25, 2006. As commandant, he is overseeing the effort to recapitalize the Coast Guard’s fleet of ships and aircraft, and has spearheaded efforts to forge a new national maritime strategy with the Navy and Marine Corps as well as realign his headquarters and operational commands with those of other military branches. He is best known to those outside the military as the man who restored leadership and order to relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina struck the region in August 2005. Allen is a 1971 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy and holds a master’s degree in public administration from George Washington University, as well as a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.

Organization, Missions and Capabilities

Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington is the service’s nerve center, providing administrative support to operational units with responsibility for logistics, human resources, intelligence, acquisitions, and research and development.  The commandant is the senior official at headquarters, he is supported by a vice commandant and a chief of staff. The command staff oversees several directorates: human resources; intelligence and criminal investigation; operations; plans and policy; engineering and logistics; command, control, communications and information technology; resources; and acquisition. The Coast Guard has requested approval from Congress to align its rank structure at the headquarters level with those of the other services. Currently, the service only has one four-star flag officer, the commandant. It has requested permission for two, with plans for the vice commandant to become an admiral’s billet. The realignment would maintain the same number of three-star billets — four — but would eliminate the chief of staff and Pacific and Atlantic Area command positions in favor of a deputy commandant for mission support, a deputy commandant for operations policy, a commander for force readiness and a commander of operations.

The operational Coast Guard is divided into two major commands: Pacific Area and Atlantic Area. Pacific Area is responsible for four Coast Guard districts, from west of the Rocky Mountains to the western Pacific as well as Maintenance and Logistics Command Pacific. Atlantic Area oversees five districts, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border, as well as Maintenance and Logistics Command Atlantic.

The districts are divided into 35 sectors, responsible for all activities within their area of operations, including aviation support, maintenance and logistics, and port activities. Sector commanders report to district commanders, who, in turn, report to area commands. District commanders also work closely with first responders, local governments and area law enforcement personnel to ensure communication and cooperation on a range of subjects and emergency response plans. Some parts of the country have separate Coast Guard groups that oversee small boat forces and air stations. These units report directly to district offices. The Coast Guard also operates 24 air stations, oversees 941 shore facilities, has 247 ships, 1,850 boats smaller than 65 feet and 203 aircraft.

The service trains its enlisted personnel at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, N.J. More than 4,000 recruits graduate each year from the nearly eight-week basic training course, with instruction in physical fitness, seamanship, damage control, small arms training, line handling and more.

Coast Guard officers are trained in New London, Conn., through three programs: the Coast Guard Academy, Officer Candidate School and the Direct Commission program. The Coast Guard Academy is a four-year, tuition-free undergraduate institution of nearly 1,000 cadets that offers students bachelor’s of science degrees and provides the military education necessary to serve as ensigns in the Coast Guard.

Officer Candidate School is a 17-week program that teaches college graduates the skills and military bearing needed to serve as Coast Guard officers. The Direct Commission program is available to skilled professionals — aviators, attorneys, intelligence professionals, environmental specialists, engineers or former military officers — who want to bring their expertise to the Coast Guard and have prior experience in their fields.

The U.S. Coast Guard has 11 core missions, according to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 — five homeland security and six non-homeland security tasks — that are described below.

Homeland Security Missions

Before the 9/11 terror attacks, the Coast Guard devoted 38 percent of its operational hours to homeland and maritime security missions and 62 percent to non-homeland security missions with a focus on search and rescue and maritime mobility. Today, it spends more than 57 percent of its operational hours on homeland security missions, according to the Coast Guard. These include:

■ Ports, Waterways and Coastal Security

The Coast Guard is responsible for securing the nation’s ports and maritime borders — 361 ports and 95,000 miles of coastline and navigable waterways. It also is charged with enforcing federal laws and laws of the sea, including vessel safety regulations, inspections and oversight.

■ Drug and Migrant Interdiction

In fiscal 2009, the service captured 71,234 pounds of marijuana and 352,863 pounds of cocaine. From October 2008 to September 2009, it intercepted 3,467 migrants from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, China and several other countries.

On July 16, a Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment serving on the U.K. Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Iron Duke intercepted a small vessel off the coast of Venezuela, seizing 36 bales of cocaine worth an estimated $55 million. The largest maritime narcotics seizure on record occurred on March 21, 2007, when the Coast Guard Cutters Hamilton and Sherman intercepted the Panamanian-flagged container ship Gatun, carrying nearly 21 tons of cocaine.

■ National Defense

The Coast Guard’s role in national defense is to provide personnel for maritime intercept operations, security and port defense operations, peacekeeping and environmental protection operations.

Since 2003, the Coast Guard has had six 110-foot Island-class patrol boats and nearly 500 personnel, including port security units, operating in the Persian Gulf. In 2008, the Coast Guard High Endurance Cutter Dallas delivered humanitarian supplies, including food and hygiene items, to the Republic of Georgia during the country’s war with Russia over disputed territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Recent defense operations and exercises include Aman 2009, a training endeavor in which the Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell, in support of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, participated in air, surface and maritime security training with ships from 11 nations and representatives of 38 countries in the North Arabian Sea; and the apprehension in February of 16 suspected pirates by Coast Guard law enforcement detachments and Navy boarding team members working aboard the Navy guided-missile cruiser Vella Gulf and the guided-missile destroyer Mahan.

As part of an ongoing effort to expand interoperability with the other services and grow its capabilities as a homeland security force, the Coast Guard sent members to Navy SEAL training for the first time in 2009. Two members graduated from the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training and are continuing their qualifications training.

Non-homeland Security Missions

■ Maritime Safety

The Coast Guard’s search-and-rescue role remains its most visible mission, and during an average year the service rescues more than 5,000 people from U.S. and international waters. In 2008, the Coast Guard responded to 24,229 cases, saving 4,044 lives.

The service’s maritime safety mission also encompasses marine and boating safety and ice patrols. The service is responsible for setting rules and standards for safe boating and maritime commerce, transportation and navigation. The Coast Guard manages a marine safety program that oversees regulation and inspection of boaters and merchant vessels, including the licensing of masters and crews.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary supports the service’s marine safety program, conducting boating safety courses, holding marine examinations for recreational boaters, offering free safety inspections for civilian boat owners, reporting the condition of aids-to-navigation and supporting the inspection of commercial facilities.

■ Maritime Mobility

The Coast Guard works to ensure the safety of domestic shipping-related trade by overseeing ports and maintaining navigable waterways and harbors. Critical to marine traffic, the service’s aids-to-navigation program and vessel traffic services guide the safe movement of all vessels.

Each year, more than 8,000 foreign-flag vessels call at U.S. ports. Twenty-five percent of U.S. domestic trade is moved by water and more than 134 million passengers transit U.S. waters on ferries, cruise ships and floating casinos, according to Coast Guard statistics. There also are more than 16 million recreational watercraft in the United States.

Coast Guard officials believe that in the next 25 years, greater numbers of ultra-large, deep-draft ships and mammoth cruise ships, carrying 6,000 or more people, will be on the water. The projected increase demands continued effective control over the ship traffic.

In 2002, more than 150 countries agreed to develop a strategy for increasing the security of the maritime transportation system, and on July 1, 2004, these requirements took effect. The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code requires vessels and port facilities to conduct security assessments, develop security plans and hire security officers.

Through the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, U.S. vessels and port facilities also are required to implement security plans. Implementation of the act is overseen by the Coast Guard.

■ Marine Environmental Protection and Fisheries Enforcement

The Coast Guard protects the nation’s natural marine resources and is responsible for overseeing response to incidents of maritime pollution. It enforces fisheries and poaching laws worldwide and oversees maritime pollution cleanup both at home and abroad. As multimission platforms, Coast Guard cutters conduct fisheries patrols at the same time they are deployed for migrant and narcotics interdiction operations.

The Coast Guard maintains a 200-member national strike force trained in chemical, biological and hazardous material cleanup and investigation. Its marine safety offices maintain assets to respond to oil and hazardous material spills in waterways and they investigate such events to determine who is responsible.

Atlantic Strike Team members deployed in February to New York following the unscheduled water landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, aiding with salvage efforts and cleanup. In July, Gulf Strike Team members assisted the Environmental Protection Agency to assist with cleanup operations of mine contaminants in Ore Knob, N.C.

The Coast Guard also is charged with ensuring that the nation’s more than 100,000 commercial fishing vessels abide by U.S. regulations and it enforces national and international fishing regulations. The service anticipates that as the world’s fish stocks decline, its role in fisheries law enforcement will grow, placing more responsibility on the service as an international peacekeeper and enforcer.

■ Ice Operations

The Coast Guard provides icebreaking services to support scientific research and maritime military patrols and logistics support in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The service operates two icebreakers, the 418-foot Healy and the 399-foot Polar Sea, for summer operations in the polar regions. The 32-year-old Polar Star, sister ship to the Polar Sea, has been in caretaker status since 2006 awaiting repairs. In February, the Coast Guard announced it had awarded a $29 million contract to Seattle’s Todd Pacific Shipyards to overhaul the vessel.

In 2009, the Healy deployed in the Arctic, supporting such scientific endeavors as seabed mapping, ice thinning observations and ecosystem studies. Polar Sea also deployed in 2009 to the Arctic to support scientific research.

Historically, Polar Sea and Polar Star have been used to provide icebreaking services to resupply the scientific research center at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The National Science Foundation manages the nation’s icebreaking funds and has in recent years contracted with private icebreaking ships to conduct the work.