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Running Head: UNITED STATES COAST GUARD (USCG)
Homeland Security Federal Agency – United States Coast Guard (USCG)
Institutional Affiliation
Name
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD (USCG)
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The United States Coast Guard (USCG), an arm of the armed forces of the United States,
operates within the Department of Homeland Security and is charged with the mandate of
guarding and serving the interests of the United States’ maritime borders, economy, and
environment. It also actively participates in the saving of endangered lives within U.S. waters.
USCG, which is both a military service and federal law enforcement agency, works closely with
other Homeland Security components as well as other government agencies, and is legally
authorized to maintain the security of the U.S. maritime borders, promote the universal
movement of commerce, protect natural marine resources, and respond to acts of threat to United
States via her waters.
As a key member of the Homeland Security Department, the United States Coast Guard
(USCG) is charged with additional responsibilities that require it to execute its missions in
coordination/cooperation with other federal agencies. For example, the Intelligence Coordination
Center (ICC) of the USCG works closely with several agencies, such as the Department of
Defense (DOD), Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to
process issues pertaining to cargo, vessels, crews, passengers, and ports of arrival and departure.
USCG through its ICC wing also collaborates with the above-mentioned Agencies in monitoring
potentially dangerous and disastrous operations, such as the vessel movements of Liquefied
Natural Gas (LNG) and intermodal container transfers. A case in point, is the recent ship-board
capture of Javier Arellano-Felix (a leader of one of North America’s most violent and notorious
drug cartels) through the combined effort of USCG, Drugs Enforcement Administration (DEA)
and Department of Justice (DOJ). USCG also recently worked closely with Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) to help coordinate requests for assistance from states that were
potentially affected by Hurricane Matthew.
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD (USCG)
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Coast Guard Roles, Missions, Activities, and Functions
Roles
Missions
Activities and Functions
Operate a national
distress/response
communication system;
operate surface and air assets;
plan, coordinate, and conduct
Search and Rescue
search and rescue operations
for persons and property in
Maritime Safety:
Protects those on the sea.
distress.
Marine Safety
Establish standards and
conduct vessel inspections to
ensure the safety of
passengers and crew aboard
commercial vessels; partner
with states and boating safety
organizations to reduce
recreational boating accidents
and deaths. Investigate
marine casualties; license
U.S. mariners.
Conduct harbor patrols,
complete vulnerability
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD (USCG)
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assessments, enforce security
zones, approve vessel and
facility security plans and
ensure compliance, develop
Ports, Waterways, and
Coastal Security
area Maritime Security Plans,
conduct risk assessments,
assess foreign port
antiterrorism measures, and
other activities to prevent
terrorist attacks and minimize
Maritime Security:
the damage from attacks that
Protect the U.S. from threats
delivered by sea
occur.
Drug Interdiction
Deploy cutters, aircraft and
specialized forces to conduct
patrols, interdict and seize
maritime drug trafficking
vessels.
Migrant Interdiction
Deploy cutters and aircraft to
prevent, disrupt and interdict
maritime smuggling and
illegal maritime migration
into the U.S.
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD (USCG)
Defense Readiness
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Provide forces to the DoD to
perform joint military
operations worldwide.
Deploy cutters, boats, aircraft
and deployable specialized
forces in and around harbors
to protect DoD force
mobilization operations in the
U.S. and expeditionary
operations overseas.
Ice Operations
Conduct arctic and Antarctic
operations to facilitate the
movement of critical goods
and personnel in support of
scientific requirements,
national security activities
and maritime safety. Conduct
domestic icebreaking
operations to facilitate
navigation and commerce.
Conduct international ice
Maritime Stewardship:
Patrol operations.
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD (USCG)
Protect the sea itself
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Maintain the extensive
system of U.S. aids to
navigation. Monitor and
Navigation and Waterways
Management
coordinate marine traffic in
key ports and waterways
through
Vessel Traffic Services.
Regulate construction and
operation of bridges that span
navigable waters.
Prevent and respond to oil
and hazardous substance
Marine Environmental
Protection
spills. Prevent illegal
dumping in U.S. waters.
Prevent invasions by aquatic
nuisance species.
Safeguard U.S. living marine
resources and their
Living Marine Resources
environment, to include
protected species, protected
areas, and critical habitats,
from unlawful acts and
environmental degradation.
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Protect the U.S. maritime
borders, EEZ, and relevant
areas of the high seas by
Other Law Enforcement
detecting, deterring, and
interdicting foreign and
domestic vessels engaged in
illegal operations.
White Paper 2013 United States Coast Guard
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD (USCG)
Reference
Coast Guard Publication 3-28. (2014). Incident Management and Crisis Response
Thomas-Ostrom (2011) the United States Coast Guard and National Defense
Dennis-Blair (20009) Overview of the U.S. Intelligence Community for the 111th Congress
(2014). United States Coast Guard Incident Management Handbook
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