United States Coast Guard

I

Introduction

United States Coast Guard (USCG) branch of the armed forces of the United States. The USCG protects the public, the environment, and U.S. economic interests in the nation’s ports and waterways, along its coastlines, and in international waters. The organization consists of 36,000 active-duty men and women, 8,000 reservists, 32,000 auxiliary volunteers, and 6,300 civilian employees. In peacetime the USCG operates under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security. During times of war or by direction of the president, the USCG serves as part of the U.S. Navy and operates in any maritime region as required to protect national security.

The USCG originated in 1790, when the United States government commissioned ten boats to collect taxes from ships carrying imported goods into United States harbors. Today the organization is recognized worldwide as a leader in maritime safety, search and rescue, and law enforcement operations.

II

Duties and Strategic Role

The Coast Guard’s duties include ensuring the safety of recreational and commercial boaters in U.S. waters, protecting the country’s marine environment, and helping protect the nation’s ports and coastal areas from terrorist attack. The organization saves lives and property in peril on the water and protects critical infrastructures and resources. The USCG is also charged with keeping navigable waterways safe and unobstructed and enforcing maritime law. The Coast Guard defends U.S. citizens and friends worldwide and assumes additional responsibilities related to national defense during times of war.

A

Ensuring Maritime Safety

The Coast Guard has three main programs dedicated to protecting the safety of recreational and commercial vessels in U.S. waters. These programs are search and rescue, marine safety, and boating safety.

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The USCG Search and Rescue Program (SAR) comes to the aid of people in distress in U.S. waters. The SAR team receives more than 40,000 calls each year for assistance. Each day, the USCG saves an average of 10 lives and protects $2.8 million in property. The Coast Guard maintains small boat and air stations staffed with highly trained search and rescue personnel on the East, West, and Gulf coasts; on the Great Lakes and inland U.S. waterways; and in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico. An SAR unit boat or aircraft is required to mobilize within 30 minutes of notification of distress, and should arrive on the scene or within the search area in 90 minutes or less.

The USCG Marine Safety Program is carried out through Marine Safety Offices (MSOs) located throughout the United States. Personnel stationed at MSOs enforce regulations that ensure all vessels are structurally sound, competently operated, and outfitted with lifesaving and safety systems. These personnel conduct inspections of vessels operating in U.S. waters and track most American vessels from the shipyard to their final voyages. When accidents do occur, MSO inspectors investigate each one.

MSOs also enforce regulations designed to prevent marine pollution caused during the transfer of cargo between vessels and waterfront facilities. When a spill occurs, MSO personnel investigate the cause and oversee cleanup. They may issue warnings against offenders and impose monetary penalties to cover pollution cleanup expenses.

The USCG Office of Boating Safety seeks to reduce loss of life and property by educating recreational boaters about marine safety. The Office of Boating Safety works with the all-volunteer Coast Guard Auxiliary to offer educational programs to improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities of recreational boaters.

B

Protecting Natural Resources

The Coast Guard’s fisheries law enforcement program enforces all laws and treaties that affect the $50 billion commercial and recreational fishing industries. These include regulations that keep fish stocks viable within the Exclusive Economic Zone, an area that extends from the U.S. coastlines 200 nautical miles (370 km/230 mi) into the ocean, covering a total area of 8.8 million square km (3.4 million square mi). The USCG also patrols U.S. maritime boundaries to prevent foreign fishing vessels from illegally fishing in U.S. waters.

The USCG enforces regulations against dumping plastics, sewage, and other wastes at sea. It also monitors the shipping industry to prevent or minimize damage from inadvertent spills.

The Coast Guard works with other agencies and the maritime industry to protect endangered species. For example, the USCG protects right whales during their annual migration through busy shipping lanes in the Atlantic Ocean and enforces fishing regulations that protect endangered sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico.