1998 Year of the Ocean The Oceans and National Security 



COAST GUARD OPERATIONS 



Three U.S. uniformed armed services operate on the world's oceans: the Navy, the 

 Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard. Each has a different mission and unique capabiHties. The 

 Navy forward deploys heavily armed air, surface, and subsurface platforms forward to carry our 

 nation's battles overseas and check adversaries on "blue water." The Marines respond in times of 

 crisis with ship-borne amphibious expeditionary forces to carry the fight forward and ashore 

 from the sea. The Coast Guard's national security missions include national defense, maritime 

 safety, maritime law enforcement, and marine environmental protection. 



National Defense Operations 



Because of the special capabilities of their vessels and the training of their crews, Coast 

 Guard units play a critical support role and sometimes lead in enforcing UN sanctions and 

 international embargoes at sea. Although the Coast Guard recently deployed its own surface 

 assets to enforce the UN sanctions against Iraq in the Northern Arabian Gulf, it is often the case 

 that a Coast Guard boarding team operates from a Navy vessel. The Navy and Coast Guard also 

 provide for harbor defense in the event of a contingency involving maritime transport of military 

 equipment to provide the joint commanders with safe maritime transportation into and out of 

 strategic ports. 



Maritime Safety 



The Coast Guard is charged with ensuring the safe operation of commercial and private 

 vessels, safe movement of vessels in and out of ports, and salvage and recovery operations. For 

 example, the Coast Guard has responsibility for maritime search and rescue, but often relies on 

 commercial mariners and airmen, as well as the Navy, to provide vital surface and air assets to 

 assist in such operations, particularly when the operations are long range. The Coast Guard's 

 Aids to Navigation Program and Vessel Traffic Services provide for the safe and efficient 

 movement of vessels into and out of high traffic ports. 



Maritime Law Enforcement 



Interagency cooperation has been the key to the United States' increasing effectiveness in 

 the vital area of maritime law enforcement. Such efforts involve the Department of State, the 

 Department of Defense, the Justice Department, the Coast Guard, the Customs Service, the 

 Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Environmental Protection 

 Agency, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 

 as well as numerous state and local law enforcement agencies. These agencies cooperate to 

 prevent shipments of contraband by sea and preserve the living marine resources of the United 

 States. 



In addition to being an armed service, the Coast Guard is also the only federal law 

 enforcement agency with jurisdiction in both U.S. waters and on the high seas. In this arena, the 



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