Prior to the events of 11 September 2001, maritime security comprised only 2% of the Coast Guard's budget and subsequent asset allocation. The sharp new reality of potential catastrophic terrorist attack, however, caused a rapid reallocation and redesign of capabilities to counter potential maritime threats to the United States. These threats include but are not limited to attacks against vessels such as cruise ships, ferries, and commercial vessels (particularly those carrying hazardous materials), the destruction of port facilities, and attacks on nuclear power plants. The methods of potential attack could be equally multifaceted, and include small boats, swimmers, and commandeered vessels.
The Coast Guard has experienced massive organizational change in the past three years to meet these challenges, but additional changes need to—and will—occur. Most important, the development of a "law enforcement community" within the Coast Guard needs to be expanded. The foundation of this community would be accomplished primarily through the creation of a law enforcement rating and requisite "A" school specialty training. This would permit enlisted personnel to choose law enforcement as a specialty and thus retain expertise and knowledge.
This is in contrast with what occurs currently, which is law enforcement training is accomplished through boarding officer and boarding team member schools, and assignment to a boarding team is a collateral duty for other rates. The exception to this rule is assignment to tactical law enforcement teams, but follow-on law enforcement specialty tours after this assignment are not guaranteed. In addition, officers need to be permitted to establish law enforcement as a viable career path parallel to those in the aviation, afloat, urface operations, and marine safety communities. The Coast Guard is making strides in this area through the establishment of such initiatives as the law enforcement operational insignia.
Two recent actions have signaled the service's further commitment to develop the area of law enforcement. Most significant is the creation and implementation of maritime safety and security teams. These deployable units, consisting of 120 personnel and their organic weapons and boats, provide a security "force in waiting." This represents a radical shift in capabilities, as these units specialize in the law enforcement skill set. The second innovation is the centralization and shift of the boarding officer and boarding team member schools to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. This further ties Coast Guard to the law enforcement community at large.
Coast Guard reservists were a large portion of the surge personnel needed to provide facility security, augmented boat crews, increased boat patrols, security zone enforcement, and commercial vessel boardings in the wake of Operations Noble Eagle and Neptune Shield and military the loadouts in support of Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. During the height of these operations, 4,400 Coast Guard Reserve personnel were activated, representing 55% of reserve forces. Many of these personnel fulfilled security-related functions, but a significant number did not possess requisite weapon qualifications or law enforcement training on arrival. Subsequent training in many cases rectified this problem, but it took significant time and effort on the part of training and field commands.
Reservists have duties they fulfill at their parent commands; they also fill billets on the contingency personnel requirements list, which requires trained and prepared personnel for operations such as security for military loadouts at major ports. To meet these requirements, the Coast Guard must reevaluate the current use of reserve forces. A return to reserve units and their subsequent contingency personnel requirements list focus is not needed, but a significant effort is required to prepare reservists with the necessary law enforcement and weapon training before the contingency occurs-not in the midst of it.
The Coast Guard is in a time of unprecedented transition. It has transformed itself into an agency more capable of protecting the maritime domain of the United States. Work remains, however, in the areas of law enforcement, community refinement, and reserve force utilization. The Coast Guard must succeed in the mission set before it-because failure is not an option.
Lieutenant Fawcett is serving an extended active-duty contract at the Department of Transportation Crisis Management Center in Washington, D.C.