During the past 12 months the Coast Guard experienced substantial operational demands across its full range of missions even as it put the final touches on a modernization plan to shape the service for the challenges of the 21st century. The year also caused Coast Guard members to experience the full scale of human emotions from triumph to tragedy, success to frustration. Through it all, the Coast Guard continued to provide the best value possible as America's maritime guardian, responding to the effects of climate change, combating transnational threats, defending the nation, enforcing the law, preventing mishaps, rescuing those in distress, and minimizing the impacts to life, property and the environment when tragedy does occur.
The Arctic Challenge
The opening of the Arctic represents a rapidly emerging and especially difficult situation for the Coast Guard. As the number of cruise ships in the region increases, the need to respond to medical emergencies or, in the worst case, a cruise ship sinking becomes more of a concern. As Rear Admiral Gene Brooks, commander of the Coast Guard's 17th District in Juneau, Alaska, noted in an interview with the Fort Mill (South Carolina) Times, "I don't want a cruise ship sinking that people are making movies about 100 years later." The potential for opening the Northwest Passage offers a time-saving option to shipping that will also significantly increase maritime activity in the region. Greater activity increases the risk of an ecological disaster as tankers carrying thousands of barrels of crude oil transit narrow passages in one of the world's most fragile ecosystems, one hundreds of miles from any response capability.
The Coast Guard provides the nation's primary capability for Arctic operations and this capability has become very limited. Of the three Arctic-capable Coast Guard icebreakers, the only such vessels in the U.S. inventory, the Polar Sea (WAGB-11), commissioned in 1976, will soon reach the end of her projected service life. The Coast Guard's oldest icebreaker, the Polar Star (WAGB-10), has been in special commission status and unavailable for operations since 2006. The third and newest icebreaker, the Healy (WAGB-20), was commissioned in 1999 but does not have the same ice-breaking capabilities of the two Polar-class ships. In contrast, Russia has three diesel-powered and seven nuclear-powered icebreakers.
Despite resource limitations, the Coast Guard has initiated new operations in the Arctic. During the past year Rear Admiral Brooks directed C-130 maritime domain awareness flights over the region, deployed the high-endurance cutter Hamilton (WHEC-715) and the 225-foot buoy tender Spar (WLB-206) on an Arctic patrol, and began to evaluate the potential for establishing forward operating bases in the area. Brooks has estimated that it would take approximately five to six years to establish such a base in the northern reaches of the Arctic to support a continuous presence. Given the economic potential the Arctic offers the United States and the rest of the world, the Coast Guard's initiative in increasing its presence in the region offers significant value to U.S. taxpayers. However, fully realizing this potential will require an investment to improve the service's capability to operate effectively there.
Piracy
The rise in piracy, especially along Somalia's coast, has brought a significant U.S. response in which the Coast Guard is a key player. The U.S. National Security Council's December 2008 press release, "Countering Piracy off The Horn of Africa: Partnership & Action Plan," noted,
Maritime piracy is a universal crime under international law, which places the lives of seafarers in jeopardy and affects the shared economic interest of all nations. The United States will not tolerate a haven where pirates can act with impunity; it is therefore in our national interest to work with all states to repress piracy off the Horn of Africa.
Responding to this threat, the Coast Guard embarked a Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) on board the USS San Antonio (LPD-17), flagship of Combined Task Force 151, the Navy lead for anti-piracy operations off Somalia. This was followed by a deployment of LEDET 405 on board the USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) and then on the USS Mahan (DDG-72). LEDET 405 joined with its Navy hosts on two different piracy cases. The suspected pirates were taken to the USNS Lewis And Clark (T-AKE-1), which served as a holding platform. Along with the pirates the Navy-Coast Guard team found weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades.
Defense Operations
The Coast Guard continued its longstanding and close relationships with both the Navy and international maritime forces. The Coast Guard Cutter Dallas (WHEC-716) became the first U.S. military vessel to conduct joint law enforcement operations in western Africa when it embarked a team from Cape Verde. Dallas crew members provided hands-on training in boarding and ship intercept tactics, techniques, and procedures. In the Pacific, the Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau (WHEC-722) participated in the multi-national naval training exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training, engaging with navies and coast guards from the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand as part of the international effort against the global maritime terrorist threat. In addition, the Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell (WHEC-719) deployed with the USS Boxer (LHD-4) Expeditionary Strike Group for a six-month, around-the-world deployment.
The Coast Guard's support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom continued as Coast Guard Reservists assigned to Port Security Unit 311 deployed with the Navy's Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron One to conduct port operations in Iraq and Kuwait. In addition, Coast Guard patrol boats continued their work protecting offshore oil platforms in the Persian Gulf while Coast Guard Redeployment Assistance and Inspection Teams, consisting of active-duty and reserve members who specialize in containerizing hazardous war materials, assisted Army units preparing to return to the United States.
In addition to these joint operations, the Coast Guard and Navy signed a memorandum of understanding paving the way for Coast Guard members to undergo SEAL training. Five Coast Guard members—four officers and one enlisted—were selected from a field of 19 highly qualified applicants. The five are currently undergoing some of the most intense training in the armed forces. Those who complete the nearly two-year training pipeline will be assigned to SEAL teams for five to seven years. This relationship provides the Navy with additional capability while creating within the Coast Guard expertise and experience in planning, training, and executing special operations.
Law Enforcement
The Coast Guard had another record-setting year in 2008, stopping over 400,000 pounds of cocaine and more than 22,000 pounds of marijuana. Several of the drug busts came from joint operations with the Navy.
The newest threat in the illegal drug trade is the self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS). Speaking at the International Maritime University in Malm, Sweden, Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen noted,
These vessels are becoming more sophisticated with advanced steering, propulsion, and exhaust systems enabling them to transit hundreds of miles. They are the conveyance of choice for narcotics smugglers but their usage has broader implications. To date, they have only been suspected of smuggling cocaine, but could easily be converted to transport terrorists or weapons of mass destruction. We must understand these vessels are built solely for illicit purposes and can threaten any coastal nation.
These comments were echoed by Commander, U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Navy Admiral Jim Stavridis: "What worries me [about the SPSS] is if you can move that much cocaine, what else can you put in that semi-submersible? Can you put a weapon of mass destruction in it?"
Locating and interdicting an SPSS is difficult. According to the U.S. Southern Command Web site, "Since the vessels have a low profile—the hulls only rise about a foot above the waterline—they are hard to see from a distance and produce a small radar signature. U.S. counterdrug officials estimate that SPSSs are responsible for 32 percent of all cocaine movement in the transit zone." Despite the difficulty, Coast Guard LEDET 404, embarked on board the USS McInerney (FFG-8), stopped an SPSS carrying seven metric tons of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific on 13 September. In another joint effort, the Coast Guard Cutter Midgett (WHEC-726) was vectored by a Navy P-3 aircraft to intercept a 60-foot SPSS carrying 295 bales of cocaine approximately 400 miles south of the Mexico-Guatemala border.
The Coast Guard's partnership with the Navy in counterdrug operations also included more traditional interdictions. On 20 September, the USS De Wert (FFG-45), with LEDET 101 on board, stopped a fishing vessel, capturing seven suspected narcotics smugglers and $96 million worth of cocaine. In a similar action on 5 December Coast Guard LEDET 106, operating from the frigate USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG-60), intercepted a fishing vessel with nine smugglers on board and four metric tons of cocaine worth approximately $90 million.
Beyond counterdrug operations, the Coast Guard continued its Living Marine Resource mission, capitalizing on its partnership with other nations to enforce international laws protecting these critical resources. In September, the Coast Guard cutter Munro (WHEC-724) seized the Chinese-flagged fishing vessel Lu Rong Yu 2879 for illegal driftnet fishing about 460 miles east of Hokkaido, Japan. The vessel had seven miles of illegal driftnets, about 45 tons of squid, and 110 pounds of skipjack tuna on board and was rigged for large-scale, high-seas driftnet fishing. In October, the Munro intercepted another Chinese-flagged fishing vessel, the Zhe Pu Yu Leng 9, for driftnets fishing approximately 400 miles east of Hokkaido. The vessel had 140 tons of illegal squid and 12.4 miles of driftnet on board and was also rigged for large-scale, high-seas driftnet fishing.
These seizures were possible because the Munro had Chinese Fisheries Law Enforcement Command officers embarked who exercised flag-state authority for the boardings. The officers' presence on board the Munro was a direct result of the continuing activities of the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum (a cooperative effort of the United States, Canada, China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea) and the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Convention. These two interdictions highlight the extensive efforts of the Coast Guard in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico to preserve our fish stocks for generations to come.
Marine Safety
On the home front, the Coast Guard worked aggressively to revitalize its marine safety programs for preventing maritime accidents and mishaps. To improve its level of competency in this area, the Coast Guard has embarked on an initiative to open a series of centers of expertise. Each center will focus on a particular aspect of marine safety and become the service's focal point for developing and maintaining highly skilled Coast Guard personnel within a given specialty. The first of these, the Cruise Ship Center of Expertise, opened 30 September 2008, in Miami. Additional centers for liquefied natural gas (LNG), towboats, deep-draft tankers, and investigations are planned. The centers of expertise mark a significant investment and commitment by the Coast Guard to fix its knowledge shortfalls in marine safety.
On the compliance side of the marine safety program, the Coast Guard launched Operation Big Tow to ensure operators of towing vessels were properly licensed. The three-month operation was initiated in response to the July collision between the tanker Tintomara and barge Mel Oliver on the Mississippi River that caused an oil spill of more than 420,000 gallons. Investigation of the accident revealed the operators on the Mel Oliver were not licensed. More than 3,400 licenses were evaluated, with a 97 percent compliance rate.
Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security
Domestically, the Coast Guard continued its aggressive ports, waterways, and coastal security efforts in 2008. To enhance activities such as security patrols, vessel escorts, and boardings, the Coast Guard approved establishment of stations at Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Houston, and in September, opened a new station at Apra Harbor, Guam.
In April 2008, to better focus port-security activities, the Coast Guard initiated the first formal review of all Area Maritime Security Plans required by the Maritime Transportation Safety Act (MTSA) of 2002. Coast Guard Captains of the Port formed Area Maritime Security Committees, comprised of local stakeholders, to assess port vulnerabilities to terrorism and develop plans to reduce risk. The first sets of plans were completed in 2004. MTSA and the 2006 SAFE Port Act require these plans be reviewed and updated in the summer of 2009. The updated plans must ultimately be approved by the two Coast Guard area commanders.
The Coast Guard was the main contributor to the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Small Vessel Security Strategy, released by Secretary Michael Chertoff in April 2008. It considered four specific risk scenarios for using small vessels in terrorist-related attacks: (1) as boat bombs (such as the one used in the attack on the USS Cole [DDG-67] in 2000); (2) as conveyances for smuggling weapons (including WMD) into the United States; (3) as conveyances for smuggling terrorists into the United States; and (4) as platforms for conducting stand-off weapon attacks.
In support of the strategy, the Coast Guard spearheaded the drafting of a DHS Small Vessel Security Implementation Plan. To ensure public- and private-sector input, the service convened regional summits in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Texas. Interagency inputs came from components within DHS and the Department of Justice and from various commands within the Department of Defense. The draft Implementation Plan is undergoing flag-officer review at Coast Guard Headquarters in preparation for approval by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
The need for maritime security and response operations and the importance of the Small Vessel Security Strategy were validated by the horrific November terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, where attackers entered the city via small boats. The impact of this need on Coast Guard resources is significant given the continued growth in the volume of maritime commercial activity. This growth is exemplified by the planned expansion of LNG maritime terminals from 6 to 26, including offshore terminals and the corresponding increase in LNG shipping along the U.S. coast. This has added significantly to the Coast Guard's planning efforts and will place increasing demands on the service's limited resources to provide security for transiting and moored LNG tankers. The creation of offshore platforms will also change the types of Coast Guard vessels and number of personnel required to provide security.
To better integrate maritime security, the DHS designated the Commandant of the Coast Guard as its Executive Agent (EA) for Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). The EA coordinates and integrates DHS MDA policies, plans, and programs, and ensures effective interagency planning and execution while identifying department MDA requirements and resources. In 2008 the Commandant met weekly with the deputy secretaries of the Navy and the Maritime Administration (in their roles as EA for their respective agencies) to direct interagency MDA policy and to begin developing an interagency strategy to close MDA capability gaps.
In addition to coordinating MDA efforts, the Coast Guard continued its collaboration with other DHS agencies on a variety of security initiatives. The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office initiated the first of its three-year West Coast Maritime Preventative Radiation/Nuclear Detection pilot programs. The Office for Bombing Prevention initiated the Underwater Terrorism Preparedness Program and its associated Underwater Terrorism Preparedness Plan, which transitioned to the Coast Guard. Based on input from the Coast Guard and others, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) distributed more than $400 million in Port Security and Transit Vessel Security grant funds in 2008.
TSA, in conjunction with the Coast Guard, also began implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) to improve security in our nation's ports. All workers who require unescorted access to secure areas on regulated facilities and vessels or are licensed mariners credentialed by the Coast Guard must possess a TWIC. Obtaining one requires a security background check. To date, compliance with TWIC is effective in 15 Coast Guard Captain of the Port Zones, and more than one million workers are enrolled.
As part of its port security efforts, the 11th Coast Guard District initiated a program known as Operation Focused Lens aimed at reducing risks associated with small-vessel attacks. It identifies and prioritizes locations from which such attacks could originate (e.g., marinas, boat ramps); it then requires additional activities, such as small-vessel boardings, awareness visits (e.g., to educate boaters regarding America's Waterways Watch), and Coast Guard Field Intelligence Support Team visits. Coast Guard Headquarters is assessing the value of this initiative for possible application in other districts.
Other enhancements in maritime homeland security included:
- Development of clear policy and doctrine for Airborne Use of Force for port security. This capability, successfully used in the counterdrug mission, provides potentially critical support to high-risk escorts of vessels, response to identified threats, and the ability to project deterrence in areas not easily accessible by other means.
- Installation of the Maritime Automatic Super Track Enhanced Reporting and Comprehensive Maritime Awareness Vessel Tracking System at Coast Guard Maritime Intelligence Fusion Centers. This system will help reduce the time required to collect, fuse, and analyze data allowing for quicker collaboration and dissemination to maritime security partners.
- Implementation of the Nationwide Automatic Identification System (NAIS) and the Long Range Identification and Tracking System, two programs designed to maintain real-time positioning and identification of vessels operating in U.S. ports and offshore to 1,000 nautical miles. The Coast Guard shared NAIS preliminary satellite test data with the Department of Defense which is assisting in the feasibility evaluation.
The Coast Guard International Port Security (IPS) program seeks to improve maritime security worldwide by engaging in bilateral and multilateral discussions with other maritime trading nations. These discussions serve to exchange information and share best practices regarding implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code and other international maritime security standards. Through a complex review of available information compiled by the IPS Program, the Coast Guard makes a determination of a country's anti-terrorism measures as required by MTSA.
In 2008 the IPS Program completed its initial visits to 154 countries (begun in 2004) and completed revisits to more than 50 others. The Commandant, in consultation with the Department of State, places countries that have not implemented effective anti-terrorism measures on a publicly available Port Security Advisory or PSA. As a risk-reduction measure, conditions of entry that require vessels to take additional security measures are placed on vessels arriving in the United States from "PSA ports." Currently, 11 countries are on the PSA.
Search and Rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) remains the heart and soul of the Coast Guard. On average each year the service responds to more than 20,000 SAR cases, saves over 5,000 lives, and prevents more than $100 million in property loss. The past 12 months were no different, with the Coast Guard conducting rescue operations during flooding in the Northwest, rescuing several hundred fishermen stranded on an ice floe in western Lake Erie, and saving more than 65 people in the face of Hurricane Ike.
Not to be outdone by its active-duty partners, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the all-volunteer civilian member of the Coast Guard family, continued to provide outstanding performance in SAR. The value of the auxiliary's contributions was highlighted when three auxiliarists from Alaska—Ray Miller, Shane Taylor, and Rich Liebe—along with Canadian Auxiliarist Mike Cupit, were awarded silver lifesaving medals on 25 September 2008 for rescuing 11 passengers and two crewmembers from the 36-foot charter boat Halibut Endeavor. The boat was taking on water off of Seldovia, Alaska, in April 2007 when the four auxiliarists diverted from a training exercise and rushed to the aid of the stricken vessel, arriving just in time to remove the passengers before the craft rolled over; the vessel's captain and crewman had to be recovered from the water.
On 22 October 2008, the Coast Guard responded to a distress signal from the fishing vessel Katami, which was foundering in 17-foot seas and 50-knot winds 100 miles west of Adak, Alaska, in the Aleutian Islands. A Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter from Air Station Kodiak rescued four survivors from the 93-foot fishing vessel. The rescue initiated when the Coast Guard received a signal from the Katami's 406 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. Of the 11 crew members on board, four were rescued from a life raft. Sadly, five deceased crewmembers were located by the Coast Guard and a Good Samaritan vessel, and two remain missing. The service convened a Marine Board of Investigation to hear testimony to determine the reason for the sinking.
The Coast Guard also suffered a couple of SAR-related setbacks. In January 2009, the fishing vessel Patriot, out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, sank and the two crewmen on board perished. The only indication that something was amiss came from a wireless fire alarm alert monitored by a private security company. This was unusual since alerts typically originate from a maritime electronic distress beacon or a radio distress call. In the aftermath family members and friends of the victims complained that the Coast Guard response was too slow. As a result, the service has initiated an assessment to determine what it could have done better to speed the response.
On 4 September 2008, the inherent dangers of the Coast Guard's operations were brought home when an HH-65C Dolphin helicopter crashed during hoist training with a 47-foot motor lifeboat off Hawaii. Three of the four crewmembers were recovered by the Honolulu Fire Department and transferred to a second Dolphin helicopter for transport to the hospital; all three perished. The fourth crewmember's body has never been recovered. The accident was the service's first fatal accident in the Hawaiian Islands since 1982.
Humanitarian Relief
In addition to its domestic life-saving operations, the Coast Guard continued its longstanding role in providing international humanitarian relief. Probably the most visible event was Operation Assured Delivery, with the cutter Dallas and the USS McFaul (DDG-74) delivering humanitarian assistance to the Republic of Georgia during that country's conflict with Russia. The Dallas, under the command of Captain Robert Wagner, delivered more than 34 short tons of humanitarian supplies to the Georgian city of Batumi. According to Wagner, "Dallas' deployment not only epitomized the Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower, but it showcased the global contribution of the U.S. Coast Guard to safeguarding our maritime, and by extension, our economic security."
The Coast Guard also received extensive publicity as the cutter Legare (WMEC-912) delivered humanitarian aid supplies to Gonaives, Haiti, following the devastation left on the western hemisphere's poorest nation by Tropical Storm Hanna. The crew, working with the World Food Program, delivered 35 tons of supplies, including water, food, and tarps used to construct temporary shelter.
Noted Vice Admiral Robert Papp, Commander of the Coast Guard's Atlantic Area Command, "The Coast Guard's reputation for humanitarian operations is well known throughout the world. The ability of the Legare to seamlessly move from counter drug enforcement, to migrant interception, to humanitarian operations is a testament to the versatility of our cutters and highlights our commitment to those in need."
Deepwater
The Coast Guard's Acquisitions Directorate strung together a series of successes over the past 12 months. The most visible milestone was the commissioning of the first 418-foot National Security Cutter (NSC), the USCGC Bertholf (WMSL-750), on Coast Guard Day (4 August, the service's 218th anniversary) at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, California. Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, was the principal speaker. The second NSC, the Waesche (WMSL-751), was christened 28 July. The third, the Stratton (WMSL-752), is scheduled for delivery in 2011.
The eight planned NSCs are designed to replace the Coast Guard's dozen 40-plus-year-old 378-foot, high endurance cutters. The replacement of these aging cutters is long overdue and may not be soon enough as two of the 378s, the Dallas and the Gallitan (WHEC-721), have been at least temporarily pulled from operations because of deteriorated material and mechanical conditions.
The National Security Cutters were not the only new vessels to come on line in the last year. In April 2008 the service's 45-foot Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) made its debut at Coast Guard Station Little Creek, Virginia. The Coast Guard plans to acquire 180 of these boats, built by the Marinette Marine Corporation, to fill a gap in the service's current small boat capability. The RB-M can operate out to 50 miles offshore, is faster, and has better sea-keeping than its smaller cousin, the Response Boat-Small. Primary missions for the RB-M include: search and rescue; ports, waterways, and coastal security; defense readiness; and marine environmental protection.
Modernization
The maritime domain is a complex and dynamic operating environment and challenges created by this environment will only increase in the 21st century. These challenges will require the Coast Guard to restructure itself to be even more agile, adaptable, flexible, and streamlined than it has in the past.
The service is seeking to flatten and streamline operations and decision-making while improving force readiness and support, thereby enhancing its ability to rapidly adjust to changing mission demands. In addition to these more tangible changes, Coast Guard leadership is working to build a complementary change in the service's culture through multiple lines of formal and informal communication.
In the past year, the modernization process moved forward within the mission support functional area. On 15 January 2009, the Coast Guard realigned the reporting chains for the Atlantic and Pacific Maintenance and Logistics Commands from the Area Commanders to the Coast Guard Chief of Staff. The Chief of Staff will become the Deputy Commandant for Mission Support (DCMS) on Congressional authorization.
Two weeks later the Commandant announced,
the Surface Forces Logistic Center and the Asset Product Office were established in Baltimore, Maryland. The SFLC will provide the surface fleet with depot level support services. Organized along product lines, including patrol boats, small boats, MECs, HECs/NSCs, ATON vessels, etc., the SFLC will unify support for our surface forces under a single organization just as the Aviation Logistics Center has done for our aviation assets since its stand-up on 30 October 2008.
In February 2009 Admiral Allen announced the Shore Infrastructure Logistics Center (SILC) and the C4IT Service Center were operational. The SILC, located in Norfolk, Virginia, will consolidate support provided by Facility Design and Construction Centers, Civil Engineering Units, and MLCs. The SILC will provide all depot and intermediate level support for our shore facilities. "These centers will bring to life the vision of a unified mission support organization to provide 24-hour customer service, one-stop technical support and assistance for all maintenance, logistics, and supply matters that go beyond the expertise of the unit," the Commandant said.
In addition to DCMS, future Coast Guard modernization efforts pending Congressional authorization will establish three other functional elements: the Deputy Commandant for Operations (DCO), Operations Command (OPCOM), and Coast Guard Force Readiness Command (FORCECOM). DCO will focus on developing operational policy, strategic guidance, and obtaining necessary funding to support the service's near and long-term needs. OPCOM will have operational control over all Coast Guard operations worldwide. FORCECOM will have responsibility for the readiness and training of all Coast Guard forces including the development of doctrine, tactics, techniques, and procedures. These changes will flatten and streamline operational decision making while permitting greater focus on readiness and long-term planning.
Despite very modest budget growth and an aging fleet that is slowly being modernized, the Coast Guard continues to improve its performance year after year. The service has always prided itself on providing maximum value to the nation as America's maritime guardian. Conducting worldwide defense operations, building international relationships, providing humanitarian relief at home and abroad, saving thousands of lives and tens of millions of dollars in property, seizing billions of dollars worth of illegal drugs, protecting marine resources, preventing maritime mishaps, providing maritime security, and preserving maritime trade worth more than $1 trillion to the United States—all by a service with just more than 50,000 active-duty, reserve, and civilian personnel and a total annual budget of about $8.7 billion. Not a bad return on investment for American taxpayers.