The call of the ocean is strong, and so is the responsibility of those who protect it. The U.S. Coast Guard’s search and rescue (SAR) mission demands the utmost dedication and unwavering bravery from its personnel, who often find themselves at the mercy of rough seas and hostile weather conditions. Now, there is a way to make this task a little less risky and a little more efficient. Enter unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and artificial intelligence (AI), two technologies with the potential to revolutionize the SAR landscape. By combining the power of UASs and AI, the Coast Guard can take a giant leap forward in its response to maritime emergencies, saving more lives and protecting U.S. waters with greater precision and speed.
Coast Guard Search and Rescue
The Coast Guard’s dedication to safeguarding lives and responding to emergencies stands unparalleled, covering millions of square nautical miles and thousands of miles of coastline. Modernizing procedures with UAS and AI would revolutionize the standard response to emergencies at sea, enhancing situational awareness and delivering real-time data to inform mission-critical decisions. As a signatory to the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, the Coast Guard is not only obligated to adhere to its provisions but also shoulders a responsibility to contribute to the development and adoption of modern approaches, including the use of UASs and AI.1 This would not only improve Coast Guard SAR capabilities but would also set an example for other organizations to follow, ensuring those in distress receive timely assistance no matter where they are in the world.
Closer to home, the Coast Guard’s approach to SAR involves deploying cutters and planes to locate and assist mariners in distress. Search areas are systematically prioritized based on the likelihood of finding survivors and the assumed severity of their condition. However, SAR assets have finite capabilities, and their deployment is based on estimated locations of mariners in distress. In some cases, these targets are unable to emit distress signals, and their location is unknown, resulting in vast and widening search areas. Though awe inspiring, tales of coincidental flyovers leading to the rescue of those stranded at sea are sadly few and far between. Situations without promising leads typically have dishearteningly low rates of success, and existing techniques cannot always cover all areas where survivors may be located.2
Traditional Coast Guard assets require considerable resources to account for fuel, maintenance, and personnel while responding. These costs limit the frequency and scope of teams and can result in delayed response times. Utilizing UAVs paired with AI in initial reconnaissance in lieu of existing assets would dramatically decrease the risk imposed on the safety and wellbeing of the search crew and while minimizing the operational costs associated with SAR.
Unmanned Aerial Systems
In 2022, a team of Coast Guard Academy students developed and tested a pilot course on Coast Guard Wargaming, simulating SAR, disaster response, fisheries management, and drug and migrant interdiction. During the simulations, it became clear that the assets used in SAR today have daunting shortcomings that UAS and AI could address. UASs offer a range of abilities that would drastically reduce limitations while flying in harsh weather conditions and in remote locations where traditional SAR assets are limited in effectiveness or altogether unsafe to use. The need for crew members to physically venture into hazardous areas is reduced with UAS flying into regions that might be inaccessible or unsafe for traditional manned assets. Given the heightened impact of increased error during nighttime and adverse weather operations, it is imperative to allocate flights, watch standing duties, and collateral responsibilities while prioritizing sufficient crew rest for these assignments.
Remotely controlled aircraft provide real-time situational awareness with advanced sensors and imaging that relay detailed information, reducing the time required to locate and rescue individuals in distress.UASs and AI could be to traditional SAR what the binoculars became to standing a basic lookout watch, seeing much farther than what was previously possible with the naked eye.
Traditional SAR and security procedures are often based on triangulation of data such as drift, wind, current, and intelligence gathering. This information can be managed effectively but the process subject to finite data and a limited number of outcomes. AI would be a copilot in SAR decision-making, vastly increasing the data available and streamlining operations typically requiring intense mental exertion and prolonged hours for crew.
AI algorithms analyze vast amounts of data collected by UAS in real-time, identifying patterns and anomalies that generate leads toward finding a specific SAR mark. This data-driven approach lightens the cognitive load on the crew, allowing them to focus on critical tasks and making more informed decisions promptly.
Specialized software ensures sensors on UASs can be equipped with AI and machine learning, making them much more easily and cost-effectively compatible than AI and machine learning with legacy fixed-wing aircraft. These systems provide real-time situational awareness, identifying hazards and analyzing crucial data, reducing the time between a distress signal and the arrival of rescue teams, and drastically improving SAR effectiveness.
Picture the moment a mariner is stranded in the vast ocean, with dwindling hope and scarce time. The Coast Guard receives a distress signal and promptly dispatches its SAR team, armed with cutting-edge equipment. The AI-powered system crunches reference data to pinpoint a search area. A UAS takes off, no crew preparation needed. The mariner’s location is identified, and the rescue team is informed of crucial environmental factors analyzed by the AI, increasing the chances of a successful outcome.
Looking Forward
UASs offer a lifeline to those in distress, but legal and regulatory challenges threaten to drown out their potential. A complex web of rules governs the use of UASs, including Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, state and local laws, and other federal guidelines. While the FAA has made strides in developing an unmanned system rulebook, its restrictions requiring operators always maintain line of sight with their aircraft and the implementation of no-fly zones have limited their range and effectiveness. To fully realize the potential of UASs, the Coast Guard must work with regulatory agencies seeking exemptions from FAA regulations that restrict certain areas while still prioritizing investment in advanced platforms, establishing airbases in strategic locations, and creating a specialized department responsible for UAS management and training.
Coast Guard operations are only as good as the people, tools, and resources at its disposal. UASs have the potential to enhance SAR capabilities, but only if the Coast Guard invests in their infrastructure.3 It will be essential for the service to establish a new department for managing UAS to ensure that the new systems are incorporated into standard operating procedure. The Coast Guard also will need to provide specialized training on how to work effectively with UAS, how to keep them up to date with the latest advancements, mastering flight practices and data assessment, and managing project infrastructure. Investing in a strong launch, creating a specialized department, and providing comprehensive training is the blueprint for revolutionizing SAR.
To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often.
These words from Sir Winston Churchill certainly apply to Coast Guard search-and-rescue methods. Adopting and mastering the use of UASs and AI will vastly improve the Coast Guard’s SAR mission success.
1. International Maritime Organization, SAR Convention: International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, 1979: As Amended by Resolution MSC. 70(69) and MSC. 155(78) (London: International Maritime Organization, 1979; Reprint, London: International Maritime Organization, 2006).
2. International Maritime Organization, SAR Convention: International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue.
3. Correspondence with three U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadets conducting capstone-level research under the name “Detecting Orange” on variations of unmanned aerial vehicles with potential to be deployed on U.S. Coast Guard cutters.
