Honor, Respect, Devotion to Duty: Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South
The U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South crew members were awarded with the Humanitarian Service Medal for their relief efforts during Hurricane Irma in 2017. Between 2017 and 2018, TACLET South Law Enforcement Detachment Teams deployed onboard three Royal Netherlands Navy vessels totaling over 170 days at sea, seized 2,056 kilograms of cocaine and successfully utilized Airborne Use of Force on three occasions to stop drug-smuggling vessels.
Eyes in the sky: one air station’s Herculean efforts to stop drug smugglers
A Panga boat suspected of smuggling led a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircrew and a cutter boat crew on a wild chase int he middle of the Caribbean Sea last October. With the Hercules aircrew serving as their eyes in the sky, the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley seized 600 kilograms of cocain that night. The crews of voluntarily deploy to Central America each year in support of Joint Interagency Task Force South find a sense of pride and departure from their normal routine.
Fijian shiprider joins Coast Guard aircrew on patrol
Almost a month after a bilateral shiprider agreement was signed by Michael Goldman, Charge d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Suva, and Fiji’s Minister of Defense Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, a Fijian navy shiprider flew with a Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point HC-130 Hercules aircrew over the Fijian Islands, Dec. 8, 2018.
The agreement, signed Nov. 12, 2018, allows Fijian officials to board United States’ assets and conduct law enforcement from them in Fiji’s territorial waters, and allows both nations to pursue common causes such as fisheries protection.
Japan Coast Guard marks 150th marine aids to navigation anniversary
The Japan Coast Guard presented commemorative stamps commissioned to mark the 150th anniversary of Japan’s first lighthouse during an official visit with the U.S. Coast Guard Nov. 16.
Coast Guard icebreaker crew completes second 2018 Arctic mission
The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy completed their second mission of their Arctic West Summer 2018 deployment Thursday, Oct. 18. Mission 1802 was a scientific mission to study stratified ocean dynamics in the Arctic (SODA) for the Office of Naval Research. Healy is one of two icebreakers in U.S. service that serves American interests in the region helping us better understand, plan and prepare for increased human activity.
How the Coast Guard supports maritime commerce and the ship-building industry
The U.S. Coast Guard works with the ship-building industry to evaluate safety and security of ships as well as ensure safety of life at sea for workers and those of the port and waterways of the U.S. With the increasing demand on maritime trade, the Coast Guard has published the Maritime Commerce Strategic Outlook that establishes three lines of effort. Check out the blog to learn more.
Communication and connectivity following Mangkhut: A Rescue 21 story
Category 5 Typhoon Mangkhut recently impacted the islands of Guam and Rota, a commonwealth of the U.S. It plunged 80 percent of Guam into darkness and all of Rota, flooded areas and destroyed aids to navigation and damaged the Rescue 21 VHF and microwave radio sites in Guam and Rota. The U.S. Coast Guard sent supplies and crews to Rota to provide aid to the community and repair and restore power to the radio sites that are used to listen for distress calls throughout the Mariana Islands. Read here to learn more about the Rescue 21 system and how this 21st century technology assists these small Pacific islands.
Former Coast Guard Cutter Sherman transferred to Sri Lankan Navy
After more than 50 years of service to the United States, the U.S. Coast Guard transferred the recently decommissioned Coast Guard Cutter Sherman to the Sri Lankan Navy. The transfer of the Sherman to Sri Lanka supports the Coast Guard’s efforts to strengthen the United States’ relationship with partner nations in the western Pacific, enhancing their maritime capabilities and governance, and supporting stability and the security of global maritime commons.
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Spotlight: Arctic Technology Evaluation 2018
The Coast Guard’s objectives in the Arctic include advancing U.S. security interests and pursuing responsible stewardship of the area. Two components of that strategy – maritime domain awareness and protection of the delicate environment – were the focus of the Coast Guard Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Program’s 2018 Arctic Technology Evaluation held in late July in Alaska. The event enables the Coast Guard to gain efficiencies by evaluating multiple technologies that have the potential to enhance future Coast Guard operations in harsh environments.
The Long Blue Line: Coast Guard small boat ops in Vietnam
During the Vietnam War, the 82-foot “Point”-Class cutters of Squadron One supported small boat reconnaissance missions. Their missions required the small boats to probe the canals and waterways of South Vietnam. These missions gathered intelligence regarding enemy weapons, troop movements, fortified positions and bunkers. Check out the blog to learn more about these dangerous operations, carried out at night and giving new meaning to the service’s old saying, “You have to go out, but you don’t have to come back.”