Coast Guard at War
In addition to it's every day "peace-time" mission of law enforcement, safety, tariffs, and search and rescue, the Coast Guard supplements the United States Navy during times of war and conflict. The Coast Guard has been militarily involved in every single war the United States has fought from the Civil War to the war in Iraq.
On 11 September 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial aircraft, crashing two into the World Trade Center in New York and one into the Pentagon in Washington, DC (the fourth aircraft crashed around Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers on board attempted to regain control from the terrorists). USCG units from Activities New York were among the first military units to respond in order to provide security and render assistance to those in need. In response to the terrorist threat and to protect our nation's coastline, ports and waterways, six U.S. Navy Cyclone-class patrol coastal warships were assigned to Operation Noble Eagle on 5 November 2001. This was the first time that U.S. Navy ships were employed jointly under Coast Guard command.
US Coast Guard units deployed to Southwest Asia in support of the US-led coalition engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom early in 2003. At the height of operations, there were 1,250 Coast Guard personnel deployed, including about 500 reservists. This included two large cutters, a buoy tender, eight patrol boats, four port security units, law enforcement detachments and support staff to the Central (CENTCOM) and European (EUCOM) Command theaters of operation.
Average Day
On an average day, the Coast Guard will:
- Save 15 lives
- Assist 117 people in distress
- Conduct 90 search and rescue cases
- Protect $2.8 million in property
- Enforce 129 security zones
- Interdict and rescue 15 illegal migrants at sea
- Board 4 high interest vessels
- Board 192 vessels of law enforcement interest
- Board 122 large vessels for port safety checks
- Seize 71 pounds of marijuana and 662 pounds of cocaine with a street value of 21.1 million
- Conduct 317 vessel safety checks and teach 63 boating safety courses
- Conduct 19 commercial fishing vessel safety exams
- Respond to 11 oil and hazardous chemical spills
- Process 280 mariner licenses and documents
- Service 140 aids to navigation
- Monitor the transit of 2,557 commercial ships through U.S. ports
- Investigate 20 vessel casualties involving collisions, allisions and groundings
