Law Enforcement Detachments News

Day after day, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to conduct its 11 statutory missions with its limited resources. It is challenged to Invest in long-term operational capacity while continuing to carry out its daily missions. “We’re a small service, but as always, we do punch above our weight class,” said Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft during the 2015 Surface Navy Association symposium in Arlington, Virginia. While the Coast Guard may have drifted off course with its ambitious and holistic Deepwater recapitalization effort…

The U.S. Coast Guard awarded a fixed‐price incentive firm target contract valued at approximately $487.1 million to Huntington Ingalls Industries for the production of the sixth National Security Cutter (NSC). NSC 6 will be built at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. Two NSCs are currently in production. The Coast Guard awarded the production contract for NSC 4 in November 2010 and production of that vessel is approximately 39% complete to date. The Coast Guard awarded production for NSC 5 in September 2011. NSC 5 is approximately 16% complete to date.

1942- The Coast Guard-manned transport USS Hunter Liggett rescued the survivors of the heavy cruisers USS Vincennes, Astoria, and Quincy and the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra that had been sunk the preceding night by Imperial Japanese Navy warships during the Battle of Savo Island. The night battle, also known as the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, was one of the worst defeats ever suffered by the U.S. Navy. 1950- Congress enacted Public Law 679, which charged the Coast Guard with the function of port security. 1982- Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger approved the use of Coast Guard law enforcement detachments on board Navy vessels during peace-time. The teams conducted law enforcement boardings from Navy vessels for the first time in history.

The U.S. Coast Guard issued a maritime security directive May 11 in response to the rise in piracy in the waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa and in light of recent pirate attacks on U.S. flagged vessels. Maritime Security Directive 104-6 (rev. 2) issued by the Coast Guard under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2004 provides the maritime industry with specific, risk-based measures to take to deter, detect or disrupt piracy. Prior to entering high risk waters, U.S. flagged vessels should establish an anti-piracy plan that includes the hardening of rigging and operating vessels in a manner to prevent attacks and subsequent boarding.

Admiral Robert Natter, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and Vice Adm. Thad Allen, Commander of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, jointly announced the assignment of four Cyclone-Class Navy Patrol Coastal (PC) ships in support of the nation’s homeland security Operation Noble Eagle. Two additional PCs will be assigned to the Pacific Coast. For the first time, U.S. Navy ships will be employed jointly with the U.S. Coast Guard to help protect our nation’s coastline, ports and waterways from terrorist attack. “The Atlantic Fleet is working closely with the Coast Guard to ensure the security of our Gulf and east coast ports,” said Admiral Natter. “These ships will be used for coastal patrol and interdiction efforts with the Coast Guard.

A new Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST 91110) was commissioned on Oct. Vice Adm. James Hull, Coast Guard Atlantic Area Commander, presided as the official for the ceremony. Craig P. Coy, Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Port Authority, was the guest speaker. MSSTs are domestic mobile units that possess specialized training and capabilities to perform a broad spectrum of port safety and security operations. They are modeled after the Coast Guard's Port Security Units (PSUs) and Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs). They will be staffed with Coast Guard men and women, ready to respond or deploy, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MSST 91110 is the ninth Coast Guard anti-terrorism/force protection to be established.

By Journalist Seaman Apprentice S.C. USS Duluth (LPD 6) was presented with the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation during an awards ceremony on the ship's flight deck February 27. The award, comparable to the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, is granted to a unit of the Coast Guard for valorous or meritorious achievement, or for service by another branch of the military in support of Coast Guard operations. Duluth and her crew were awarded the honor for supporting Coast Guard Port Security Units (PSU) during Operation Iraqi Freedom from March to May 2003.

U.S. Coast Guard Damage Controlman Third Class Nathan B. Bruckenthal, 24, from Smithtown, N.Y., died from injuries sustained when a small boat exploded as he and six other coalition sailors attempted to board it near the Iraqi Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal Saturday. Injured was Boatswains Mate Third Class Joseph T. Ruggiero, 23, from Revere, Mass., who is recovering in a hospital in Kuwait. The two men were assigned to Law Enforcement Detachment 403 from Tactical Law Enforcement Team South in Miami, Fla., and were deployed to Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia at the time of the incident. Two Coast Guardsmen and five Navy sailors aboard a rigid hull inflatable boat were preparing to board a dhow that had approached the terminal when the explosion occurred. Two U.S.

The Joint Harbor Operation Center (JHOC) — pronounced "Jay - Hawk" —v on Naval Station Norfolk is the pinnacle of cooperation between the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy; jointly devised, outfitted, staffed and maintained to protect what is arguably one of the most diverse, sensitive and valuable series of waterfront installations in the nation. The JHOC established on Naval Station Norfolk in wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks is serving as a sort of prototype for the rest of the nation, with a similar JHOC under development in San Diego. It is unique as, for the first time it brings together the Navy and the Coast Guard in a joint operation to ensure port security, specifically monitoring military and civilian vessels entering and exiting the lower part of the Chesapeake Bay.

The first U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) will be based in Seattle and commissioned on July 3, 2002, at the Integrated Support Command, located at Pier 36, Seattle, Wash. Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Thomas H. Collins; Pacific Area Commander, Vice Adm. Terry M. Cross; and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) will be attending the commissioning. Sen. Murray, who was instrumental in bringing an MSST to the Puget Sound, will be the keynote speaker. MSSTs are domestic mobile units that possess specialized training and capabilities to perform a broad spectrum of port safety and security operations. They are modeled after the Coast Guard’s Port Security Units (PSUs) and Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs).

The second of four Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSST) to be commissioned this summer has started specialized training in Camp Lejeune, N.C. Coast Guard MSST 91102 completed its first week of training in Yorktown, Va., last week before moving to a Coast Guard training detachment in Camp Lejeune. The domestic, mobile MSST, modeled after Coast Guard Port Security Units and Law Enforcement Detachments, will be established regionally in Hampton Roads to respond to terrorist threats or incidents in ports and waterways throughout the country. The MSST will deploy in support of national special events such as OpSail, Olympics or storm recovery operations and protect military load-outs…

The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard signed a Memorandum of Agreement recently that will transfer the custody and operational control of four 169-foot Cyclone-class coastal patrol ships to the Coast Guard on or about Oct. 1. A fifth will be transferred at a later date. Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the attacks at the Balsarah and Khawr, Iraq, oil terminals, the mission of the Cyclone-class patrol boats was re-evaluated. It was determined that they are invaluable to homeland defense, as well as to overseas port security.

Coast Guard Pacific Area will commission a new Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST 91109) Tuesday at 1p.m. at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot here at 3800 Chosin Avenue. Vice Adm. Harvey Johnson, Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area, will be the presiding official for the ceremony, and Congresswoman Susan Davis is scheduled to attend. MSSTs are a quick response force capable of rapid, nationwide deployment via air, ground or sea transportation in response to changing threat conditions and evolving Maritime Homeland Security mission requirements. They are modeled after the Coast Guard's Port Security Unit's and Law Enforcement Detachments. Created in direct response to the terrorist attacks Sept.

The Coast Guard’s newest weapon against terrorism will be commissioned in a formal ceremony 9:30 a.m. Friday at Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown, Va. Representative Jo Ann Davis (R-VA) will be the guest speaker for the commissioning ceremony. Atlantic Area Commander Vice Adm. James Hull will be the presiding official. Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) 91102, the second of six Coast Guard anti-terrorism/force protection teams to be established as a direct result of the Sept. 11 attacks, will be commissioned after completing an intensive four-week initial training course at Camp Lejeune, N.C., which culminated in a 36-hour exercise in the port of Wilmington, N.C., last month.

Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta presented 18 Transportation 9-11 Medals to government security officials and commission the Coast Guard’s newest anti-terror team at the Coast Guard base on Terminal Island, 2 p.m. Sunday, September 8. The new medal is awarded to employees of the Department of Transportation and private citizens for meritorious service resulting from the unique and outstanding achievement in response to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The commissioning ceremony for Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) 91103 is a military ceremony that marks the operational status of the unit. The MSST is a specialized fast-response unit created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

Commemoration of the Sept. We pause at this time to recognize the sacrifice of the victims of the Sept. 11th attacks. Our deepest sympathy goes out to their families, loved ones, and to the survivors. We appreciate the public’s support, understanding and assistance as the Coast Guard works to keep the nation’s ports and waterways safe and secure. We have made changes, refocused our efforts, and developed new tools and policies, but we already had many of the skills, authorities, systems and response plans and brave, dedicated men and women to immediately raise the level of security to protect the American people. As America’s premier multi-mission, military, maritime agency, Homeland Security and Search and Rescue are, and have been, our top priorities.

Maritime Safety and Security Team Houston-Galveston (MSST 91104), the U.S. Coast Guard’s newest weapon against terrorism, was commissioned in a formal ceremony Tuesday at 2 p.m., at the Galveston Cruise Ship Terminal in Galveston, Texas. Vice Adm. James Hull, U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Commander, will be the presiding official and guest speaker for the ceremony. MSSTs are domestic mobile units that possess specialized training and capabilities to perform a broad spectrum of port safety and security operations. They will deploy in response to: terrorist threats or incidents; in support of national special events such as the Olympics, or storm recovery operations; protect military load-outs; enforce security zones during transit of high interest vessels, cruise ships and some U.S.

Coast Guard Pacific Area is set to commission a new port security unit (PSU 312). Vice Adm. Harvey Johnson, commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area, will be the presiding official for the ceremony in which Cdr. Donald G. Huenefeld will assume responsibility for PSU 312. PSUs provide a force of six active duty and 140 reserve members who possess specialized skills, capabilities and expertise to perform a broad range of port security and harbor defense missions. They are the model on which Coast Guard law enforcement detachments and maritime safety and security teams are based. PSUs are capable of augmenting Coast Guard or Department of Defense forces during major marine events or law enforcement operations focused primarily in ports, harbors, internal waterways and coastal regions.

Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) 91104, one of the Coast Guard’s units that specialize in waterborne security, deployed today to Memphis, Tenn. MSST 91104, from Houston-Galveston, is in the Memphis area to train local Coast Guard men and women, active and reserve, in law enforcement and security measures as well as conduct safety and security patrols of ports and waterways. Boaters and mariners can expect to see more Coast Guard boats on the water and should be prepared to show picture identification and may be questioned about their activity. Boaters should listen to their marine radios for up-to-date security or safety zone information.

The Coast Guard Cutter Wrangell and USS Firebolt, with embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 406, escorted the first commercially transported humanitarian aid shipment into the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr on friday. The Motor Vessel Manar, owned by Manar Marine Services of the United Arab Emirates, delivered almost 700 tons of humanitarian aid including food, water, first aid and transport vehicles. This aid shipment was supplied and coordinated by the UAE Red Crescent Society. This is the fourth aid shipment to arrive in Umm Qasr since the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The first three shipments were transported on British and Spanish naval vessels.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge will welcome back Coast Guard Patrol Forces Mediterranean in a ceremony at Nauticus in Norfolk on June 11 at 3 p.m. The crews of the Coast Guard Cutter Dallas and four 110-ft. patrol boats, two Coast Guard law enforcement detachments, and 45 support and Port Security personnel will be greeted by Secretary Ridge, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thomas Collins, and Atlantic Area Commander Vice Adm. James Hull. Dallas, homeported in Charleston, S.C., deployed Feb. 8 to work with the Navy’s 6th Fleet in the Strait of Gibraltar. In the months leading up to the war with Iraq, the 378-foot high-endurance cutter helped protect U.S. shipping there from terrorist threats.

Coast Guard cutter Wrangell, homeported in Portland, Me., along with a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Honolulu, escorted the first waterborne humanitarian aid shipment into the port of Umm Qasr, Iraq, while members of Coast Guard Port Security Unit 311, from San Pedro, Calif., assisted other coalition forces protecting the harbor. The shipment, consisting of vital aid donated by numerous countries, will be offloaded from the British ship RFA Sir Galahad and distributed to the Iraqi people. Iraqi Freedom, including force protection and port security," said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Carter, a Coast Guard spokesman in Bahrain. harbor defense command unit.

Members of Coast Guard Port Security Units 311 and 313 relieved U.S. Marines earlier today of responsibility for security on two gas and oil platforms in the Northern Persian Gulf. The Marines had held both platforms after U.S. Navy SEALS took them from the Iraqi regime. Members of PSU 311, from San Pedro, Calif., and PSU 313, from Tacoma, Wash., are among the approximately 650 Coast Guard men and women participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Persian Gulf. In addition to the PSUs, Coast Guardsmen are serving in four 110-foot patrol boats, a 378-foot high-endurance cutter, a 225-foot buoy tender, two law enforcement detachments, elements of the National Strike Force and a harbor defense command unit.