Port Security Units News

On a journey that would take more than five weeks, six 32-foot transportable security boats (TPSBs), two pick-up trucks, six boat trailers, and 15 five-ton storage containers traveled more than 5,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean from Everett, Washington to Pohang, South Korea. Coast Guard Port Security Units 311, 312 and 313 mobilized 80 tons of gear and more than 100 personnel to participate in one of the largest, international military exercises on the Korean peninsula, Combined Joint Logistics Over the Shore Exercise (CJLOTS). CJLOTS is an annual exercise comprised of more than 1,200 U.S.

With air temperatures hovering around freezing every night, steaming hot showers were a welcomed luxury for more than 1,200 deployed Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force personnel at Camp Baldwin, especially once the camp was transformed into a giant mud pit after steady rain showers drenched the clay grounds during the day. Camp Baldwin, a large-scale, temporary military camp built in the middle of a Korean Marine base in Pohang, South Korea, housed the participants of the Combined Joint Logistics Over the Shore Exercise (CJLOTS), an annual exercise comprised of more than 1,200 U.S.

Mastry Engine Center is well-known for its comprehensive training programs for recreational boat owners, dealers, the Navy and other customers. Recently Mastry expanded its scope, providing three-day training sessions for the US Coast Guard. Its first class included 15 USCG attendees from across the country, all currently serving on USCG cutters with Over the Horizon (OTH) craft on board. These are smaller, rigid inflatable boats powered by 315 hp Yanmar 6LPA-STZP engines and Mercury Bravo drives.

A Miami-based U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment operating as part of Combined Task Force 151 in the Gulf of Aden assisted in the apprehension of 16 suspected pirates in a 24 hour period. The eight-person LEDET 405 team is conducting counter-piracy operations aboard USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) and USS Mahan (DDG 72) as part of a multinational task force in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. "Our role is to augment and train U.S. Navy visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) teams," said Lt.j.g. Greg Ponzi, officer in charge of LEDET 405. On Feb.

The Coast Guard remains at its highest state of alert and readiness since World War II, following the president?s authorized military action against the terrorist regime in Afghanistan. "Coast Guard air and sea patrols are keeping a watchful eye on all vessel movements around the clock in many of the more than 300 ports and 88,000 miles of U.S. coast and shoreline," said Lt. Cmdr. Brendan McPherson, a spokesman for the Coast Guard Atlantic Area command in Portsmouth. Ports from Boston to Texas are under tighter security than they have been in more than fifty years. The Coast Guard has stepped up both the frequency and vigilance of its armed patrols, which were significantly increased just hours after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks Sept. 11.

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.

Twenty-one members of Port Security Unit 309, out of Port Clinton, Ohio, are arriving at Cleveland Hopkins Airport Saturday. PSU 309 was deployed to the Persian Gulf in February in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Port security units are self-sustainable units capable of deploying within 96 hours of notification and are able to establish operations within 24 hours of arrival in theater. The mission of a port security unit is to provide waterborne and limited land-based protection for shipping and critical port facilities.

The members of U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Unit 308 (PSU 308), based in Gulfport, Miss., are scheduled to return home on Thursday to Gulfport’s Army National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center. The men and women of PSU 308 have completed a seven-month deployment, protecting the Port of Ash Shuaiba, Kuwait. At the request of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and Commander U.S. Central Command, PSU 308 deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Aug. 14. Their mission was to ensure the safe flow of equipment and supplies through the Port of Ash Shuaiba to coalition forces participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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.

New security regulations and specially trained port security teams are among the newest tools being employed in Operation Neptune Shield, the Coast Guard's plan for fighting the global war on terrorism here at home, as military operations continue against Taliban and Al-Qaida fighters overseas. "Since Sept. 11, the Coast Guard has implemented a multi-layered strategy for protecting our ports and waterways," said Atlantic Area Commander Vice Adm. Thad Allen. "Under Operation Neptune Shield, new regulations, additional resources and a closer working relationship with our intelligence and law enforcement partners have allowed us to harden our borders.

Last month a new product touted as a plank in the war to keep terrorism from U.S. shores was introduced in Washington, D.C. According to Eric Caplan, director of Boston Whaler Commercial & Government Products, the Sentinel is a unmanned surface vessel (USV), which is a sensing platform able to carry a wide variety of the latest technology sensing systems available. It is designed to be a multi-tasking craft, able to carry sonar for mine detection equipment as easily as it would carry systems able to sense bio-terrorism and nuclear devices aboard ships entering a harbor. "This country obviously has a big job ahead of it, to secure its borders," Caplan said.

New security regulations and specially trained port security teams are among the newest tools being employed in Operation Neptune Shield, the Coast Guard's plan for fighting the global war on terrorism here at home, as military operations continue against Taliban and Al-Qaida fighters overseas. "Since Sept. 11, the Coast Guard has implemented a multi-layered strategy for protecting our ports and waterways," said Atlantic Area Commander Vice Adm. Thad Allen. "Under Operation Neptune Shield, new regulations, additional resources and a closer working relationship with our intelligence and law enforcement partners have allowed us to harden our borders.

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 Coast Guard commandant, the commandant of the Marine Corps and a North Carolina congressman will be honored guests at a building dedication Friday at the Coast Guard Port Security Unit Training Detachment (PSU TRADET) located at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. Adm. Thomas H. Collins, Gen. James Jones and Congressman Howard Coble will be on hand to formally dedicate a new building the Marine Corps has leased to PSU TRADET. The building will provide more office space for PSU TRADET personnel along with more classrooms to be used for instruction in the several courses offered at PSU TRADET. PSU TRADET was established in October 1997 to train and standardize Coast Guard port security units for overseas deployment. Recently, PSU TRADET has taken on numerous other responsibilities.

The U.S. Coast Guard will stand-up the Deployable Operations Group during an establishment ceremony 7 p.m. Friday at Fort Lesley J. McNair. The Deployable Operations Group aligns all Coast Guard deployable, specialized forces under a single, unified command headed by a Rear Adm. Thomas F. Atkin. The command will provide organized, equipped, and trained forces to Coast Guard and interagency operational and tactical commanders. Deployable specialized forces are comprised of approximately 3,000 Coast Guard personnel from 12 Maritime Safety and Security Teams, the Maritime Security Response Team, two Tactical Law Enforcement Teams, eight Port Security Units, three National Strike Teams and the National Strike Force Coordination Center.

The following is a statement, in its entirety, from Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen regarding his nomination to be commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, given before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Washington - Good afternoon Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the Committee. I am honored to be before you today and look forward to listening to your views and answering your questions. I am grateful for the confidence of President Bush in nominating me to be the 23rd Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. I can think of no greater honor and no better way to continue serving our Nation than through our Coast Guard, a Service whose embedded responsibilities impact every American.

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.

At a historic ‘Change of Watch’ ceremony at the D.C. Stadium-Armory yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta transferred leadership of the U.S. Coast Guard to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, formally recognizing the change in civilian leadership over a military organization. “This morning is an historic occasion for both the Coast Guard and the Department of Transportation. The explosion of maritime drug traffic, mass movement of illegal migrants, a new sensibility and responsibility for the environment, the threat to our ports -- all of these missions came to maturity during the Coast Guard’s tenure at the Department.

A Charleston-based Coast Guard cutter has been ordered to deploy overseas to support Operation Enduring Freedom and to prepare for future contingencies. USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716), a 378-foot high endurance cutter with a crew of about 175, was underway on patrol this past weekend when it received the order from the Atlantic Area commander here to head overseas. Dallas is deploying with an HH-65B Dolphin helicopter and 7-member aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J. The ship departed Charleston Feb. 8, patrolling and conducting training off the East coast of the United States prior to receiving deployment orders. The largest and most capable class of Coast Guard cutter, Dallas is deploying at the request of the Department of Defense as the U.S.