United States Coast Guard
With a substantial claim to being the oldest of the United States' uniformed services, the United States Coast Guard has an exceptionally wide range of civilian missions, with additional wartime responsibilities. At present, it is under the Department of Homeland Security, but, for operations, can be under the United States Navy. It is the smallest armed service of the United States, although there are smaller uniformed services.
Its stated mission is to protect the public, the environment, and the United States economic and security interests in any maritime region in which those interests may be at risk, including international waters and America's coasts, ports, and inland waterways.[1]
The Coast Guard's official motto is Semper Paratus, meaning "Always Ready". Its unofficial motto, from its Lifesaving Service ancestry, is "You have to go out. You don't have to come back.:
History
Coast Guard functions began with the Revenue Cutter Service, which was founded on August 4, 1790 as part of the Department of the Treasury. In 1915, the United States Coast Guard was formed from a merger of the Revenue Cutter Service and the Life-Saving Service. In 1939, it also assumed the responsibilities of the Lighthouse Service, and, in the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation to the Coast Guard.
The legal basis for the Coast Guard is Title 14 of the United States Code, which states: "The Coast Guard as established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times." The Treasury origin is reflected in the Coast Guard being the only U.S. uniformed service to have general law enforcement authority; it is not subject to the Posse Comitatus Act
Upon the declaration of war or when the President directs, the Coast Guard operates under the authority of the Department of the Navy. The Coast Guard later moved to the Department of Transportation in 1967, and on February 25, 2003 it became part of the Department of Homeland Security.
Missions
The Coast Guard has an exceptionally wide range of safety, law enforcement, and national security functions, which fall under the broad categories of:
- Search & Rescue
- Law Enforcement
- Marine Safety & Environmental Protection
- Polar, Alaska & Other Ice Operations (Including the International Ice Patrol)
- National Security, Military Preparedness