Getting Real About the “Global Coast Guard”
By Commander Kevin Duffy, U.S. Coast Guard (Retired)
October 2023 Proceedings Vol. 149/20/1,448
During the 2023 State of the Coast Guard address, the service’s Commandant, Admiral Linda Fagan, noted the United States Coast Guard “has never been in greater demand around the world.” She specifically cited the Coast Guard’s value in the Indo-Pacific, West Africa, South America, and the Arabian Gulf, adding that the Coast Guard is viewed as the relevant force model for many partner nations throughout the world. “We are a global Coast Guard. This is our value to the nation (emphasis added),” Fagan concluded.
The Commandant was correct about the ways in which the Coast Guard bolsters the United States and partner nations in ways that cannot be replicated by other agencies. Despite this, the service has not maximized its overseas potential: the Coast Guard is slow to meet partner nation training requests, fails to assert its relevant authorities to resource and conduct missions abroad, and lacks the personnel policies and overseas staffing for international efficacy. A series of targeted adjustments can and should be undertaken to make the vision of a “global Coast Guard” a reality.
A Value Proposition Repeated (and Repeated)
Fagan was echoing many commentators who have recognized how the Coast Guard’s size, missions, and authorities make it the United States’ best tool for engaging with most partner nation maritime forces. She was also in line with the views of her predecessors, who have repeatedly, definitively, and publicly announced that the Coast Guard should be viewed and valued by national security decision-makers as an internationally relevant force. Admiral Karl Schultz (Commandant, 201822) highlighted the way in which the Coast Guard “bridged Department of State [DOS] diplomacy and Department of Defense [DoD] lethality” by offering “soft power, multimission flexibility, trusted access, and nonkinetic options” overseas. Admiral Paul Zukunft (Commandant, 201418) cited the high international demand for U.S. Coast Guard services, explaining that dozens of partner nations frequently approached him asking for support to enhance their capabilities in missions such as counter-illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, counter-human trafficking, search and rescue, and environmental response. Both Commandants used the “global Coast Guard” moniker, highlighting how their small, nimble, flexible service was both a more relevant model for partner nation maritime forces than any DoD branch and more effective than them in executing a host of international missions.
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/october/getting-real-about-global-coast-guard
