The Unintended Consequences of the Coast Guard’s Sector Command
The demands of sector regulatory responsibilities are putting the service’s core missions at risk.
By Commander Drew Casey, U.S. Coast Guard (Retired)
August 2023 Proceedings Vol. 149/8/1,446
Almost two decades ago, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Coast Guard leaders created the modern U.S. Coast Guard sector command. While it seemed a prudent undertaking at the time, it led to some undesirable outcomes for the service, many of which have not been fully apparent until now.
Prior to 2005, most shore-based Coast Guard mission operations were led and managed by marine safety offices (MSO) and group commands. Coast Guard air stations were under the operational control of district commands, and aircraft were assigned to the requesting group or MSO as needed. When the need arose for coordination between MSOs and groups, the field units collaborated and accomplished mission objectives without many issues. Although this organizational structure served the Coast Guard well for decades, DHS and Coast Guard leaders decided to consolidate MSOs and groups into new, larger field commands called sectors.
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/august/unintended-consequences-coast-guards-sector-command
