Together, America’s three sea services provide the “forward, engaged and ready” naval presence that promotes stability, deters conflict, and can respond to aggression where and when needed. As part of a global economy that relies on the movement of goods and commodities by sea, this global naval presence provides for the secure and safe free flow of goods, the protection of the nation’s natural resources, and the safeguarding of the environment.
“We are a regulatory agency, a federal law enforcement organization, and one of the Nation’s five armed services. We sustain mission excellence by combining our authorities and competencies with the significant capacity of our sister services.”
“Maritime security protects U.S. sovereignty and maritime resources, supports free and open seaborne commerce, and counters weapons proliferation, terrorism, transnational crime, piracy, illegal exploitation of the maritime environment, and unlawful seaborne immigration,” CS21 states.
“Naval forces provide maritime security in the maritime commons and the seaborne approaches to our Nation,” it continues. “The United States manages critical mineral and marine resources in our 4.5 million square mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and maintains internationally recognized search and rescue responsibility in the larger Western Hemisphere Transit Zone. Operating in and beyond our EEZ, Coast Guard and Navy ships and aircraft are the forward edge of the Nation’s layered defense, developing maritime domain awareness, establishing effective maritime governance, and protecting the homeland.”
The updated strategy acknowledges that the security threats facing the nation are more sophisticated and widespread, and that new challenges in cyberspace and the electromagnetic domains are on par with the air, land, and sea.
The strategy is based on the foundation that U.S. forward naval presence is essential to accomplishing the following naval missions derived from national guidance: defend the homeland, deter conflict, respond to crises, defeat aggression, protect and defend the maritime commons and the seaborne approaches to our nation, strengthen partnerships, and provide humanitarian assistance and disaster response; and that naval forces are stronger when operating jointly and together with allies and partners.
This presence is made possible by building and maintaining strong alliances and partnerships, and participating in international operations and training exercises.
The Coast Guard has an integral role in the strategy. “The Coast Guard will rotationally deploy National Security Cutters and deployable specialized forces with the Navy and Marine Corps to safeguard U.S. territorial waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ),” according to CS21.
Two Coast Guard HH-65C Dolphin helicopters land aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) in New York on Nov. 2, 2012. The U.S. Navy had positioned forces in the area to assist U.S. Northern Command in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local civil authorities following the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Terah L. Mollise
“The Coast Guard’s mission of safeguarding the homeland connects to nearly every facet of the Nation’s maritime interests, including the polar regions,” Zukunft wrote for Coast Guard Compass.
Zukunft stated in CS21 that the service’s various authorities are distinctive. “We are a regulatory agency, a federal law enforcement organization, and one of the Nation’s five armed services. We sustain mission excellence by combining our authorities and competencies with the significant capacity of our sister services.”