Patrol Forces Southwest Asia

Last updated

Patrol Forces Southwest Asia
PATFORSWA Unit Crest.jpg
PATFORSWA Unit Crest
Active
  • November 2002 – present
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
BranchFlag of the United States Coast Guard.svg  United States Coast Guard
Part of
Main Operating Base Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Bahrain
Engagements
Website https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Area-Units/PATFORSWA/
Commanders
Current
commander		Commodore James J. Camp
Command Master Chief CMDCM Anthony M. Martinez

Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) is a United States Coast Guard command based in Manama, Bahrain. PATFORSWA was created in November 2002 as a contingency operation to support the U.S. Navy with patrol boats. The command's mission is to train, equip, deploy, and support combat-ready Coast Guard forces conducting operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) in the Naval Forces Central Command's area of responsibility. [1] It was commissioned as a permanent duty station in June 2004. [2] In July 2003, PATFORSWA moved from its own compound to facilities at Naval Support Activity Bahrain. [3] [4]

Contents

Elements

PATFORSWA consists of three distinct elements: six 154-foot Sentinel-class cutters, Shoreside Support, and the Maritime Engagement Team. [5]

Cutters

USCG Fast Response Cutters moored in homeport - 2022 PATFORSWA FRCs in Homeport.png
USCG Fast Response Cutters moored in homeport - 2022

The six Sentinel-class cutters, CGC Charles Moulthrope, CGC Robert Goldman, CGC Glen Harris, CGC Emlen Tunnell, CGC John Scheuerman, and CGC Clarence Sutphin Jr are homeported in Bahrain and rely on Shoreside Support for maintenance, logistics, and more.

Shoreside Support

The Shoreside Support comprises a headquarters element, logistics/supply, maintenance/repair, information/electronics, and armory staff. Today, the shoreside staff numbers roughly 125 enlisted and 14 officers and is headed by an O-6 Commodore. Members aid the cutters in routine maintenance, support critical repairs, facilitate the shipping and receiving of parts, enable the movement of personnel, and liaise with Navy leadership. The diverse requirements of the unit make it unique within the Coast Guard, fulfilling elements of a CG Sector, a CG Base, and other CG staff elements.

Maritime Engagement Team

The Maritime Engagement Team (MET) is responsible for providing specialized law enforcement training to all cutters in theater and certifying their Level II Non-Compliant Boarding Teams. PATFORSWA operates under Title 10 authorities; personnel maintain standard law enforcement qualifications with additional training tailored to the region.

USCG PATFORSWA unit patch - 2022 PATFORSWA Patch.jpg
USCG PATFORSWA unit patch - 2022
USCG small boat team conducting operations in the Gulf - 31 August 2022 USCG Boarding.jpg
USCG small boat team conducting operations in the Gulf - 31 August 2022

The MET supports shipboard Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) training at their state-of-the-art training center and conducts subject matter expert exchanges with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and international partners. The MET travels to participate in broader exercises with regional partners and is the VBSS training center in the Middle East. The interactions with DoD and international partners are key to the MET’s mission to build maritime enforcement capacity while strengthening international relations. [2] [6]

USCGC Adak (WPB 1333), one of six 110-foot patrol boats originally assigned to PATFORSWA USCGC Adak.jpg
USCGC Adak (WPB 1333), one of six 110-foot patrol boats originally assigned to PATFORSWA

Unit History

2002 Establishment

Operation Iraqi Freedom - circa 2003 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM DVIDS1105784.jpg
Operation Iraqi Freedom - circa 2003

Initial preparations for naval operations supporting OIF began with the U.S. Navy in the summer and fall of 2002. The navy drew upon its standing contingency plans for combat operations involving Iraq and, in September 2002, United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) requested U.S. Coast Guard support for a mission termed “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” The Navy saw the Coast Guard's cutters and skilled personnel as ideally suited to naval operations supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The shallow coastal areas and waterways of Iraq are subject to heavy silting and strategists believed that Iraq's primary threat to American naval units came from small boats, patrol craft and mine laying vessels. The Coast Guard's patrol boats would expand the naval presence to shallow littoral areas where larger naval combatants could not navigate and Coast Guard cutters could remain on station for days as opposed to only a few hours typical of the Navy's Special Forces boats. In addition, the law enforcement background of Coast Guard personnel would expand the Navy's ability to intercept and board Iraqi vessels and Coast Guard cutters could serve in force protection and escort duty, thereby freeing naval assets to conduct offensive combat operations. [7] Such naval integration of Coast Guard forces relied upon lessons learned during Vietnam with the deployment of Coast Guard Squadron One and the end of the Cold War with Patrol Boat Squadrons Two and Four. [8]

The Navy called on the Coast Guard to perform missions that have always formed part of the service's peace-time mission. The Navy had very limited capability in boarding, maritime interdiction and even environmental protection and yet operations in Iraq would require units trained in these operations. As a result, the Coast Guard's Port Security Units (PSUs), Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs), National Strike Force (NSF), cutters and a variety of other units and personnel deployed overseas to support military operations in OIF. These units included cutters assigned to provide escort and force protection to battle groups and Military Sealift Command (MSC) convoys passing from the Strait of Gibraltar to the eastern Mediterranean.

TACLET South training at Patrol Forces Southwest Asia - circa 2006 TACLET SOUTH DVIDS1078623.jpg
TACLET South training at Patrol Forces Southwest Asia - circa 2006

As it had in previous American combat operations, the Coast Guard conducted operations well suited to cutters and their crews. The maritime conditions of Iraq and the Persian Gulf can greatly limit the operations of most naval vessels and warships. U.S.-led coalition forces that allied against the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein included Gulf-based nations that had their own coast guard forces. However, these particular coalition forces dedicated the use of their smaller vessels to protecting Kuwait, rather than operations in Iraqi territorial waters. Due to this and the Coast Guard's expertise in littoral and shallow-water operations, a large part of the request by United States Central Command (CENTCOM) centered on the Coast Guard's smaller patrol boats. Although various Coast Guard units and personnel had served in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s, deployment of the service's Island-class patrol boats overseas would represent the first combat deployment of Coast Guard patrol boats since the Vietnam War. [9] [10]

Even though the Coast Guard served a similar mission in Vietnam, there existed no operational plan to provide guidance for OIF planning and preparations. The Coast Guard began its earliest preparations in the final months of 2002 and the lack of any pre-existing plan or blueprint for this sort of mission proved the Coast Guard's greatest challenge. The service's Atlantic Area Command (LANTAREA), headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia, created a shore detachment to support its cutter operations overseas. These patrol forces detachments would oversee all aspects of operational support, including cutter maintenance and crew rotation. In October, LANTAREA created a shore detachment to oversee personnel, supply and maintenance requirements for patrol boat operations in the Persian Gulf. It designated this detachment as Patrol Forces, Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). LANTAREA assigned a commanding officer of PATFORSWA and selected four 110-foot Island-class patrol boats (WPBs) for the mission based on their superior maintenance records. These WPBs included Adak, Aquidneck, Baranof, and Wrangell. [11] LANTAREA created a second shore detachment for patrol boat operations in the Mediterranean; designated it Patrol Forces, Mediterranean (PATFORMED); and selected four more patrol boats for Mediterranean service. These WPBs included Bainbridge Island, Grand Isle, Knight Island and Pea Island. [8]

2003 Redeployment Assistance Inspection Detachments

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait-Members of the U.S. Coast Guard's RAID inspect a cargo container for proper labeling of hazardous materials - circa 2006 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM DVIDS1105850.jpg
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait-Members of the U.S. Coast Guard's RAID inspect a cargo container for proper labeling of hazardous materials - circa 2006

Redeployment Assistance Inspection Detachments (RAID) consisted of Coast Guardsmen deployed with the U.S Army to support the shipment of materials in and out of war zones. Their mission was to assist the Department of Defense with the safe re-deployment of containerized cargo as well as the storage and segregation of hazardous materials. The Coast Guard's goal was to ensure that hazardous material was properly prepared for shipment and re-entry to U.S. ports. The team moved between Forward Operating Bases, making them among the few Coast Guardsmen to have been so far forward with the U.S. Army in a combat zone. [12] [13]

The first RAID was deployed in 2003 and they were brought under the PATFORSWA command structure in 2010. The RAID was demobilized in May 2015. [14]

2003 PATFORMED

The Coast Guard deployed its PATFORMED patrol boats in similar fashion to the PATFORSWA 110s. WPBs Bainbridge Island, Grand Isle, Knight Island and Pea Island arrived at Augusta Bay, Sicily, after a one-month transit on board BBC Spain. It took a monumental effort by PATFORMED support staff to prepare for patrol boat operations in the Mediterranean because no Coast Guard infrastructure existed in the region. [8]

In the Mediterranean, Coast Guard operations supported naval and Military Sealift Command operations in the region. During combat operations in the Persian Gulf, PATFORMED patrol boats supported naval operations in the Mediterranean. The WPB's primary mission had been to escort U.S. Navy supply vessels and Military Sealift Command ships out of Souda Bay, Crete, the eastern Mediterranean's logistics port for American and NATO forces. The naval command cancelled this mission when Turkey would not support the use of its territory for supplying a northern front in Iraq. The four cutters then came under the operational command of the Navy's Task Force 60 for Leadership Interdiction Operations (LIO) in the eastern Mediterranean. This mission required the cutters to cut off a waterborne escape route for Iraqi leaders fleeing through Syria and into the Mediterranean. Syria, however, agreed to seal its borders, cutting off the escape route through its territory to the Mediterranean coast.

2004 - PATFORMED Closed Shortly after Syria closed its borders, the Sixth Fleet released the PATFORMED cutters from operations in the Mediterranean, the cutters then returned to United States by 2004.

2003 Forward Operating Base at Kuwait Naval Base

From 2003 till 2021 PATFORSWA operated a Forward Operating Base at Kuwait Naval Base also known as Camp Patriot. [15] This location stationed rotating engineering support for the Island-class patrol boats operating in the Northern Arabian Sea, allowing the vessels to stay on station longer. In addition Port Security Units regularly rotated through this location protecting the Naval Base and the water ways near Kuwait and Iraq. [16] [17] [18]

2004 Al Basrah Oil Terminal & Mina Khawr al Amiyah Oil Terminal

DC3 Bruckenthal Funeral, Arlington National Cemetery BRUCKENTHAL FUNERAL (17020731594).jpg
DC3 Bruckenthal Funeral, Arlington National Cemetery

On 24 April 2004, Damage Controlman Third Class Nathan Bruckenthal, USCG, and two U.S. Navy Sailors - Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Pernaselli and Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Watts, were killed while boarding a dhow that was approaching the Khawr Al Amaya oil terminal.

The service members were part of a seven-man visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team from USS Firebolt, a 174-foot Cyclone-class coastal patrol boat conducting missions in the Northern Persian Gulf in support of OIF. Other members of the team, three Navy Sailors and one Coast Guardsman, were injured but survived the attack.

Bruckenthal is the first Coast Guardsman to be killed in combat since the Vietnam War and the only to die in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As the Firebolt's rigid -hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) pulled alongside the dhow, a suicide bomber onboard the dhow set off explosives. The blast flipped the RHIB and threw its team into the water. The attack alerted other forces in the area to what was a coordinated attack on Iraq's oil terminals in the Gulf and prevented further loss of life and irreparable damages.

Upon the family's request, PATFORSWA hosts a memorial service to honor and remember the fallen shipmates and the sacrifice they made every year since. [19] [20]

July 25, 2018 - The Coast Guard commissioned the 28th fast response cutter (FRC) (Sentinel-class cutter), USCGC Nathan Bruckenthal, in Alexandria, Virginia in honor of Bruckenthal. [21]

2018 Syrian missile strike

During the 2018 Syrian missile strike, Patrol Forces Southwest Asia supported the action with the deployment of Adak and Aquidneck. The two patrol boats joined the HIGGINS Surface Action Group, that subsequently launched 23 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles against chemical weapons sites in Syria. Higgins, Adak, and Aquidneck previously worked together at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom—also for TLAM strikes. [22]

2021 Cutter Change

In 2021 the squadron commenced the most drastic change since the unit’s conception, decommissioning the aging 110’ WPBs and bringing in the 154’ WPC Fast Response Cutters. The first two replacement cutters, Charles Moulthrope and Robert Goldman arrived at their new homeport on 25 May 2021 to replace the cutters Adak and Aquidneck, which were subsequently decommissioned on 15 June 2021.The next two replacement cutters Glen Harris and Emlen Tunnell sailed for Bahrain before the end of 2021, arriving in March 2022, shortly before the cutters Maui, Monomoy and Wrangell were decommissioned on 22 March 2022.The cutters John Scheuerman and Clarence Sutphin Jr arrived in Bahrain on 23 August 2022  and the final 110’ WPB in theater, Baranof, was decommissioned on 26 September 2022. [23] [24] [25]

The swap coincided with a new mission focus on counter smuggling stretching beyond the Persian Gulf. The new cutters brought new capabilities which the Navy was quick to recognize and employ. Cutters patrol the waters of the Gulf of Oman and Northern Arabian Sea, remaining on patrol of weeks and covering thousands of miles. Their crews quickly saw success, leveraging their experience in fisheries and counter drug enforcement to interdict numerous shipments of narcotics including hashish, heroin, methamphetamine, and captagon, as well as 170 tons of explosive precursor material. [26] [27] [28] [29] [30]

2021 Afghanistan Withdrawal / Operation Allies Refuge

During the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan and subsequent humanitarian evacuation, PATFORSWA personnel integrated in the crisis response system. Shoreside Support assisted individuals being evacuated from Afghanistan. [31] [32] [33]

Evolving mission

USCGC Baranof, USCGC Robert Goldman, and USS Thunderbolt patrol the Persian Gulf June 2022 Maritime Operations 220625-A-NS602-1416.jpg
USCGC Baranof, USCGC Robert Goldman, and USS Thunderbolt patrol the Persian Gulf June 2022

Throughout the 20 years since PATFORSWA establishment, the cutters performed a variety of missions in and around the Persian Gulf. As the war in Iraq ebbed and shifted, the cutter mission expanded from a focus on protecting maritime infrastructure in Iraq to more broadly protecting free commerce in the Persian Gulf, countering malign actors in the region, and building regional partnerships. Cutters routinely patrolled the entire Persian Gulf and participating in international exercises in the area. Recognized for their adept ability to counter small combatants, they were the ideal platform to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. Throughout this period the cutters worked closely with the Navy Coastal Patrol Craft (PCs) also stationed in Bahrain. This force of small combatants was routinely on the frontline against the unsafe and unprofessional interactions with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. [34] [35] [36]

Notable Seizures

$DescriptionUSCG AssetDate
N/ACache of weapons consisted of thousands of AK-47 assault rifles, light machine guns, heavy sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and crew served weapons. Other weapon components included barrels, stocks, optical scopes and weapon systems. [41] USCG Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) with U.S. NAVY11-Feb-21
N/ACache of weapons included dozens of advanced Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles, thousands of Chinese Type 56 assault rifles, and hundreds of PKM machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades launchers. Other weapon components included advanced optical sights. [42] USCG Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) with U.S. NAVY7-May-21
N/AU.S. 5th Fleet ships seized approximately 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and 226,600 rounds of ammunition from a stateless fishing vessel during a flag verification boarding in accordance with customary international law in the North Arabian Sea. [43] USCG Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) with U.S. NAVY22-Dec-21
$4 Million(kg not listed) heroin [44] USCG Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) with U.S. NAVY27-Dec-21
$11 Million310 kg heroin [45] CGC Glen Harris31-May-22
$20 Million2,980 kg hashish, 320 kg amphetamine pills [46] CGC Glen Harris30-Aug-22
$85 Million2,410 kg heroin [47] CGC Charles Mouthrope27-Sep-22
$48 Million5,000 kg hashish, 800 kg methamphetamine [46] CGC Glen Harris10-Oct-22
N/A70 tons of ammonium perchlorate - explosive oxidizer, 100 tons of urea explosive precursor [48] CGC John Scheuerman15-Nov-22
$20 Million1,350 kg hashish, 276 kg methamphetamine, 23 kg amphetamine pills [49] CGC John Scheuerman25-Feb-23
$33 Million4,000 kg hashish, 512 kg methamphetamine [50] CGC Emlen Tunnell31-Jan-23
$42 Million1000 kg hashish, 802 kg methamphetamine [51] USCG Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) with U.S. NAVY21-Apr-23
$80 Million1,964 kg heroin [52] CGC Glen Harris10-May-23
$30 Million580 kg methamphetamine, 35 kg heroin [53] CGC Glen Harris8-May-23
$14 Million2,000 kg hashish, 384 kg methamphetamine [54] CGC Emlen Tunnell14-Nov-23
$3 Million90 kg heroin [55] CGC Clarence Sutphin Jr.24-Dec-23
$21.3 Million142 kg heroin, 2936 kg hashish, 261 kg methamphetamine, 75,000 pills opium substitutes [55] CGC John Scheuerman26-Dec-23
$24.3 Million3,514 kg hashish, 417 kg methamphetamines [56] CGC Robert Goldman28-Dec-23
$11 Million37 kg heroin, 187 kg methamphetamine, 5 kg cocaine [57] CGC Emlen Tunnell8-Jan-24
$8.1 Million173 kg methamphetamine [58] CGC Emlen Tunnell16-Jan-24
N/ASeized advanced conventional weapons and other lethal aid originating in Iran and bound to Houthi-controlled Yemen from a vessel in the Arabian Sea. The boarding team discovered over 200 packages that contained medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater/surface vehicle (UUV/USV) components, military-grade communication and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other military components. [59] [60] CGC Clarance Sutphin Jr.28-Jan-24
N/A770 kg methamphetamine [61] CGC Glen Harris5-Mar-24
N/A15 kg heroin, 375 methamphetamine [61] CGC Glen Harris8-Apr-24
N/A257 kg methamphetamine, 92 kg heroine, 17 kg amphetamine, 296 kg hashish, 15 kg marijuana [62] CGC Clarance Sutphin Jr.14-Apr-24

Notable Interactions

DescriptionUSCG AssetDate
Rendered aid to Iranian mariners [63] CGC Monomoy10-Jan-12
PATFORSWA MET and HMS Portland Conduct Joint Exercise [64] Maritime Engagement Team (MET)31-Jul-16
U.S. Coast Guard, Iraqi Navy Participate in PASSEX Exercise [65] CGC Maui, CGC Wrangell03-OCT-16
U.S. Forces and Bahrain Defense Force Completed Neon Response 19 - Vessel, board, search and seizure, First Aid, Explosives Ordinance Disposal, harbor clearance, floating mine response, mine field clearance training [66] Maritime Engagement Team (MET)19-Jun-19
Guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG60) conducted Maritime Security Operations (MSO) training with members of the Pakistani Navy during International Maritime Exercise (IMX) 2019USCG Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) with U.S. NAVY7- Nov-19
IRGCN Vessels Conduct Unsafe, Unprofessional Interaction with U.S. Naval Forces in Persian Gulf [67] CGC Maui, CGC Wrangell15-Apr-20
The guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) participated in the bilateral joint and combined air operations in support of maritime surface warfare (AOMSW) exercise with Royal Saudi Armed Forces in the Persian Gulf [68] USCG Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) with U.S. NAVY18-Dec-20
Three Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) fast inshore attack craft (FIAC) failed to exercise due regard for the safety of other vessels as required under international law as they came into close proximity to U.S. naval vessels in international waters of the north Persian Gulf. [69]

(FIAC example - Seraj-class speedboat)

CGC Baranof26-Apr-21
Unsafe and Unprofessional Interaction with IRGCN FIAC in Strait of Hormuz [70]

(FIAC example - Seraj-class speedboat)

CGC Maui, CGC Wrangell10-May-21
Kuwait and U.S. Naval Forces Complete Exercise Eager Defender 21 [71] CGC Monomoy14-Jun-21
New U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Visit Egypt Marking Arrival to 5th Fleet [72] CGC Glen Harris, CGC Emlen Tunnel26-Jan-22
U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Visit Lebanon for Bilateral Exchanges [73] CGC Glen Harris, CGC Emlen Tunnel3-Feb-22
New Coast Guard Cutters Visit Lebanon for 1st Middle East Stop [74] CGC John Scheuerman, CGC Clarence Sutphin Jr.25-Jul-22
Top Coast Guard Chefs Excel in Bahrain [75] CGC Charles Mouthrope13-Sep-22
U.S. Coast Guard Ships Visit Pakistan [76] CGC Charles Mouthrope, CGC Emlen Tunnell9-Oct-22
U.S., UK and Saudi Arabia Complete Naval Exercise in Arabian Gulf [77] CGC Charles Moulthrope, CGC Robert Goldman8-Nov-22
U.S., Regional Partners Form Multinational Boarding Team in Middle East [78] PATFORSWA16-Dec-22
IMSC Task Force Completes Maritime Exercise with Unmanned Systems, A.I. [79] CGC Baranof9-Jan-23
U.S. Naval Forces Advances Interoperability Search and Rescue Exercise with the Royal Bahrain Navy [80] CGC Robert Goldman25-Sep-23
An unmanned surface vessel from U.S. 5th Fleet transited the Strait of Hormuz with two U.S. Coast Guard cutters, April 19, demonstrating the continued operational integration of unmanned and artificial intelligence systems by U.S. maritime forces in the Middle East. [81] CGC Charles Mouthrope, CGC John Scheuerman19-Apr-23
Eagle Resolve 23 Exercise with Saudi Arabia [82] CGC Robert Goldman, CGC Emlen Tunnell28-May-23
USS Firebolt Heroes Remembered, 20 Years On [83] PATFORSWA, U.S. NAVY24-Apr-24

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Coast Guard</span> Maritime law enforcement and rescue service branch of the U.S. military

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the United States military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its duties. It is the largest coast guard in the world, rivaling the capabilities and size of most navies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Fifth Fleet</span> Numbered fleet of the United States Navy

The Fifth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. Its area of responsibility encompasses approximately 2.5 million square miles, and includes the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean. It shares a commander and headquarters with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) in Bahrain. Fifth Fleet/NAVCENT is a component command of, and reports to, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

Marine Protector-class patrol boat United States Coast Guard ship class

The Marine Protector-class patrol boat is a type of coastal patrol boat of the United States Coast Guard. The 87-foot-long (27 m) vessels are based on the Stan 2600 design by Damen Group and were built by Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, Louisiana. Almost all of these boats have been delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard, which has named them after sea creatures that fly or swim. Four have been delivered to Malta and Yemen.

Island-class patrol boat Class of cutters of the U.S. Coast Guard

The Island-class patrol boat is a class of cutters of the United States Coast Guard. 49 cutters of the class were built, of which 3 remain in commission. Their hull numbers are WPB-1301 through WPB-1349.

USCGC <i>Dallas</i> (WHEC-716)

USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716) was a United States Coast Guard high endurance cutter commissioned in 1967 at the Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was the sixth ship or boat to bear the name of Alexander J. Dallas, the Secretary of the Treasury under President James Madison (1814–1816). She is one of twelve Hamilton-class cutters built for the Coast Guard.

<i>Hamilton</i>-class cutter United States Coast Guard cutter class

The Hamilton-class cutter was the largest class of vessel in the United States Coast Guard until replaced by the Legend-class cutter, aside from the Polar-class icebreaker. The hull classification symbol is prefixed WHEC. The cutters are called the Hamilton class after their lead ship, or the "Secretary class" because most of the vessels in the class were named for former Secretaries of the Treasury, with the exception of the "Hero-class cutters" Jarvis, Munro and Midgett.

The history of the United States Coast Guard goes back to the United States Revenue Cutter Service, which was founded on 4 August 1790 as part of the Department of the Treasury. The Revenue Cutter Service and the United States Life-Saving Service were merged to become the Coast Guard per 14 U.S.C. § 1 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." In 1939 the United States Lighthouse Service was merged into the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard itself was moved to the Department of Transportation in 1967, and on 1 March 2003 it became part of the Department of Homeland Security. However, under 14 U.S.C. § 3 as amended by section 211 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006, upon the declaration of war and when Congress so directs in the declaration, or when the President directs, the Coast Guard operates as a service in the Department of the Navy.

The United States Coast Guard is the coastal defense, search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement branch of the United States Armed Forces and is one of the country's eight uniformed services. It carries out three basic roles, which are further subdivided into eleven statutory missions. The three roles are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States naval districts</span> Regions and Districts of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard

United States Naval Districts is a system created by the United States Navy to organize military facilities, numbered sequentially by geographic region, for the operational and administrative control of naval bases and shore commands in the United States and around the world. Established in 1903, naval districts became the foundational system for organizing U.S. naval forces ashore during the 20th century. The term "Naval" forces includes United States Marine Corps and current United States Coast Guard units.

Point-class cutter Class of patrol boats

The Point-class cutter was a class of 82-foot patrol vessels designed to replace the United States Coast Guard's aging 83-foot wooden hull patrol boat being used at the time. The design utilized a mild steel hull and an aluminum superstructure. The Coast Guard Yard discontinued building the 95-foot Cape-class cutter to have the capacity to produce the 82-foot Point-class patrol boat in 1960. They served as patrol vessels used in law enforcement and search and rescue along the coasts of the United States and the Caribbean. They also served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. They were replaced by the 87-foot Marine Protector-class coastal patrol boats beginning in the late 1990s.

Ukrainian patrol vessel <i>Sloviansk</i> Former Island-class patrol boat

The Ukrainian patrol vessel Sloviansk (P190) was an Island-class patrol boat of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Originally named USCGC Cushing when in service with the United States Coast Guard, the vessel was acquired by Ukraine in 2018 and arrived in Ukraine on 21 October 2019. Sloviansk was sunk in combat on 3 March 2022 by a Russian air-to-surface missile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deployable Specialized Forces</span> Military unit

The Deployable Specialized Forces (DSF) —formerly Deployable Operations Group— are part of the United States Coast Guard that provide highly equipped, trained and organized deployable specialized forces, to the Coast Guard, United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), United States Department of Defense (DoD) and inter-agency operational and tactical commanders. The command was formerly headquartered in Arlington, Virginia where it was established on 20 July 2007, and was commanded by a captain. It was decommissioned by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Robert Papp on 1 October 2013, with units previously assigned to the DOG being split between Coast Guard Pacific and Atlantic Area commands. The units were subsequently reorganized under Deployable Specialized Forces (DSF).

Bollinger Shipyards is an American constructor of ships, workboats and patrol vessels. Its thirteen shipyards and forty drydocks are located in Louisiana and Texas. Its drydocks range in capacity from vessels of 100 tons displacement to 22,000 tons displacement. The firm was founded in 1946.

USCGC <i>Point Clear</i> United States Coast Guard cutter

USCGC Point Clear (WPB-82315) was an 82-foot (25 m) Point class cutter constructed at the Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay, Maryland in 1961 for use as a law enforcement and search and rescue patrol boat. Since the Coast Guard policy in 1960 was not to name cutters under 100 feet (30 m) in length, it was designated as WPB-82315 when commissioned and acquired the name Point Clear in January 1964 when the Coast Guard started naming all cutters longer than 65 feet (20 m).

USCGC <i>Point Mast</i> United States Coast Guard cutter

USCGC Point Mast (WPB-82316) was an 82-foot (25 m) Point class cutter constructed at the Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay, Maryland in 1961 for use as a law enforcement and search and rescue patrol boat. Since the Coast Guard policy in 1961 was not to name cutters under 100 feet (30 m) in length, it was designated as WPB-82316 when commissioned and acquired the name Point Mast in January 1964 when the Coast Guard started naming all cutters longer than 65 feet (20 m).

USCGC <i>Adak</i> United States Coast Guard cutter

USCGC Adak (WPB-1333) was a United States Coast Guard cutter that received her name from Adak Island in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Built at Bollinger Shipyard in Lockport, Louisiana, Adak was placed in commission on 18 August 1989 in New Jersey and decommissioned on 30 June 2021 in Manama, Bahrain after almost 32 years of service.

USCGC <i>Point Marone</i> United States Coast Guard cutter

USCGC Point Marone (WPB-82331) was an 82-foot (25 m) Point class cutter constructed at the Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay, Maryland in 1962 for use as a law enforcement and search and rescue patrol boat. Since the Coast Guard policy in 1962 was not to name cutters under 100 feet (30 m) in length, it was designated as WPB-82331 when commissioned and acquired the name Point Marone in January 1964 when the Coast Guard started naming all cutters longer than 65 feet (20 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coast Guard Squadron One</span> United States Coast Guard combat unit

Coast Guard Squadron One, also known in official message traffic as COGARDRON ONE or RONONE, was a combat unit formed by the United States Coast Guard in 1965 for service during the Vietnam War. Placed under the operational control of the United States Navy, it was assigned duties in Operation Market Time. Its formation marked the first time since World War II that Coast Guard personnel were used extensively in a combat environment.

USCGC <i>Monomoy</i> (WPB-1326)

USCGC Monomoy (WPB-1326) was a United States Coast Guard Island class patrol cutter. She was the 26th ship of her class. The second ship of the Coast Guard to bear the name, Monomoy was named after Monomoy Island which lies off the coast of Cape Cod.

The United States Coast Guard established Patrol Boat Squadrons to manage the 110-foot long Island-class patrol boats. Squadron ONE was established in Miami Beach, Florida, and Squadron TWO was established in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. Their message traffic plain language addresses were COGARD PATBOATRON ONE and TWO, respectively. Created during the end of the Cold War, they were expeditionary squadrons modeled after the successful Coast Guard Squadron One employed during the Vietnam War. They provided a modernized template for the creation of Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) and Patrol Forces Mediterranean (PATFORMED) during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

References

  1. ↑ "Patrol Forces Southwest Asia". www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil. Retrieved 4 September 2019. The Mission of PATFORSWA is to train, organize, equip, support and deploy combat-ready Coast Guard Forces in support of CENTCOM and national security objectives.
  2. 1 2 http://www.uscg.mil/psc/epm/PATFORSWA.asp PSC: Enlisted Personnel Management
  3. ↑ DHS, USCG (26 December 2023). "Department of Homeland Security U.S. Coast Guard Budget Overview Fiscal Year 2021 Congressional Justification" (PDF). DHS.gov. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "The mission of Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia". DVIDS. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "Departments". www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  6. ↑ Military.com, Richard Sisk (5 April 2019). "'The night is ours' — Inside the elite world of Coast Guard ship-boarding teams". Task & Purpose. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  7. ↑ "Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA)". www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 Thiesen, William H. (11 June 2009). "Guardians of the Gulf: A History of Coast Guard Combat Operations in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2002-2004" (PDF). media.defense.gov. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  9. ↑ "The Coast Guard in the Vietnam War Part 1 of 3" (PDF). vietnamwar50th.com. 26 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Long Blue Line: The Coast Guard in Vietnam-a remembrance". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "The Long Blue Line - 20 Years OIF: "Tip of the Spear" Coast Guard Cutter Adak combat opera". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  12. ↑ "RAID Team - Coast Guard". afghanwarnews.info. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "The Coast Guard raids Afghanistan: a look at the RAID Team and what it does". DVIDS. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  14. ↑ Myers, Meghann (30 May 2015). "Last Coastie RAID team returns from Afghanistan". Navy Times. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  15. ↑ "The Long Blue Line - 20 Years OIF: Coast Guard combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedo". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "2003 - Coast Guard Units Deploy During the Iraq War". Coast Guard Aviation History. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  17. ↑ Coast Guard News (13 June 2008), Kuwait Duty , retrieved 20 January 2024
  18. ↑ "The Long Blue Line - 20 Years OIF: Combat Operations of Port Security Units during Operati". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  19. ↑ "170424-N-WN521-002". www.cusnc.navy.mil. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  20. ↑ Roth, Dawson (24 April 2019). "www.cusnc.navy.mil/Media/Photos/igphoto/2002120059/". cusnc.navy.mil. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  21. ↑ "Coast Guard Commissions 28th Fast Response Cutter". www.dcms.uscg.mil. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  22. ↑ Rogoway, Tyler; Trevithick, Joseph (14 April 2018). "Here Are All The Details The Pentagon Just Released Regarding Its Missile Attack On Syria (Updated)". The Drive. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  23. ↑ "PATFORSWA Receives Two New Sentinel-Class U.S. Coast Guard Fast Response Cutters". DVIDS. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  24. ↑ Burgess, Richard R. (10 December 2019). "Schultz: FRCs Expanding Coast Guard Reach in Pacific; Six Set for Persian Gulf". Seapower. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  25. ↑ "Bahrain". Chuck Hill's CG Blog. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  26. ↑ "U.S. Ship Seizes Illegal Narcotics in Gulf of Oman". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  27. ↑ "U.S. Coast Guard in Middle East Seizes $85 Million in Heroin". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  28. ↑ "U.S. Coast Guard Ship Seizes $48 Million in Drugs in Middle East". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  29. ↑ "U.S. Naval Forces Intercept Explosive Material Bound for Yemen". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  30. ↑ "U.S. Seizes $80 Million Heroin Shipment in Gulf of Oman". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  31. ↑ Armed Forces Dispatch (13 July 2023). "Armed Forces Dispatch Sixty-Third Year No.8" (PDF). www.navydispatch.com. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  32. ↑ "Coast Guard supports Operation Allies Welcome". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  33. ↑ Correspondent, Edward Lundquist, Special (21 June 2022). "Coast Guard's Force in Middle East Supports National Security Mission". Seapower. Retrieved 20 January 2024.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. ↑ "The Long Blue Line - 20 Years OIF: Coast Guard combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedo". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  35. ↑ RFE/RL. "Iranian Ships, U.S. Coast Guard Vessels Meet In Tense Gulf Encounter". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  36. ↑ Liebermann, Oren (27 April 2021). "Iranian attack boats harassed US warships in Persian Gulf again on Monday, Navy says | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  37. ↑ "United Nations Treaty Collection". treaties.un.org. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  38. ↑ "USCENTCOM Seizes Iranian Advanced Conventional Weapons Bound for Houthis". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  39. ↑ "Security Council Renews Travel Ban, Assets Freeze on Specific Individuals, Entities Threatening Peace in Yemen, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2675 (2023) | UN Press". press.un.org. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  40. ↑ "Resolution 2707". unscr.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  41. ↑ "Winston S. Churchill Seizes Illicit Weapons from Two Dhows off Somalia". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  42. ↑ "USS Monterey Seizes Illicit Weapons in the North Arabian Sea". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  43. ↑ "U.S. Navy Seizes 1,400 Assault Rifles During Illicit Weapons Interdiction". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  44. ↑ "U.S. Navy Ships Interdict Heroin Worth $4 Million with International Task Force". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  45. ↑ "U.S. Coast Guard Seizes Heroin Shipment in Gulf of Oman". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  46. 1 2 "U.S. Coast Guard Ship Seizes $48 Million in Drugs in Middle East". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  47. ↑ "U.S. Coast Guard in Middle East Seizes $85 Million in Heroin". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  48. ↑ "U.S. Naval Forces Intercept Explosive Material Bound for Yemen". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  49. ↑ "U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Interdicts Illegal Drugs Shipment in Arabian Sea". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  50. ↑ "U.S., International Forces Seize Illegal Drugs in Gulf of Oman". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  51. ↑ "U.S. Navy Ship Patrolling Middle East Seizes $42 Million in Drugs". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  52. ↑ "U.S. Seizes $80 Million Heroin Shipment in Gulf of Oman". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  53. ↑ "U.S. Coast Guard Seizes $30 Million in Drugs with International Task Force". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  54. ↑ "Combined Maritime Forces, U.S. Coast Guard Make $21 Million Drug Seizure in the Gulf of Om". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  55. 1 2 "CMF Forces Seize Illegal Drugs in Gulf of Oman". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  56. ↑ "CMF-assigned Cutter Seizes Hashish and Methamphetamines in North Arabian Sea". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  57. ↑ "First Drug Interdiction of the Year for CMF French-led Combined Task Force 150". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  58. ↑ "Illegal Drugs Seized by CMF French-led Combined Task Force 150 in Arabian Sea". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  59. ↑ "CENTCOM Intercepts Iranian Weapons Shipment Intended for Houthis". www.centcom.mil. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  60. ↑ "CENTCOM Intercepts Iranian Weapons Shipment Intended for Houthis". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  61. 1 2 "CMF's Combined Task Force 150 Seizes Nearly 400 Kilograms in Illegal Narcotics in the Arab". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  62. ↑ "Canadian-Led CTF 150 Seize Nearly 2,000kg of Narcotics in Two Interdictions in a Single Da". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  63. ↑ "U.S. Coast Guard ship renders aid to Iranian mariners". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  64. ↑ "PATFORSWA MET and HMS Portland Conduct Joint Exercise". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  65. ↑ "U.S. Coast Guard, Iraqi Navy Participate in PASSEX Exercise". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  66. ↑ "U.S. Forces and Bahrain Defense Force Completed Neon Response 19". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  67. ↑ "USS Normandy Conducts International Boarding Training". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  68. ↑ "USS Winston S. Churchill Completes International AOMSW Exercise". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  69. ↑ "IRGCN Interaction with U.S. Naval Vessels in the North Persian Gulf". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  70. ↑ "Unsafe and Unprofessional Interaction with IRGCN FIAC in Strait of Hormuz". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  71. ↑ "Kuwait and U.S. Naval Forces Complete Exercise Eager Defender 21". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  72. ↑ "New U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Visit Egypt Marking Arrival to 5th Fleet". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  73. ↑ "U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Visit Lebanon for Bilateral Exchanges". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  74. ↑ "New Coast Guard Cutters Visit Lebanon for 1st Middle East Stop". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  75. ↑ "Top Coast Guard Chefs Excel in Bahrain". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  76. ↑ "U.S. Coast Guard Ships Visit Pakistan". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  77. ↑ "U.S., UK and Saudi Arabia Complete Naval Exercise in Arabian Gulf". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  78. ↑ "U.S., Regional Partners Form Multinational Boarding Team in Middle East". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  79. ↑ "IMSC Task Force Completes Maritime Exercise with Unmanned Systems, A.I." U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  80. ↑ "U.S. Naval Forces Advances Interoperability Search and Rescue Exercise with the Royal Bahr". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  81. ↑ "Unmanned Surface Vessel Transits Strait of Hormuz with U.S. Coast Guard". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  82. ↑ "Eagle Resolve 23 Exercise with Saudi Arabia". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  83. ↑ "USS Firebolt Heroes Remembered, 20 Years On". U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.