MOAA Professional Series
Academy in Annapolis, Md., and the National War College in Washington, D.C. An Olmsted scholar, he also holds an
M.A. from Georgetown University. He currently is involved in counternarcotics with the Department of Justice.
The United States Coast Guard as a Tool for International Diplomacy
tions. In many cases, small, unstable nations that lie ad- jacent to failed states are at risk of being swallowed up by the lawlessness and chaos that lie next door. To con- front these threats, or at least help mitigate them, we should promote the United States Coast Guard’s unique position to help boost the regional security, political stability, and economic cooperation among the world’s developing nations. The U.S. Coast Guard is a multimission armed ser- vice of the United States, and on a daily basis, this smallest branch of the military deals with a broad range of issues ranging from alien migration interdiction to maritime drug trafficking, from fisheries enforcement to counterterrorism, search and rescue, and environ- mental hazards and mitigation. This list is not by any means exhaustive. The Coast Guard boasts responsi- bility for 11 major maritime and national security mis- sions. Perhaps the most interesting part of the Coast Guard, from a legal standpoint, is that it is the only in- strument of the federal government that possesses both military authorities and civil law enforcement powers. Via provisions of Title 10 and Title 14 of the United States Code, the Coast Guard can simultaneously en- gage in national defense missions while also carrying out (and arresting violators of ) federal criminal law. These broad powers distinguish the Coast Guard from
A
nearly every other agency within the U.S. government, and it is a distinction that can be put to good use in the field of international security assistance and cooperation. The fol- lowing are some general examples of how the Coast Guard uses its diverse mission sets to foster goodwill, gain trust, and establish rapport with a variety of nations. Developing nations throughout Africa and the Middle
East: Nigeria, Liberia, Sri Lanka, and even Yemen have all looked to the U.S. for technical support and training to help start their own nascent coast guard forces. All of
s we enter the second decade of the 21st century, it’s evident that the most pressing threats to the security of the United States now originate in fragile, developing na-
these countries recognize an emerging maritime threat (the Mumbai terrorist attacks are a good example), and each of these governments sees a functioning coast guard as a way to preserve their sometimes fragile power and assure some regional stability. South and Central America: Nations such as Colom-
bia, Panama, and Mexico already have well-established maritime forces, but they still look to the United States for tactical advice, weapons expertise, and policy guid- ance. Furthermore, these (and other Latin American nations) are the grateful recipients of new and surplus (but highly useful) U.S. military equipment. The Coast Guard runs a robust “Foreign Military Sales” program that allows participating nations to “dovetail” onto U.S. acquisitions contracts that are already in place … and for a minimal price. This practice helps boost goodwill. The Pacific Rim: Generally speaking, the culture of
established Pacific Rim nations is less confrontational in nature and more concerned with promoting trade or elevating humanitarian missions. In this arena, the Coast Guard is more likely to help broker fisheries ne- gotiations, engage in benign “joint operations,” or offer training and expertise in such noncontroversial fields as search and rescue. One of the first official military delegations into Vietnam after two decades of cold re- lations was a U.S. Coast Guard international training team helping the Vietnamese build their own maritime search and rescue capabilities. In conclusion, the State Department, the Department of Defense, and the intelligence community at large, should be looking to the U.S. Coast Guard as a mecha- nism to help improve relations with nations who share our overall security interests but for historical or cultural reasons have been difficult to reach out to in the past. — Cmdr. Andrew G. Dutton, USCG, is assigned to the
Office of Aviation Safety at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Although his primary duties are avi- ation-specific, he has participated in several Coast Guard international engagement efforts. He plans to retire from the service Feb. 1, 2013.
The Missing Veterans T
he generation of Americans that came of age during the ’6os and is now beginning to draw Social Security has seen many changes in our country. Some of the changes, such
as the increased presence of women at all levels in the workplace and the spread of cities into what had once been countryside, are very evident. Other changes are not so apparent.
[CONTINUES ON PAGE 83] NOVEMBER 2012 MILITARY OFFICER 69
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