A US Coast Guard for the 21St Century

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk (WMEC 913) and a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter flight crew conduct training evolutions in the Caribbean Sea, July 15, 2025. Seaman Corrie Gill /U.S. Coast Guard

Commentary

Following Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) shifted from the Department of Transportation into the newly formed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in order to bolster national security in the coastal areas, ports, and inland waterways.  Its 11 statutory missions remained the same, but greater collaboration kicked in with the armed forces housed at the Pentagon.  The DHS is a sprawling entity with several agencies all competing for adequate yearly funding.