The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country’s seven uniformed services. Its overall mission is to ensure the safety, security and environmental stewardship of the nation’s waters. The Coast Guard has a wide range of responsibilities, including maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, environmental protection, port security and maintaining navigation aids.

Mission 

The Coast Guard works to ensure the safety of vessels, ports and waterways. This involves conducting search and rescue operations, enforcing safety regulations and responding to maritime emergencies. The Coast Guard also plays a crucial role in protecting the nation’s maritime borders and infrastructure from security threats such as terrorism, smuggling and illegal immigration. Doing so requires patrolling coastal waters, conducting security screenings and collaborating with other agencies on security initiatives. Another key responsibility is protecting marine environments and natural resources, such as enforcing environmental regulations, responding to oil spills and other pollution incidents, and promoting sustainable maritime practices. 

History 

Officially, the Coast Guard is older than the Navy. President Washington established the Revenue Cutter Service to enforce U.S. tariffs in 1790. The modern Coast Guard comes from the 1915 merger of the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life-Saving Service. It was named the Lifesaving Coast Guard. In 1939, the Lighthouse Service was added, and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation was brought on in 1946. 

Despite the belief that the Coast Guard is a close to shore service mostly concerned with navigational aids and coastal security, the Coast Guard is a blue-water or ocean-going maritime service with cutters operating in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans as well as operations in the Caribbean and Berring Seas. The Coast Guard operates Maritime Safety and Security Teams used to deter potential terrorist attacks on the seas, enhance force protection operations, enforce laws, aid in search and rescue missions, and board hostile ships in and around territorial waters.  

Ships like the USCGC Steadfast patrol the coastal waters of the United States and its territories on a variety of missions. The Steadfast is homeported out of Astoria, Oregon, on the Columbia River and monitors the “graveyard of the Pacific,” which includes the Columbia River basin and the coasts of Oregon and Washington and is known for rough seas and inclement weather year around. 

Rank 

The rank structure of the Coast Guard is similar to the Navy, with enlisted personnel and commissioned officers. Enlisted ranks range from seaman recruit to master chief petty officer, while officer ranks range from ensign to admiral. Like other branches of the military, Coast Guard personnel are assigned specific roles and responsibilities based on their rank and expertise.