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The Coast Guard's Western Hemisphere Strategy makes it clear that
combating transnational organized criminal networks is a top
priority, and that the service will continually seek new methods and
assets for doing so.
One new method that has proven highly
successful in recent years has been the deployment of the Coast
Guard's maritime safety and security teams to assist with the
disruption of these networks throughout their known operating routes
in the Caribbean.
In many ways, MSSTs are a perfect fit for
the role. Although their core mission is ports, waterways, and
coastal security, the units have proven their versatility in
successfully completing a wide array of missions, from building
partner capacity and conducting counter-piracy overseas, to
conducting recreational boardings and providing safety for major
marine events.
Additionally, the expertise with this mission translates easily
to the counter-narcotics realm, as the two share a lot of
commonalities, such as boathandling and tactics employed. There are
certainly notable differences, but focused training makes the
transition seamless.
With such training, the teams have
proven to be up to the task—for a new mission set, yes, but with the
same team-focused attitude as always.
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April 2016 - Crew members aboard a 25-foot Response Boat-Small from Maritime Safety and Security Team Miami, conduct a security patrol in Tampa Bay, Florida. The MSST conducts security patrols in support of the Coast Guard's ports waterways and coastal security mission, and has recently undertaken additional responsibilities to support the Coast Guard's Western Hemisphere Strategy. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ashley J. Johnson)
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“Using MSSTs for this mission works, and the numbers show
that,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Duffy, commanding officer of
Maritime Safety and Security Team Miami.
The team has
garnered four drug busts and one migrant interdiction over
the course of three deployments to Sector San Juan.
“It's certainly a
testament to the professionalism and proficiency of our
people and the personnel from every other unit involved,”
said Duffy. “For MSSTs, a key to being successful is a sense
of humility. Wherever you go, you're one contributor to this
big team effort; you're there for a limited time to support
sectors and stations that are getting this job done day in
and day out.”
For MSST deployments to Puerto Rico,
the team effort is particularly wide-ranging, and it neatly
encapsulates the Coast Guard's commitment to building a
network culture while promoting unity of effort. In a
process designed and managed by the 7th Coast Guard
District, MSSTs assigned to the mission are put through a
work-up by the district's tactical law enforcement team,
then evaluated and certified by Station San Juan. From
there, the MSSTs work hand-in-hand with the station, under
the tactical control of Sector San Juan, which coordinates
intelligence-driven mission tasking.
While underway,
MSST crews often patrol and respond in concert with Customs
and Border Protection marine units, a partnership which
proves especially effective.
“Working with CBP is
great,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Alejandro Cordova, a
pursuit coxswain at MSST Miami. “We have built a strong
relationship that allows for expanded coverage within these
known trafficking areas and is essential to mission
execution.”
Most recently, MSSTs have taken on
partner-nation shipriders in order to extend combined
authorities into foreign waters, such as those of the
British Virgin Islands.
MSST efforts are closely
coordinated with Coast Guard cutters and aviation assets,
along with CBP aircraft, that are constantly patrolling and
extending reach and capabilities farther than any small boat
possibly could. In August 2015, an aviation asset vectored
Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous to intercept a northbound
go-fast. When the cutter arrived on scene, the go-fast
jettisoned its contraband and fled – straight toward an MSST
Miami crew that was likewise underway and headed at them.
The MSST apprehended the suspects, returned them to Cutter
Vigorous, and assisted the cutter with the recovery of 541
kg of cocaine.
“A successful outcome during these
operations really hinges on the multitude of surface and air
assets that the Coast Guard and partner agencies bring to
the table,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class David Figueroa, a
pursuit coxswain at MSST Miami. “When all these assets work
together, that needle in the haystack becomes easier to
find.”
Such operational successes are an
accomplishment in and of themselves; but more than that,
they show how the Coast Guard's commitment to teamwork is
bearing fruit.
“It's rewarding because, at a
deployable specialized forces unit, you're by definition
always going to an area of operational need,” said Duffy.
“At the same time, it's humbling because you're always going
there to be a contributor to a larger team that's already
doing great work; it really draws attention to the Coast
Guard's diversity of units and partnerships, and how they're
leveraged to get the job done.”
By U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Brett Gary
Provided
through
Coast
Guard
Copyright 2016
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