Congratulations to our U.S. Coast Guard brethren on their 233 years of service! The United States Coast Guard, our maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's uniformed services, was established 04 August 1790 by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton as the Revenue Marine Service as part of the Tariff Act as the fledging country flexed its muscles to ensure commerce on the high seas. It later became the Revenue Cutter Service and, in 1915, was combined with the U.S. Lifesaving Service (formed 1878) to become the Coast Guard. Our Coast Guard is the oldest continuous seagoing service of the United States.
The U.S. Coast Guard reports directly to the civilian Secretary 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 under the Department of Defense as a service in the Department of the Navy.
There is no service with a more diverse mission which includes: Port and waterway security, Drug interdiction, Aids to navigation, Search and rescue, Illegal or unreported and unregulated fishing, Marine safety, Defense readiness, Migrant interdiction, Marine environmental protection, Ice operations, and of course Law enforcement.
As of December 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard's authorized force strength is 44,500 active duty personnel[16] and 7,000 reservists. The service's force strength also includes 8,577 full-time civilian federal employees and 31,000 uniformed volunteers of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. The service maintains an extensive fleet of roughly 250 coastal and ocean-going cutters, patrol ships, buoy tenders, tugs, and icebreakers; as well as nearly 2,000 small boats and specialized craft. It also maintains an aviation division consisting of more than 200 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. While the U.S. Coast Guard is the second smallest of the U.S. military service branches in terms of membership, the service by itself is the world's 12th largest naval force.
We salute our brethren in the Coast Guard as they plow the seas of the world ensuring Freedom of Commerce for our country and the world!
Information collected from Various sources.
For the Good of the Order