US Coast Guard

The Gardes-côtes of the United States ( United States Coast Guard , USCG) are a branch of the Armed forces of the United States and are implied in the application of the laws at sea, the assistance with the sailors, the Sauvetage at sea and the National defense.
Belonging to the armed forces, their mission is to protect the public, the environment, as well as safety and the interests of the United States in any maritime area or these interests could be threatened, including in international water or on the American dimensions, in the ports and on the inland waterways of the country.

Created the January 28th 1915, the coastguards are since the February 25th 2003 under the responsibility of the Département of the Internal security, contrary to the other branches of the armed forces which depend on the Department of Defense.

However, in the event of declaration of war and when the Congress or the President of the United States decides it, the coastguards pass by again under the control of the Department of Defense, like a service of the department of the navy. In January 2005, the coastguards counted 39000 men and women in active service, 8100 reservists, 7000 employees civil and 35000 auxiliaries.

History

The coastguards draw their origins from the Revenue Cutter Service creates in 1790, like a service of the Département of the Treasury. Until the creation of the Navy of the United States, nearly 10 years later, Cutter Service was the only naval force of the very new republic. In addition to the perception of the Customs duties, Cutter Service ensured coastal defense.

The modern version of the coastguards goes back to 1915, when Cutter Service amalgamated with the Service of Rescue at sea of the United States ( United States Life-Saving Service ) and that the Congrès of the United States formalized the existence of the new organization. In 1939, the Service of the headlights ( U.S. Lighthouse Service ) was integrated into the organization and, in 1942, the Office of the maritime inspection and navigation ( Bureau off Navy Inspection and Navigation ) was in its turn transferred to the coastguards. In 1967, the responsibility for the coastguards was entrusted to the Département for Transport, until 2003, or they passed under the control of the department of the internal security

Organization

The USCG is directed by a Admiral named for 4 years whose staff is with Washington.

Coasts Guards are divided into two great commands with a Rear-admiral at their head: for the Pacific Ocean (seat with San Francisco) and for the Atlantic (seat with Portsmouth, Virginia).

The Littoral US is divided into 10 Coast Guard District .

The annual budget is of 7 billion US dollars.

The officers are trained with the U.S. Coast Guard Academy which is since 1932 with New London, Connecticut which forms 175 annually of them nowadays.

Materials

This service has 230 large Navire S of which largest is a Brise-glace measuring 16 000 T. and 2 000 others of less than 20 Mr.

Its air fleet includes/understands approximately 40 Avion S including more than 20 HC-130 H '' Hercules '' of which planes Radar S, a dozen Guardian (Falcon 20 of Dassault), and 150 Hélicoptère S whose 92 HH-65 has '' Dolphin '' Eurocopter, HH-60J Jayhawk and 8 light helicopters of attack A-109 Power Agusta.

The 12 cutters of the type Hamilton are currently the largest ships of patrol armed with this service with 115 m length, 2 700 tons and an important armament: 1 gun of 76 mm, 1 CIWS Phalanx , 2 guns of 25 mm and 4 Machine-gun S of 12,7 mm, 1 helicopter, with possibility of assembling 8 missiles anti-ship Harpoon.

They will be replaced starting from 2008 by ships of 5 000 T. within the framework of the program “Deepwater” of modernization of this fleet which will see amongst other things the use of Drone S.

References

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