Seventh Coast Guard District Fact Sheet

Topic: Charleston harbor security exercise

Release date: August 19, 2003

Contact: Public Affairs

==================================================================================== U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SEVENTH COAST GUARD DISTRICT ====================================================================================

Maritime Safety and Security Teams and the Special Mission Training Center

The Coast Guard has developed a maritime homeland security strategy that incorporates our core competencies into a layered operation that will push our maritime borders outward, and detect, deter, disrupt and intercept terrorist threats across the maritime domain as well as ensure the protection of maritime infrastructure from within.  This strategy recognizes that terrorism can strike from within our nation or from outside our territorial boundaries.  The Coast Guard is preparing to counter both vectors of attack.  This strategy is preemptive in nature, and requires the Coast Guard to develop special capabilities with new skills.  One of these required specialized capabilities is active duty Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSST’s).    Here is a snapshot of why a robust, layered maritime homeland security strategy is so important: In the U.S. there are: 95,000 miles of coastline 3.5 million square miles of EEZ 361 seaports  Maritime commerce is composed of: A maritime industry that contributes over $1 trillion to the GDP More than 7,500 ships and crews that make 51,000 port calls in the U.S. every yea More than 10 million cruise passengers annually One billion tons of petroleum Six million containers a year – 16,000 each day  MISSION: Multi-mission active duty mobile Maritime Safety and Security Teams, modeled after Coast Guard expeditionary Port Security Units (Reserve Component) and Law Enforcement Detachments, will be established regionally to protect military load-outs, enforce security zones (moving and fixed), defend critical waterside facilities in strategic ports, interdict illegal activities and provide a modest level of shore-side force protection.  Provide enhanced port safety and security and law enforcement capabilities to the economic or military significant port where they are based. Deploy in support of national special security events requiring Coast Guard presence, such as OpSail, Olympics, major disasters or storm recovery operations. Deploy on board cutters and other naval vessels to accomplish port safety and security, drug law enforcement, migrant interdiction or other maritime homeland security mission requirements. Respond to terrorist threats or incidents in ports and waterways throughout the country.    CAPABILITIES: Maritime interdiction and law enforcement Anti-terrorism/Force Protection of U.S. and Allied forces Weapons of Mass Destruction Detection Explosives Detection The MSSTs are deployable within 12 hours of notification, by truck and trailer or Coast Guard C-130 plane, to ports and waterways throughout the country.  MSST PERSONNEL: Each MSST will have approximately 100 active duty and Reserve personnel.  TRAINING: To support the training, development and effectiveness of our MSSTs and PSUs the Coast Guard has established the Special Maritime Training Center at Camp Lejeune, N.C.  Working with the Marine Corps this training center has established the syllabus and course of instruction to bring the new MSSTs to the required level of readiness and help to keep them there.   The SMTC improves the Coast Guard's operational excellence in its core competencies by providing specialized training to Coast Guard units including MSSTs, deployable PSUs, and small boat operators who conduct law enforcement and security missions requiring special tactics.   -uscg-