USCGC DALLAS (WHEC 716)
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
MISSION
Maritime drug interdiction is the "bread and butter" of Dallas' missions. Nearly every deployment is focused on the reduction of drug trafficking in the Caribbean. The Coast Guard has recently begun Operation New Frontier by employing armed helicopters to aid in the counter-narcotics effort directed specifically at the threat of high speed boats ("go-fasts") which until recently could carry large quantities of narcotics across the ocean with little fear of being apprehended. Along with her sister ship, Gallatin, Dallas has been one of the pioneers in this new arena. Working under the tactical control of the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force (JIATF) Dallas along with numerous other Coast Guard, US Naval, and Foreign Naval aircraft and vessels carry on a constant battle with drug cartels on both the eastern and western sides of Central America.
The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for maritime drug interdiction and shares lead responsibility for air interdiction with the U.S. Customs Service. As such, it is a key player in combating the flow of illegal drugs to the United States. The Coast Guard's mission is to reduce the supply of drugs from the source by denying smugglers the use of air and maritime routes in the Transit Zone, a six million square mile area, including the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Pacific. In meeting the challenge of patrolling this vast area, the Coast Guard coordinates closely with other federal agencies and countries within the region to disrupt and deter the flow of illegal drugs. In addition to deterrence, Coast Guard drug interdiction accounts for nearly 56% of all U.S. government seizures of cocaine each year. For Fiscal Year 2000 the rate of Coast Guard cocaine seizures alone had an estimated import value of approximately $4.4 billion.
In 1870, Chinese immigrants became the first known drug smugglers when they began smuggling opium in merchant ship cargoes and baggage. Since then, drug smuggling by maritime routes has grown in size, scope and sophistication as demand skyrocketed. For example, around the turn of the century, when cocaine use was first in vogue, a relatively limited amount of the population was directly affected by the problems of cocaine abuse. But in later years, as the drugs of choice shifted from cocaine to heroin and opium, then later to marijuana and back to cocaine, drug smugglers began utilizing maritime sea and air routes to transport larger shipments of drugs to the U.S. For nearly a century, the maritime drug smuggling business slowly evolved while the Coast Guard focused its attention on the major events of the day, including World War I, Prohibition, World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars.
During the 1920's Congress tasked the Coast Guard with enforcing the 18th Amendment, necessitating a dramatic increase in resources and funding for the Coast Guard. The massive effort needed to curtail the substantial level of alcohol smuggling required the single largest appropriation for personnel and new ship construction in its history. In addition, the Navy transferred more than 20 WWI-era destroyers and minesweepers for conversion to the Coast Guard's battle with rum-runners, which ended with the 21st Amendment repealing Prohibition. The Coast Guard's unique expertise in countering smuggling operations also came into play during the Vietnam War, when the Navy asked for our expertise to support "Operation Market Time," an intensive multi-year campaign to stop the Communist flow of arms and supplies by sea. The Coast Guard utilized its expertise in stopping smuggling while facilitating legitimate commerce. Our patrol boats and cutters patrolled 1,200 miles of coastline and had to contend with more than 60,000 junks and sampans. The Coast Guard and Navy's success in "Operation Market Time," substantially reduced the amount of at- sea smuggling, forcing the Viet Cong to use the longer and more difficult land route of the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Shortly after the war in Vietnam ended, the Coast Guard found itself fighting another war--a war that is still going on today with a determined, well-financed opposition. In the early 1970's maritime drug smuggling became a much more significant problem for the Coast Guard and we began making seizures while engaged in other operations, like Search and Rescue and Fisheries Law Enforcement. 1973 saw a dramatic increase in smuggling attempts and the Coast Guard conducted its first Coast Guard-controlled seizure on March 8, 1973, when the USCGC Dauntless boarded a 38-foot sports fisherman, the Big L and arrested its master and crew, with more than a ton of marijuana on board. Since then, the Coast Guard has seized countless tons of marijuana and cocaine. Since Fiscal Year 1997 to present, the Coast Guard has seized 540,476 pounds of cocaine and 270,060 pounds of marijuana.
HOMELAND SECURITY
The United States Coast Guard's homeland security mission is not new to us. It is more visible today than it was prior to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, but it is just as important as it was when we first began protecting our national sovereignty 211 years ago. The Coast Guard maintains a clear vision and a keen sense of vigilance while keeping watch for threats to our security and those who would do us harm.
As part of Operation Noble Eagle, the Coast Guard is at a heightened state of alert protecting more than 361 ports and 95,000 miles of coastline, America’s longest border. Following the events of September 11, 2001 Dallas deployed off the coast of the southeastern United States in support of Operation Noble Eagle. Her mission was to act as barrier for possible threats attempting to enter the United States by conducting boarding's and interrogations on dozens of vessels entering US waterways.
The Coast Guard's homeland security role includes:
- Protect ports, the flow of commerce, and the marine transportation system from terrorism.
- Maintain maritime border security against illegal drugs, illegal aliens, firearms, and weapons of mass destruction.
- Ensure that we can rapidly deploy and re-supply our military assets, both by keeping Coast Guard units at a high state of readiness, and by keeping marine transportation open for the transit assets and personnel from other branches of the armed forces.
- Protect against illegal fishing and indiscriminate destruction of living marine resources, prevention and response to oil and hazardous material spills--both accidental and intentional.
- Coordinate efforts and intelligence with federal, state, and local agencies.
Operation Noble Eagle refers to U.S. military operations associated with homeland defense and civil support to federal, state and local agencies in the United States, and includes the increased security measures taken after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The operation involves joint agency coordination and cooperation to ensure our nation and borders are protected from future attacks. An increased presence will prevent and deter those who would cause harm to innocent Americans.
SEARCH AND RESCUE
Search and Rescue (SAR) is one of the Coast Guard's oldest missions. Minimizing the loss of life, injury, property damage or loss by rendering aid to persons in distress and property in the maritime environment has always been a Coast Guard priority. Coast Guard SAR response involves multi-mission stations, cutters, aircraft and boats linked by communications networks. The National SAR Plan divides the U.S. area of SAR responsibility into internationally recognized inland and maritime SAR regions. The Coast Guard is the Maritime SAR Coordinator. To meet this responsibility, the Coast Guard maintains SAR facilities on the East, West and Gulf coasts; in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico, as well as on the Great Lakes and inland U.S. waterways. The Coast Guard is recognized worldwide as a leader in the field of search and rescue.
Dallas has participated in numerous Search and Rescue cases throughout her thirty-seven year history. One of the most notable cases was the Shuttle Challenger disaster of 1986 in which Dallas was called upon to act as on scene commander for dozens of Coast Guard and Naval vessels and aircraft. Based on Dallas' operational capabilities she is frequently called upon to take charge of high profile cases.
DEFENSE OPERATIONS
For more than 210 years, the Coast Guard has served the nation as one of the five armed forces. Throughout its distinguished history, the Coast Guard has enjoyed a unique relationship with the Navy. By statute, the Coast Guard is an armed force, operating in the joint arena at any time and functioning as a specialized service under the Navy in time of war or when directed by the President. It also has command responsibilities for the U.S. Maritime Defense Zone, countering potential threats to American's coasts, ports, and inland waterways through numerous port-security, harbor-defense, and coastal-warfare operations and exercises.
Dallas has performed countless operations in support of National Defense both off the shores of domestic and foreign soil. Beginning with the Vietnam War where Dallas engaged in over 161 Naval gunfire support missions she has played an integral part of National Security at home and abroad. Dallas frequently deploys with US Naval and foreign naval units in support of this mission. Recent deployments have been to the Mediterranean where Dallas trains with the US Sixth Fleet and foreign naval and coast guard units in support of multi-national exercises to increase cooperation between the US and foreign countries.
MIGRANT INTERDICTION
As the primary maritime law enforcement agency, the Coast Guard is tasked with enforcing immigration law at sea. The Coast Guard conducts patrols and coordinates with other federal agencies and foreign countries to interdict undocumented migrants at sea, denying them entry via maritime routes to the U.S., its territories and possessions. Interdicting migrants at sea means they can be quickly returned to their countries of origin without the costly processes required if they successfully enter the United States.
Migrant Interdiction has been a large part of Dallas' history. She has assumed command of multiple task units during mass illegal immigrant migrations during her history.
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