January 10, 2013 — While Congress narrowly averted sending the nation over the fiscal cliff, the next storm looms on the horizon in the form of the debt ceiling and looming spending cuts. Only this time, instead of playing the role of heroes, the men and women of the Coast Guard stand to be among the victims.
Despite its vital and omnipresent role protecting America's shores and our mariners from harm, the Coast Guard's budget has been steadily declining in recent years, even as its role has expanded to include maritime homeland security.
The time has come to recognize the true value of the Coast Guard's mission and to include its operations as part of an integrated national defense budget.
Unlike our nation's other military branches, the Coast Guard is not housed in the Department of Defense. It moved from the Department of Transportation to Homeland Security in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and took on an enhanced suite of responsibilities combating the threat of waterborne terrorism.
Because of the history of terror attacks on American soil, we often think first of them arriving via aircraft or in the form of bombings, yet maritime threats have at least as much potential for destruction. In 2008, when Pakistani terrorists mounted a massive assault on 11 sites in Mumbai, India, most of them arrived in the city by way of hijacked fishing boats. In the current geopolitical climate, one of the most likely scenarios for a large-scale terrorist attack involves smuggling a nuclear device across our borders through a seaport. In this case, the Coast Guard — not the U.S. Navy — would be our first line of defense.
Read the full story at the Baltimore Sun