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Jim_from_GA t1_iwgi99x wrote

Why is the US Coast Guard operating in the Gulf of Oman? I'm not up to date on their mandate, but I don't see how that is guarding our coasts.

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Cricket_Vee t1_iwgjqzy wrote

The USCG is responsible for protecting economic and security interests abroad. The Gulf of Oman is a key strategic location and the USCG stays very active in that area.

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Harris828 t1_iwgmedd wrote

The real answer is that the Coast Guard falls under the department of Homeland Security rather than the department of defense. Because of this, the coast guard can take actions overseas that the navy cannot without them being considered an act of war.

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wufiavelli t1_iwgu9o5 wrote

One of my uncles got sent to Vietnam under the coast guard when it was under the treasury. They kept very meticulous records.

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johnny_memetic t1_iwhmcmp wrote

The real real answer is the USCG are police and can carry out law enforcement actions without the pesky military jurisdiction thing. That's why their flag is hoisted higher than the national Ensign during AAVs.

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tsunami141 t1_iwhomtm wrote

> without them being considered an act of war.

I know nothing about this - is this broadly accepted as truth by the world at large or is it just something that we can point to when we get accused of intervention and it allows us to act all innocent like "nah bro it was the USCG so everything is alright we ain't doin nothing"

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D3adInsid3 t1_iwhm1sk wrote

It's because nobody wants to be regime-changed but that just doesn't sound good lol.

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SmokeyUnicycle t1_iwgn97s wrote

The responsibility of the Coast Guard is not simply guarding America's water borders, but also maintaining safety and security in the international maritime trade network.

The US is very heavily tied into the world economy and most of the transportation of goods is done via ship.

https://www.uscg.mil/About/Force-Laydown/

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WheresMyCrown t1_iwhbacz wrote

Because the US Navy and Coast Guard foot the bill for protecting the entire worlds shipping lanes more or less to keep the prices of said goods in said shipping lanes down. You want stable economies relying on shipping goods across the world?

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aew360 t1_iwhw2ld wrote

Lot of people will likely complain about the cost but it’s smart. Gets them live practice and helps global supply chains. I like it

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RKU69 t1_iwibs0n wrote

If that's their desire, they should stop destroying countries and stoking civil wars around important shipping lanes. In this case the main purpose of the US military has been to help blockade Yemen while Saudi Arabia and the UAE try to bomb it into submission.

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Thac0 t1_iwgwo0c wrote

When I was in the USCG we had cutters going over to Iraq and also port security teams. At that time we were under DoT. The coast Guard operates globally as maritime law enforcement for the U.S.

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IamSauerKraut t1_iwiinrm wrote

Thank you for your service. The USCG gets neither adequate recognition nor enough thanks for what it does.

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Thac0 t1_iwiiz3i wrote

You’re welcome. Most of the time people forget it’s even one of the armed services. Or they make puddle pirate jokes. No respect 🫡🤪

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that1LPdood t1_iwhdqsc wrote

The coast guard has been operating around the world for decades, yo.

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mtarascio t1_iwh3p32 wrote

> but I don't see how that is guarding our coasts.

So literal lol.

They protect the US with the assets and expertise they have.

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diablosinmusica t1_iwgizu6 wrote

I found that very odd too. When I read the title I assumed it was found off the US coast.

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marti810 t1_iwgjkoo wrote

I had a buddy in the Coast Guard stationed in the Persian Gulf. He guarded ports in Bahrain.

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diablosinmusica t1_iwh5u1p wrote

Before this article, I had no idea the US Coast Gaurd had such a wide responsibility. After some thought, it does make sense that the Navy and Coast Gaurd would serve different rolls.

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Morgrid t1_iwhkq7l wrote

One of the duties of the USCG is protecting Navy ships in harbor and confined waterways.

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TheOnlySars t1_iwiatwc wrote

I hear that the China is protecting the South China Sea from pirates

Sorry when did we make the US the world police and we know how corrupt police are.

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sb_747 t1_iwizvpj wrote

> Sorry when did we make the US the world police

When the Royal Navy fell apart.

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Nexus_of_Fate87 t1_iwkc79j wrote

>I hear that the China is protecting the South China Sea from pirates

China are the pirates in the SCS.

>Sorry when did we make the US the world police and we know how corrupt police are.

Well, there were a couple of small wars that occurred in the first half of the 20th century that resulted in the US being the only nation with the capability of force to sufficiently protect a globalized economy that many countries wanted to engage in, so they were literally invited by many countries to do so.

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unclecaveman1 t1_iwgilwe wrote

It wasn’t the US coast guard. It was the US Navy and Coast Guard.

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Jim_from_GA t1_iwgj166 wrote

My understanding is that is the US Coast Guard and the US Navy. Help me understand how it is not.

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Jim_from_GA t1_iwgl69r wrote

Thanks for all the info about the mission of the Coast Guard and thank you to all that have, do and will serve in it.

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reflUX_cAtalyst t1_iwgnmi5 wrote

Not anymore. US Coast Guard is under the Department of Homeland Security. They used to be under the Navy but not anymore.

EDIT: Since 2003. Coast Guard is not under the Department of Defense at all. https://www.uso.org/stories/2799-what-does-the-coast-guard-do-and-7-coast-guard-facts-to-know Point number 2. Not DoD.

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Noahdl88 t1_iwgz8ys wrote

Since 1945, prior to 2003 it was DOT, and for some time before that it was the Department of the Treasury.

Only during a declared war, and subject to the direction of the president, does the CG become a function of the navy.

They are separate because they have totally different mission sets, one fights wars, the other one protects our national interests though maritime security, safety, environmental protection, and treaty enforcement.

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SmokeyUnicycle t1_iwgncte wrote

The Coast Guard does play a role I don't know why people are saying it's not.

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iamtoe t1_iwgkg4o wrote

Yeah I looked up the ship to confirm, USCGC John Scheuerman, definitely a US Coast Guard ship. Brand new too, was just commissioned in February. Why in the hell are we sending our coast guard ships to the other side of the world. Thats what the Navy is for.

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SmokeyUnicycle t1_iwgnpdw wrote

This comes from a misunderstanding of what the Coast Guard is for.

Maritime trade is what makes the world economy run and the US is the biggest part of that economy.

The Coast Guard has a responsibility to maintaining shipping lanes as safe and secure, and enforcing international law such as UN sanctions.

They can also be roped in by the Navy for military purposes when necessary but I'm not sure if that happened here or not.

Regardless the US Coast Guard operates all over the world

https://www.uscg.mil/About/Force-Laydown/

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unclecaveman1 t1_iwgnpzg wrote

Coast Guard serves as the maritime law enforcement arm of the Navy when matters of war are involved.

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unclecaveman1 t1_iwgknin wrote

The US Coast Guard is the maritime policing wing of US military. It acts under the control of the Navy when matters of war are considered. As this supposedly involves an ongoing conflict, I imagine they had jurisdiction in that area. In peacetime the Coast Guard acts under the DHS so it would have nothing to do with waters in the Gulf of Yemen.

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reflUX_cAtalyst t1_iwgnstd wrote

They are under DHS completely now. They separated from the Navy entirely in 2003. The US Coast Guard is not controlled by the Department of Defense at all.

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unclecaveman1 t1_iwgok2l wrote

Tell that to the Coast Guard, I don’t think they know.

https://www.gocoastguard.com/about-the-coast-guard/learn-the-history

“In times of peace, the Coast Guard operates as part of the Department of Homeland Security, enforcing the nation's laws at sea, protecting the marine environment, guarding the nation's vast coastline and ports, and performing vital life saving missions. In times of war, or at the direction of the President, the Coast Guard serves under the Department of the Navy, defending the nation against terrorism and foreign threats.”

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Curbside_Hero t1_iwguf1y wrote

While that is true, this is not one of those times where the CG is operating under the Navy. That has not happened since WWII.

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Inappropriateangel t1_iwi78pr wrote

If you scroll down like 2 inches on that link, it actually has a timeline of which departments the coast guard was under at what time with dates and states that the coast guard is now fully under Homeland security now.

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SmokeyUnicycle t1_iwgngh0 wrote

It is also a law enforcement agency so it has the responsibility of enforcing things like maritime sanctions.

I'm not sure under which capacity it's operating under but I don't really think it matters

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sevotlaga t1_iwgo9so wrote

The article specifically names US coast guard ship John Scheuerman.

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unclecaveman1 t1_iwgosp4 wrote

Yes, I was pointing out it was a joint affair. Not that it matters, the coast guard deals with maritime law and defending from foreign threats and terrorism, and was working in an official capacity as law enforcement with the navy.

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