United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a component of the United States Armed Forces that is responsible for maritime security, search and rescue operations, and law enforcement. It is also one of the eight uniformed services that make up the United States. The service is a maritime, military, multi-mission service that is unique among the branches of the United States armed forces in that it has a maritime law enforcement mission with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters as well as a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its duties. Additionally, the service is responsible for the protection of the nation's borders. It is the most capable and extensive coast guard in the world, and its size and capabilities match those of the majority of the world's navies.

The United States Coast Guard is a service that assists those in need and also provides protection. It defends the nation's sovereignty by preserving sea lines of communication and commerce across vast territorial waters spanning 95,000 miles of coastline and its Exclusive Economic Zone. Additionally, it guards the borders of the United States as well as the nation's economic and security interests that are located in other countries. Because national and economic security are dependent upon open global trade and a rules-based international order, and because transnational threats through the maritime and cyber domains pose an ever-increasing risk, the United States Coast Guard is constantly deployed to and operating on all seven continents, as well as in cyberspace, in order to save lives, enforce laws, ensure safe and secure commerce, and protect the environment. The United States Coast Guard, much like its older brother, the United States Navy, maintains a worldwide presence via the use of people who are permanently stationed in different parts of the globe and by the regular deployment of units to littoral and blue-water areas. Numerous conflict hotspots have emerged all over the globe as a direct result of the emergence of great power rivalry and hostile challenges to a rules-based international order. These challenges have taken the form of aggression between states, economic coercion, and marine hybrid warfare. Over the more openly confrontational character of "grey hulled" warships, the adaptable, multi-mission "white hull" fleet of the United States Coast Guard is leveraged as a force of both diplomatic soft power and humanitarian and security aid. It is a humanitarian service that saves tens of thousands of lives each year at sea and in the waters of the United States. Additionally, it provides emergency response and disaster management for a wide variety of natural and man-made catastrophic incidents in the United States and throughout the world.

On January 28, 1915, under the auspices of the United States Department of the Treasury, the United States Revenue Cutter Service and the United States Life-Saving Service merged to establish the modern-day United States Coast Guard. The United States Lighthouse Service was incorporated into the United States Coast Guard the same year, 1939. Since 1790, the United States Coast Guard, which is one of the country's six military forces, has been mobilised to support and fight in every major conflict that the United States has been involved in. These conflicts range from the "Quasi-War" with France to the "Global War on Terrorism."

Additionally, the service's force strength is comprised of 8,577 full-time civilian government workers as well as 31,000 uniformed volunteers who are a part of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. In addition to the over 2,000 small boats and specialised vessels that are also part of its fleet, the service operates an enormous fleet that includes around 250 coastal. In addition to that, it has an aviation division that is made up of more than 200 helicopters and aircraft with fixed wings. In terms of the number of people who serve in it, the United States Coast Guard is the second-smallest branch of the United States Armed Forces. Nevertheless, the Coast Guard is the world's twelfth biggest naval force on its own.