Offices and Departments

U.S. Coast Guard Liaison Office

The position of the Coast Guard Liaison Officer (CGLO) was established in Nassau as part of continuing efforts to work with the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) and other maritime law enforcement partners including the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) Bahamas Customs and Immigration Departments, regarding matters of interest to both our nations involving maritime issues.

The Coast Guard Liaison Officer is the U.S. Government's representative for all Coast Guard issues in the Bahamas with the exception of the counter-drug mission which falls under the responsibility of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT). Most of the work of the Coast Guard Liaison Officer involves coordinating maritime illegal immigration issues. However, the Liaison Officer is also responsible for search and rescue, aids to navigation, vessel safety, and marine environmental protection as well as being responsible for handling all the clearance requests for Coast Guard cutters, aircraft, and personnel transiting to and through The Bahamas.  The CGLO is also extensively involved with coordinating training that is provided by the Military Liaison Office (MLO).  The Coast Guard provides subject matter expersts for a large number of courses provided to maritime law enforcement partners.   

Because search and rescue is such an important mission to the Coast Guard, the Liaison Officer also works closely with the RBDF and Bahamian volunteer organizations specifically BASRA (Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association) Nassau and BASRA Freeport, providing them with expert advise and assistance in improving the search and rescue efforts in The Bahamas.

Twenty-five five percent of the CGLO workload is obtaining clearances for U.S. Coast Guard cutters, aircraft, and personnel, needing to transit through the Bahamas. The remaining seventy-five percent of the workload is divided up between USCG/USN Ship port visit coordination, Embassy Official Protocol functions, Disaster Relief preparations, coordinating assistance and support for the Royal Bahamas Defense Force support, working with BASRA, and attending seminars.

Major Issues

Migrants: The US and The Bahamas maintain a close working relationship with regard to migrant issues. Cuban and Haitian migrants continue to land on Bahamian shores during their attempted transit to the US. Often the U.S. Coast Guard assists in transporting migrants located in remote areas, particularly in the Cay Sal Bank.

RBDF Partnership:  The U.S. Coast Guard has a long-standing relationship with the RBDF because of their unique similarity as an armed service that conducts both law enforcement and national defense.  The CGLO and Navy Liaison Office (NLO) work closely together to improve relationships and performance of the service.  A prime example of this cooperation is the Shiprider Program where 3 RBDF officers ride on U.S. Coast Guard Cutters each day to assist with enforcement of laws inside Bahamian territories.  

Clearances: Routine clearances for Coast Guard cutters, aircraft, and personnel involve coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  On any given day, approximately 200 Coast Guard personnel engage with The Bahamas in all aspects of maritime issues.  The CGLO is responsible for general overaight of most of this engagement. 

Search and Rescue (SAR): Any SAR cases involving Coast Guard assets in the Bahamas is coordinated with the Bahamian government.

Aids To Navigation: The USCG continues to work closely with the Nassau Port Authority and RBDF in providing resources, expertise and training in the field of Aids to Navigation.