2009 Embassy Events
The United States Coast Guard celebrates 219th Birthday
August 4, 2009
With more than 250,000 square miles of territorial waters and 12,000 miles of coastline under U.S. control, keeping our shores protected is a daunting responsibility. Yet the men and women of the United States Coast Guard, the smallest branch of the military, embrace the challenge and rise to meet it with pride.
On August 4, 1790, Alexander Hamilton led the Congress in authorizing the construction of 10 vessels to enforce tariff and trade laws, prevent smuggling and protect the collection of federal revenue. This small fleet would come to be known as the Revenue Cutter Service, and formed the origins of the modern Coast Guard.
When the Revenue Service merged with the United States Lifesaving Service in 1915, the Coast Guard adopted its present name. And the branch continued to expand in later years as it absorbed the Lighthouse and the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation. Today the Coast Guard carries out a wide range of duties with a fleet of more than 2,000 ships and boats, as well as helicopters and airplanes. More than 40,000 active-duty Coast Guardsmen, along with thousands more reservists and volunteers, conduct search and rescue missions, come to the aid of distressed ships, prevent crime, facilitate commercial activities and protect our natural resources. They are active along the oceanfront, but also serve in our major lakes and rivers, and around U.S. territories such as Guam and Puerto Rico. As a branch of the military, a maritime law enforcement agency and a federal regulatory agency all at once, the Coast Guard's versatility is truly unique.
An Evolving Mission
In the past decade alone, the Coast Guard has demonstrated its diverse capabilities through some of America's hardest times. In the years that followed 9/11, the Coast Guard reinforced its efforts to protect U.S. seaports against enemies of the country. Working closely with the U.S. Customs Agency and public port authorities, the Coast Guard has revamped security procedures and put more people and technology in place to make our shores safer than ever before.
In addition to its efforts at home, the Coast Guard contributes specialized resources to war efforts abroad, as it has in every major American conflict since the late 1700s. At the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom, there were 1,250 Coast Guard personnel deployed, including about 500 reservists.
Back on the home front, the Coast Guard provided enormous support in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, widely considered the worst natural disaster in American history. Coast Guardsmen alone rescued 33,500 people from flooded homes and streets. And in the year that followed, they worked around the clock to reopen the city's ports and waterways.
The Coast Guard is the smallest armed service of the United States, with 41,950 men and women on active duty.