Coast Guard Work May Lack Glamour, But They Add Glitter to SEAL Skills

The Unofficial Coast Guard blog highlights this article on Coast Guard inspections. No 'sexy stuff' | Inspections are the first line of defense discusses Coast Guard inspection teams, and highlights an important detail, it is a largely forgotten aspect of the Coast Guard providing a vital national security service.

As part of the little-known but integral Coast Guard inspection team, Sheldon is among the first lines of defense that ensure the nation's ports are safe. His team works to prevent terrorists from sneaking into the country; ensure hazardous cargo is stored safely; and identify weapons such as dirty bombs early and keep them out of the ports.

"When most people think of the Coast Guard, they think of search-and-rescue missions and the drug trade — the sexy stuff." Sheldon said.

"Not many people know what our team does."

As I have mentioned previously, I had an opportunity to discuss the Coast Guard with Admiral Allen a few weeks ago, and while our discussion was primarily about the Coast Guard's Web 2.0 outreach program, I was able to ask a few Coast Guard specific questions.

One of those questions was in regards to the recent announcement that members of the Coast Guard would participate in the Navy SEAL program. My question was along the lines of: It is pretty clear the value the Navy SEALs can bring to the Coast Guard, but what capabilities does the Coast Guard bring to the Navy SEALs? My question was specific to the law enforcement capability the Coast Guard has, and whether this would be part of the capability the Navy SEALs would gain as Coast Guard members join the SEAL ranks.

The answer didn't discuss that aspect of my question, but it did address the capabilities the Coast Guard takes to the Navy SEALs. Admiral Allen emphasized the expertise of Coast Guard inspection teams, discussing the ability of Coast Guard inspectors to uncover hiding places better than most, and highlighted the skills and experience of Coasties in dealing with hiding places on ships. The ability and skills developed uncovering hidden storage compartments is taken for granted, or at least wasn't immediately evident from my point of view until he brought it up. Admiral Allen noted that the Army and Marines had to learn these skills in Iraq when attempting to find hidden weapons stashed by locals, and if I remember the conversation correctly, it was suggested the Coast Guard was able to contribute towards training those skills early in the process.

This article discussing the unsexy job of Coast Guard inspection teams reminded me of my discussion with Admiral Allen. Illegal narcotics trafficking constitutes a serious threat to the health and well-being of individuals and to international security as a whole, but the skills the Coast Guard utilize on a daily basis aren't specific to large containers on ships with bulk cargo. These same search and inspection skills are developed at a micro level, and will give our special operators in the future new capabilities in uncovering the little dangerous things that are easier concealed.

In other words, sure SEAL training will bring a lot to the Coast Guard as the process develops over time, but don't dismiss what the Coast Guard brings to the Navy SEALs. The addition of the daily skill sets, skills people like me have taken for granted in the past, bring unique value that shouldn't be overlooked.