USCGC DALLAS (WHEC 716)

CHARLESTON, SOUTH
CAROLINA

MISSION

Maritime drug interdiction is the "bread
and butter" of Dallas' missions. Nearly every deployment is focused
on the reduction of drug trafficking in the Caribbean. The Coast Guard has
recently begun Operation New Frontier by employing armed helicopters to
aid in the counter-narcotics effort directed specifically at the threat of
high speed boats ("go-fasts") which until recently could carry
large quantities of narcotics across the ocean with little fear of being
apprehended. Along with her sister ship, Gallatin, Dallas has been one of
the pioneers in this new arena. Working under the tactical control of the
Joint Inter-Agency Task Force (JIATF) Dallas along with numerous other Coast
Guard, US Naval, and Foreign Naval aircraft and vessels carry on a constant
battle with drug cartels on both the eastern and western sides of Central
America.

The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for maritime drug interdiction
and shares lead responsibility for air interdiction with the U.S. Customs
Service. As such, it is a key player in combating the flow of illegal drugs
to the United States. The Coast Guard's mission is to reduce the supply of
drugs from the source by denying smugglers the use of air and maritime routes
in the Transit Zone, a six million square mile area, including the Caribbean,
Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Pacific. In meeting the challenge of patrolling
this vast area, the Coast Guard coordinates closely with other federal agencies
and countries within the region to disrupt and deter the flow of illegal drugs.
In addition to deterrence, Coast Guard drug interdiction accounts for nearly
56% of all U.S. government seizures of cocaine each year. For Fiscal Year
2000 the rate of Coast Guard cocaine seizures alone had an estimated import
value of approximately $4.4 billion.

In 1870, Chinese immigrants became the
first known drug smugglers when they began smuggling opium in merchant ship
cargoes and baggage. Since then, drug smuggling by maritime routes has grown
in size, scope and sophistication as demand skyrocketed. For example, around
the turn of the century, when cocaine use was first in vogue, a relatively
limited amount of the population was directly affected by the problems of
cocaine abuse. But in later years, as the drugs of choice shifted from cocaine
to heroin and opium, then later to marijuana and back to cocaine, drug smugglers
began utilizing maritime sea and air routes to transport larger shipments
of drugs to the U.S. For nearly a century, the maritime drug smuggling business
slowly evolved while the Coast Guard focused its attention on the major events
of the day, including World War I, Prohibition, World War II, the Korean and
Vietnam wars.

During the 1920's Congress tasked the Coast
Guard with enforcing the 18th Amendment, necessitating a dramatic increase
in resources and funding for the Coast Guard. The massive effort needed to
curtail the substantial level of alcohol smuggling required the single largest
appropriation for personnel and new ship construction in its history. In addition,
the Navy transferred more than 20 WWI-era destroyers and minesweepers for
conversion to the Coast Guard's battle with rum-runners, which ended with
the 21st Amendment repealing Prohibition. The Coast Guard's unique expertise
in countering smuggling operations also came into play during the Vietnam
War, when the Navy asked for our expertise to support "Operation Market
Time," an intensive multi-year campaign to stop the Communist flow of
arms and supplies by sea. The Coast Guard utilized its expertise in stopping
smuggling while facilitating legitimate commerce. Our patrol boats and cutters
patrolled 1,200 miles of coastline and had to contend with more than 60,000
junks and sampans. The Coast Guard and Navy's success in "Operation Market
Time," substantially reduced the amount of at- sea smuggling, forcing
the Viet Cong to use the longer and more difficult land route of the infamous
Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Shortly after the war in Vietnam ended,
the Coast Guard found itself fighting another war--a war that is still going
on today with a determined, well-financed opposition. In the early 1970's
maritime drug smuggling became a much more significant problem for the Coast
Guard and we began making seizures while engaged in other operations, like
Search and Rescue and Fisheries Law Enforcement. 1973 saw a dramatic increase
in smuggling attempts and the Coast Guard conducted its first Coast Guard-controlled
seizure on March 8, 1973, when the USCGC Dauntless boarded a 38-foot sports
fisherman, the Big L and arrested its master and crew, with more than a ton
of marijuana on board. Since then, the Coast Guard has seized countless tons
of marijuana and cocaine. Since Fiscal Year 1997 to present, the Coast Guard
has seized 540,476 pounds of cocaine and 270,060 pounds of marijuana.

HOMELAND SECURITY

The United States Coast Guard's homeland security
mission is not new to us. It is more visible today than it was prior to the
tragic events of September 11, 2001, but it is just as important as it was
when we first began protecting our national sovereignty 211 years ago. The
Coast Guard maintains a clear vision and a keen sense of vigilance while keeping
watch for threats to our security and those who would do us harm.

As part of Operation Noble Eagle, the Coast
Guard is at a heightened state of alert protecting more than 361 ports and
95,000 miles of coastline, America’s longest border. Following the events
of September 11, 2001 Dallas deployed off the coast of the southeastern United
States in support of Operation Noble Eagle. Her mission was to act as barrier
for possible threats attempting to enter the United States by conducting
boarding's
and interrogations on dozens of vessels entering US waterways.

The Coast Guard's homeland security role includes:

Operation Noble Eagle refers to U.S. military
operations associated with homeland defense and civil support to federal,
state and local agencies in the United States, and includes the increased
security measures taken after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The operation
involves joint agency coordination and cooperation to ensure our nation and
borders are protected from future attacks. An increased presence will prevent
and deter those who would cause harm to innocent Americans.

SEARCH AND RESCUE

Search and Rescue (SAR) is one of the Coast
Guard's oldest missions. Minimizing the loss of life, injury, property damage
or loss by rendering aid to persons in distress and property in the maritime
environment has always been a Coast Guard priority. Coast Guard SAR response
involves multi-mission stations, cutters, aircraft and boats linked by communications
networks. The National SAR Plan divides the U.S. area of SAR responsibility
into internationally recognized inland and maritime SAR regions. The Coast
Guard is the Maritime SAR Coordinator. To meet this responsibility, the Coast
Guard maintains SAR facilities on the East, West and Gulf coasts; in Alaska,
Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico, as well as on the Great Lakes and inland U.S.
waterways. The Coast Guard is recognized worldwide as a leader in the field
of search and rescue.

Dallas has participated in numerous Search
and Rescue cases throughout her thirty-seven year history. One of the most
notable cases was the Shuttle Challenger disaster of 1986 in which Dallas
was called upon to act as on scene commander for dozens of Coast Guard and
Naval vessels and aircraft. Based on Dallas' operational capabilities she
is frequently called upon to take charge of high profile cases.

DEFENSE OPERATIONS

For more than 210 years, the Coast Guard has
served the nation as one of the five armed forces. Throughout its distinguished
history, the Coast Guard has enjoyed a unique relationship with the Navy.
By statute, the Coast Guard is an armed force, operating in the joint arena
at any time and functioning as a specialized service under the Navy in time
of war or when directed by the President. It also has command responsibilities
for the U.S. Maritime Defense Zone, countering potential threats to American's
coasts, ports, and inland waterways through numerous port-security, harbor-defense,
and coastal-warfare operations and exercises.

Dallas has performed countless operations in
support of National Defense both off the shores of domestic and foreign soil.
Beginning with the Vietnam War where Dallas engaged in over 161 Naval gunfire
support missions she has played an integral part of National Security at home
and abroad. Dallas frequently deploys with US Naval and foreign naval units
in support of this mission. Recent deployments have been to the Mediterranean
where Dallas trains with the US Sixth Fleet and foreign naval and coast guard
units in support of multi-national exercises to increase cooperation between
the US and foreign countries.

MIGRANT INTERDICTION

As the primary maritime law enforcement agency,
the Coast Guard is tasked with enforcing immigration law at sea. The Coast
Guard conducts patrols and coordinates with other federal agencies and foreign
countries to interdict undocumented migrants at sea, denying them entry via
maritime routes to the U.S., its territories and possessions. Interdicting
migrants at sea means they can be quickly returned to their countries of origin
without the costly processes required if they successfully enter the United
States.

Migrant Interdiction has been a large part
of Dallas' history. She has assumed command of multiple task units during
mass illegal immigrant migrations during her history.