Coast Guard works to protect US from terrorist attack (detailed info)

Fox ^ | Feb. 7, 2004 | AP

[FairOpinion]

The U.S. Coast Guard has its work cut out for it, as it tackles its new mission of protecting America from terrorist attack.

The Coast Guard has 361 ports to protect, 95-thousand miles of navigable waterways to defend and 20-thousand oceangoing vessels to keep an eye on.

On July first, it must begin enforcing new anti-terrorism rules mandated by the federal government.

To comply with the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, the Coast Guard is focusing on what it considers the most likely maritime targets of a terrorist attack. It's identified nearly 12-thousand of them.

About 32-hundred of them are on shore, things like oil refineries, nuclear power plants and other sites that use or store hazardous materials. 8500 others are on the water ferries, barges and cargo ships.

To do its new job, the Coast Guard it is counting in part on new technologies, including a sophisticated vessel tracking system. But it's already run into problems with that.

A radio frequency it needs to help monitor the movements of thousands of ships was sold to a private company in 1998, over the Coast Guard's objections.

[Khan Noonian Singh]

thank you.

The CG got 162.025 MHz, but they didn't get 161.975 MHz. Aww. That doesn't sound like much of a scandal.

Why can't they use some other frequency instead of 161.975 MHz?

This story sounds like a turf battle within the government over who gets to control allocation of the spectrum.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Join the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
Age 17 and up (No upper age limit)

You needn't own a boat or even be an experienced boater

Boating And Non-Boating Programs

Below is a brief but comprehensive listing of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's many missions.

Surface (water) Missions

• Safety Patrol - Patrol under Coast Guard orders using an Auxiliary Operational Facility.

• Regatta Patrol - Patrolling organized regattas and boat parades.
  

• Chart Update Patrol - Verifying the accuracy and completeness of information published on charts and related navigation publications.
  

• PWC Patrol - Patrolling on a Personal Water Craft (PWC).
  

Be A Better Boater    

Air Operations Missions

• SAR Mission - Search And Rescue call out or the air equivalent to a vessel safety patrol.

• Enforcement of Laws and Treaties - Air support of a Coast Guard law enforcement mission.

• MEP Mission - Air support in the area of Marine Environmental Protection.

• Ice Operations Mission - Air support in the area of ice patrol operations.

• Logistics Mission - Transportation of personnel.

• Training Mission - Training missions involving air operations.

Land-based Operations Missions

• Radio Watchstander - Serving as a qualified watchstander at a Coast Guard or Auxiliary facility.

• Officer of the Day Duties - OOD at a Coast Guard facility either ashore or afloat.

• B-2 Alert SAR Standby - Time spent on stand-by.

• B-0 Alert SAR Standby - Standing by under with an Auxiliary Operational Facility for immediate call out.

• SAR Call Out - Search And Rescue call out involving communication facilities.

• CG Crew Augmentation - Serving as a qualified crew on Coast Guard, not Auxiliary, vessels.

• Enforcement of Laws and Treaties - Providing surface support of Coast Guard law enforcement mission.

• MEP Mission - Surface support for a Marine Environmental Protection mission.

• Auxiliary Radio Net Mission - Maintaining Coast Guard authorized Auxiliary radio nets.

• Aids to Navigation Mission-Federal - Servicing federal or private Aids to Navigation.

• Bridge Administration - Inspecting bridges.

Public Education Missions

• PE Other Than State/Youth - Auxiliary multi-lesson public education classes.

• State and Youth Courses - State public education classes and youth courses.

• MT Instructor Mission - Member training activity, including specialty courses, boats crew training, and basic qualification classes.

Environmental Missions

• Enforcement of Laws and Treaties - Provide support to a Coast Guard law enforcement mission.

• Marine Environmental Protection - Provide support to the Coast Guard in the area of Marine Environmental Protection.

Coast Guard Support and Boating Safety Missions

• CG Operational Support - A service provided to operational Coast Guard units in support of Coast Guard programs.

• CG Administrative Support - Provide support to the Coast Guard in areas other than operations or recruiting.

• AIM Mission - The Auxiliary's Academy Introduction Mission (AIM).

• RAP Mission - Coast Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (RAP).

• Courtesy Marine Examinations - Vessel Safety Checks; Personal Water Craft Safety Checks; Uninspected Passenger Vessel; and Commercial Fishing Vessel.

• Public Affairs Mission - Promoting the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary or Coast Guard Reserve.

• Marine Dealer Visits - Participating in the Marine Dealer Visitation Program.

Agency Support Missions

• Federal Agencies - Provide non-operational support to other federal agencies, such as Customs, Corps of Engineers and NOAA.

• State Agencies - Provide support to state agencies, such as the Department of Natural Resources, State Police and Marine Patrols.

• Local Agencies - Provide support to local agencies, such as local police, sheriff's offices, fire/rescue and Harbormasters.

We Need You -- In the wake of the recent attacks on the United States, the Coast Guard Auxiliary will be called upon to provide essential services to the Coast Guard as they focus more heavily on their military missions.  We will need all the help we can get.  You needn't own a boat or even be an experienced boater, since our missions are wide-ranging.

CLICK ON THE GRAPHICS BELOW
TO CONTACT THE COAST GUARD AUXILIARY

[Eva]

Ok, the story on the GPS tracking device is that the FCC sold the frequency to a private buyer at auction (over the objection of the Coast Guard) for something like 1.6 million and the private buyer will sell the frequency back to the Coast Guard for 20 million. Without the radio frequency in gov't control, anyone can buy a device to read the GPS and track the ships. It's kind of like Oliver North's book where the gov't hired a private firm to make their decryption device and the owner's of the company then sold it to the UN, where it was used against the US.

[Eva]

Thanks, I read your article after I posted. The only thing wrong about the article is that everyone knew how important it was for the Coast Guard to control this frequency, including the FCC. The Coast Guard made their objections to the sale very clear. The ship owners may be dragging their feet on security preparations because the GPS tracking, as it stands, makes the ships less secure instead more secure. They want the devices removed if the Coast Guard does not get the frequency back.

[FairOpinion]

Thanks for the info. This is worse than I thought.

Great -- now even the terrorists can just track our ships.

If people want to investigate, why isn't someone investigating why did the FCC under Clinton sell a frequency needed by the government, when the Coast Guard made them known that they needed it.

[Eva]

My husband went to a meeting on this subject with the Coast Guard before Christmas.

[FairOpinion]

"My husband went to a meeting on this subject with the Coast Guard before Christmas."

===

Please keep us posted on any developments, which are OK to be released to the public.

I hope the government won't have to pay MariTEL the $20M. In a document (see my post 7) it said, that there was some clause in the original lease, that if MariTEL won't set up the network by 2004, then the government can cancel the least. I don't know, whether MariTEL did or did not set up the network - at the time of that documents, the author thought, that MariTEL doesn't have the financial resources to actually implement their plan and then the government can get it back for free, based on the original conditions.

Since your husband it going to meetings regarding it, I am sure he is better informed. I will be interested to find out, what finally happens. Will the stupidity of someone at the FCC in 1998 cost the government (i.e. us, the taxpayers) $20M?

[Eva]

I'll let you know what goes on, but never underestimate gov't workers. It's not stupidity, it's probably greed.