Increased collaboration recommended for Coast Guard

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in Arlington, Va., recently presented a panel discussing challenges at the U.S. Coast Guard.

During the panel, retired USCG Rear Adm. Tom Atkin, a former Coast Guard intelligence official, stated that the Coast Guard faces a number of operational challenges, including balancing its duties as a law enforcement agency and an intelligence organization while sharing information in a legal and responsible manner.

John Rayfield, staff director of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Coast Guard subcommittee, spoke about desired developments in Coast Guard capabilities for command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR). Rayfield also discussed the interagency operations centers proposed in the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. While the operations centers at U.S. ports were never realized, federal, state and local actors have found ways to collaborate through virtual operations.

Also discussed was the Coast Guard need to watch out for cyberattacks against U.S. ports, as such an attack could have a significant effect on the global supply chain.

For more information on this topic, please follow the link below.
Experts Outline Coast Guard Challenges, Prescribe Greater Interagency Collaboration, Homeland Security Today