Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/284910
26 Proceedings Spring 2014 www.uscg.mil/proceedings side, the Coast Guard works with NOAA's vessel monitoring system transponder device, which uses satellite technology to identify fshing vessels by name and location and Auto- matic Identifcation System information to sort contacts. District 14 also has a good partnership with the Center for Island, Maritime, and Extreme Environment Security, which is developing semi-autonomous surface craft equipped with sensor packages. We also use commercial oceanographic/ hydrographic data services to identify high-threat areas in or near U.S. EEZ borders. Efective Presence District 14 accomplishes a more effective enforcement presence by leveraging these partnerships and technolo- gies. As budget belts are tightened and fscal and opera- tional resources become ever more constrained, operators are increasingly called upon to demonstrate a return on resource investments. We must demonstrate to our elected offcials and the American taxpayer that we are being dili- gent stewards of the resources entrusted to us. Sound Regulations It is often said within enforcement circles that if regulations cannot be enforced, not only are they a waste of paper, but they also serve to undermine the overall rule of law. Unen- forceable regulations engender an attitude that lowers inhi- bitions to abide by those regulations that are enforceable. The best technology, the most effective partnerships, and even having a constant presence are worthless if a regula- tion cannot be enforced and/or a violation is not adjudicated in a manner that causes a disincentive for future violations. So how does the Coast Guard accomplish that in an AOR that includes more than 20 different sovereign states and Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Samoa, Tonga, and the Cook Islands. Under the shiprider paradigm, enforcement personnel from these island states embark transiting U.S. Navy OMSI vessels or U.S. Coast Guard cutters patrolling adjacent U.S. waters. The Coast Guard assists these enforcement offcers in asserting their sovereignty, authority, and jurisdiction within their EEZs. By helping regional partners project authority into their own exclusive economic zones, the Coast Guard builds organic capacities and capabilities to combat illegal, unre- ported, and unregulated fshing and transnational crime, and helps keep these threats from crossing into U.S. exclu- sive economic zones. USS Reuben James and USCG law enforcement detachment personnel conduct a boarding on a purse seine vessel. U.S. Coast Guard photo. A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 overfies USS Crommelin and a sovereign state patrol boat on patrol together in the Pacifc. U.S. Coast Guard photo. The District 14 commander also serves as the U.S. member of the Quadrilateral Defence Coordination Group, which is comprised of fag offcers and subject matter experts from Australia, France, New Zealand, and the United States. To date the U.S. Coast Guard has conducted operations with ships and aircraft from each of these partners. By leveraging resources from partner states, coordinating patrol efforts, and sharing mari- time domain awareness information, District 14 has engaged professional maritime force multi- pliers strategically centered in the western, east- ern, and southern sectors of the region. Applying Technology Other key Coast Guard partnerships in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean focus on leveraging technology. Traditional technol- ogy partners such as the Maritime Intelligence Fusion Center Pacific and other intelligence enterprise nodes have a number of tools at their disposal to help identify nefarious vessels of interest. Coupling these linkages with other technology partners helps signifcantly increase maritime domain awareness. On the domestic Spring2014_FINAL.indd 26 3/21/14 11:14 AM