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
51 Spring 2014 Proceedings www.uscg.mil/proceedings The U.S. Coast Guard 9 th District enjoys a unique area of responsibility that includes a shared international border with Canada that spans 1,500 miles. 1 Moreover, the Great Lakes represent a complex, connected, and continuous mari- time system with a wide range of environments from open seas (much more like oceans than lakes) to narrow rivers. Additionally, the Great Lakes are shared by two sovereign nations. Combined with tribal interests, eight states, three Canadian provinces, and hundreds of county and local stakeholders across the region, the jurisdictional complex- ity is enormous. As we like to say in the 9 th District, almost everything we do is watermarked by Canada. Roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population and more than 30 percent of the Canadian population live in the Great Lakes basin, and local issues are typically bi-national. 2 Roughly 300 thousand people and $1.5 billion in trade move through our regional border with Canada, so keeping our maritime border open is critical to our economy, while chal- lenging our national security efforts. 3 The requisite perimeter security needs to extend the borders without thickening them. Our cooperative and coordinated efforts to execute our respective missions and mandates must have a complementary and synergistic effect on border control and governance. In 2011, the U.S. president and the Canadian prime minister signed the Beyond the Border declaration, which clarifes our mutual priorities. The declaration makes clear that U.S. and Canadian safety, security, and resilience relies on our ability to: • collaborate with multiple stakeholders, • share information, • address threats early, • assist trade and economic growth, • protect infrastructure, • conduct integrated cross-border law enforcement, • respect and value the sovereign rights of each country and its citizens. Shared Awareness, Seamless Operations, Synchronized Priorities Managing a maritime border with Canada. by LCDR Matt White U.S. Coast Guard 9 th District CDR Dave Beck U.S. Coast Guard 9 th District Mr. Lorne Thomas U.S. Coast Guard 9 th District Border Operations U.S. Coast Guard CAPT Steve Wischmann (center), commander of Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, discusses jurisdictional boundaries and shared chal- lenges along the shared U.S./Canada border with Capt. Doug Young (left), assistant chief of Staff Operations for Maritime Forces, Joint Task Force Atlantic and Lt. Col. Kevin Cameron (right) of Joint Task Force headquar- ters. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Offcer Kyle N. Niemi. Spring2014_FINAL.indd 51 3/21/14 11:14 AM