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Overview  A US Coast Guard PSU TPSB guarding th USS John F. Kennedy in the Middle East .
Coast Guard Port Security Units are elite deployable units organized for sustained force protection operations. They can deploy within 24 hours and establish operations within 96 hours. PSUs conduct OCONUS port security in support of requesting regional Commanders in Chief (CINC)'s. They provide waterside protection to key assests (e.g. pier areas, high value vessels, harbor entrances) at the termination/origination point of the Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs). PSU's may operate in U.S. territorial waters under the direction of a Coast Guard or Maritime Defense Zone (MDZ) command or in foreign waters as part of the Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron (NCWRON) within the Naval Coastal Warfare Command Structure. Canadian Coast Guard ship and helicopter A coast guard is an organization devoted to saving the lives of shipwrecked mariners or people in danger at sea. ...
Military organizations, like nearly all large exclusive organizations, develop slang as means of self-identification. ...
PSUs often operate with other Naval Coast Warfare elements, such as a USN Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit (MIUWU) and Explosive Ordnance Detachment (EOD). The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ...
History In addition to their most recent support of homeland security operations around the country, PSUs were deployed to the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm in 1990. They also served in Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy in 1994. In December 2000, PSU 309 from Port Clinton, OH was deployed to the Middle East to provide vital force protection for the Navy assets following the attack on the USS Cole. See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ...
Operation Uphold Democracy began in September 1994 with the deployment of the U.S.-led multinational force. ...
Port Clinton is the name of several places in the United States: Port Clinton in Ohio; Port Clinton in Pennsylvania. ...
Oh can refer to: The acronym OH, such as the state of Ohio. ...
A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...
Two United States Navy destroyers have borne the name USS Cole. ...
The current PSUs evolved out of Coast Guard Ninth District's Reserve PSU program that began in the 1980s, but the port security mission and service goes back even further.
Previously, the Port Security program of the Coast Guard began with the passage of the Espionage Act of 1917 and due to the Black Tom Island explosion. Coast Guard's Captain of the Port (COTPs) were given responsiblity for the security of port areas under this act. During World War I, port security operations were conducted by active duty personnel. The Espionage Act of 1917, passed shortly after entering World War I, made it a crime, punishable by a $10,000 fine and 20 years in jail, for a person to convey antipathy with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the...
The Captain of the Port, in American waters, is a U.S. Coast Guard officer, usually of the rank of captain, who is responsible for Coast Guard law enforcement activities in his area of responsibility. ...
World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machine guns, and poison gas. ...
After the war, interest in port security waned until pictures of burning ships visible form US shores as we entered World War II rekindled media and public attention. The Temporary Reserve was created and made up of armed volunteers under command of the COTP. Over 125,000 citizens would eventually serve as Temporary Reserves. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ...
Capabilities Each PSU has 6 fast and maneuverable Transportable Port Security Boats (TPSBs) - 25' Boston Whalers outfitted with two 175 horsepower outboard engines. The PSU has a large suite of weapons. Each unit is outfitted with spare material, pick-up trucks and vans, boat trailers, transportable kitchens, tents, and DoD-compatible radios. They maintain an inventory of equipment and spare parts to sustain operations for up to 30 days. Ongoing logistics support provides routine replenishment. All personnel have required individual gear for field operations.
Each PSU is staffed by 140 reservists and 5 active duty personnel. Personnel prepare for contingency operations during weekend drills and normally participate in either an exercise or specialized training during two weeks of annual Active Duty. A member of the United States Military that spends one weekend a month and two weeks annually training to protect and defend the United States. ...
PSUs may operate independently or with other naval coastal warfare units, including:
- US Coast Guard: High Endurance Cutters (WHEC); Medium Endurance Cutters (WMEC); Patrol Boats
- US Navy: Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron (NCWRONs); Mobile Inshore/Undersea Warfare Units (MIUWs); Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Detachments; Mobile Diving and Salvage Units; Inshore Boat Units (IBUs)
Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...
United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ...
The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...
Military police (MPs) are the police of a military organization, generally concerning themselves with law enforcement and security. ...
The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ...
Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous devices are rendered safe. ...
Boat Division PSUs use six 25" Boston Whalers (four operational, one in maintenance, one pre-staged theater spare),which are the third generation of the Transportable Security Boats (TPSB) used by the Coast Guard for the Port Security mission. These boats are well-equipped and armed with three mounted machine guns, in addition to the crew's personal weapons.
The mission of the TPSBs is to provide waterside protection to key High Value Assets (HVA) such as U.S. warships and military supply vessels in foreign ports and may include the port, harbor or pier itself. Through the use of vigilant escort and patrol techniques, the HVA is protected from asymmetrical threats such as assaults by small boats or swimmers.
Each TPSB is crewed by 3-4 enlisted personnel, usually Boatswain's Mates, Machinery Technicians, or Port Security Specialists.
Members of PSUs use a variety of light and crew-serve weapons. It is the Weapons Division's responsiblity to ensure that the Unit is fully armed and trained for any exercise, operation or incident that may arise. The Division consists of a Weapons Officer (WEPO), a Gunner's Mate First Class (GM1), and two or three Gunner's Mates Third Class (GM3s).
The division maintains a variety of weapons which include the: Browning Machine Gun .50 Cal M2; M60 Machine Gun; M4 Carbine Automatic Rifle; 12 Gauge Remington 870 Riot Shotgun; SIG 228 DAK 9mm Service Pistol; and M203 40 mm grenade launchers. Look up Browning and browning in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...
M2 may refer to: m², the basic SI unit of area M2 machine gun, a type of weapon. ...
Caliber: 5. ...
12 gauge is the most common size of shotgun shell. ...
The Remington Model 870 is a U.S.-made pump-action shotgun. ...
Security Division To most observers the Boat Division remains the most visible element of a PSU. But behind the scenes is the Security Division which is not only tasked to provide protection to vessels in security zones and pier areas but also to provide security for internal unit needs such as the command center, communications center, berthing areas, entry control points (ECP), vehicle control points (VPC) and traffic control/vehicle movement.
The Security Division mission is to provide security for the entire PSU as well as assisting the Joint Rear Area Commander's security forces in protecting joint command areas.
The PSU Security Division consists of 25 Port Security Specialists (PS's) led by the Unit Security Officer. It is subdivided into squads with 3 four-person fire teams each. Each squad and fire team has a designated squad or fire team leader.
Besides general expertise in the missions listed above, security personnel are also trained in defensive position construction, individual movement and patrolling, and assorted weaponry including the M4 rifle, SIG 288 DAK pistol, M203 grenade launcher, M870 shotgun, M240G machine gun and M2 .50 caliber machine gun. M203 generally refers to the U.S. Militarys designation for a single shot 40 mm grenade launcher that attaches to the M16 assault rifle or the M4 Carbine. ...
The M240 is a 7. ...
M2 may refer to: m², the basic SI unit of area M2 machine gun, a type of weapon. ...
Operations Capable of worldwide deployment, in national defense regional contingency environments, with the exception of polar regions or areas with ice-covered water.
Operating environments are from shore sites or barges. PSUs will normally operate independently, but may operate with a USN Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit, if available.
Capable of conducting continuous boat operations with three or four boats underway simultaneously. An additional boat will be manned and mechanically ready at all times as a ready response boat. The remainder of the boats may be undergoing maintenance or repair or used for spares. Boat hulls can be expected on station (not including transit and maintenance time) 18 hours per day when more than one boat is undergoing maintenance. During high threat conditions, capable of conducting continuous operations with four boats for a maximum period of 24 hours.
Maximum expected boat crew underway period is 8 to 10 hours (with breaks when able) in any 24 hour period. Sufficient personnel have been assigned to provide a three or four section watch rotation for each of the teams (boat crews for three boats, unit security teams, C3 staff) that are required to be reamed continuously. This operating tempo can be maintained for 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
PSUs conduct layered defensive operations to protect high value assets within the protected waters of a port or harbor. The operation area may extend to the sea buoy if environmental conditions permit. PSU boats are fully mission capable when operating in less than 2 foot seas and 30 knot winds. If necessary, PSU boats may operate in up to 4 foot seas for less than 1 hour with a severely degraded mission capability. Some knots: 1. ...
As discussed in section 3.2.2 of reference (e), threats may be posed by aircraft, and surface vessels, including combatants, high speed attack craft, innocuous appearing civilian vessels, swimmer delivery vehicles, divers and mines. PSUs will normally operate in a low threat environment (Level I) as defined in DoD Joint Pub 3-10, Doctrine for Joint Rear Area Operations. They can continue operations if area of responsibility escalates to a medium (Level II) or high threat (Level III) environment if additional security support is provided by the supported commander. If no additional security support is provided, PSU mission capabilities will degrade due to increased requirements for unit self-protection. PSU boat crew fatigue may limit operations in a medium to high threat environment if that OPTEMPO continues beyond 24 hours.
See Also Canadian Coast Guard ship and helicopter A coast guard is an organization devoted to saving the lives of shipwrecked mariners or people in danger at sea. ...
External Links US Coast Guard
US Coast Guard Reserve
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