Coast Guard surges assets to protect U.S. maritime borders

The Coast Guard today announced immediate action on executive orders issued by the White House Tuesday, surging assets to maritime borders.

“The U.S. Coast Guard is the world’s premiere maritime law enforcement agency, vital to protecting America’s maritime borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, who was named the Coast Guard’s acting commandant following former commandant Adm. Lisa M. Fagan’s being relieved of command. “Per the President’s executive orders, I have directed my operational commanders to immediately surge assets—cutters, aircraft, boats and deployable specialized forces—to increase Coast Guard presence and focus starting with the following key areas:

• The southeast U.S. border approaching Florida to deter and prevent a maritime mass migration from Haiti and/or Cuba;
• The maritime border around Alaska, Hawaii, the U.S. territories of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands;
• The maritime border between the Bahamas and south Florida;
• The southwest maritime border between the U.S. and Mexico in the Pacific;
• The maritime