Role of Coastguards

There is no consensus on the missions and organizational structure of coast guards around the world. Mostly coastguards are administratively deployed under civilian control with the purpose to maintain order at sea, ensure safety, prevent illegal fishing and protect the environment. In most countries for recruitment and training purposes the personnel or recruits undergo military training to mould them into a unified yet essentially civilian force which regularly interacts with the local and fishing community. Maritime forces cover coastal states’ jurisdiction over a wide area of the sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.Piracy, drug and cocaine smuggling and  refugees at sea is usually within the domain of maritime security. Yet the disadvantage of having  military personnel on  boats is that they will be required to adduce evidence in trial court proceedings and as they are on duty for limited periods such personnel are not available nor trained to adduce evidence in court.

Civilian control of Coast Guard

The French have the Maritime Gendermerie which is essentially a paramilitary police force under the operational control of the French Navy being an exception rather than the rule. India maritime zones are divided into five Coast Guard regions under civilian administration. United Kingdom’s Coast Guard  is a civilian organisation whose primary role is restricted to search and rescue operations. The Canadian Coast Guard owns and operates the Federal government’s civilian fleet and is responsible for enabling of  key maritime services to Canadians.

Lethal Force Exercised by Coastguards

What sets China’s coast guard apart from its counterparts in Southeast Asia ,with the exception of Vietnam which has a troubled history of violence, is China’s ensuring that military not civilian authorities exercise administrative control over the coast guards.China and several countries have sovereignty disputes in the Asia-Pacific waters .This change in administration or subordination under the military may place the PLA Navy directly in conflict with other navies which is obviously fraught with dangerous consequences and any encounter may spark off a war.The history of China’s coast guard is replete with a struggle for control between civilian and military command that was never fully settled setting the stage for the latest military consolidation ostensibly under the pretext of sovereignty . The Chinese Coastguard after the change in its administration from civilian to military has shifted from a multi mission approach to a lethal assignment which does not augur well for the security of the Pacific Ocean.

Paradox of US Coastguard

The mandate of the United States Coast Guard is to protect U.S. waterways, ports and shorelines by enforcing U.S. laws and serving as a first responder at sea. In the US Coastguard usually direct recruitment and training in US is carried out in a military academy. The US Navy core training of sailors is geared towards developing and nurturing a skill set designed to defend against external hostile navies.On the other hand the US Navy imparts training to Coast Guard recruits primarily in areas such as fisheries management, drug enforcement  and safety and rescue missions which have altogether different connotations and requirements and is more about dealing diplomatically and engaging with local communities. Unlike other military services which operate large government housing tracts on military bases to save unnecessary expense most US Coast Guard officers reside and blend amongst the local community  .

By Nadir Mumtaz