U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT, MARCH 1996
United States Department of State
Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
OTHER USG ASSISTANCE PROVIDED
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD
INCSR (FY-95/96)
TRAINING
The Coast Guard is responsible for deploying, at the request of foreign
governments, Mobile Training Teams (MTT) to source and transit zone
countries in order to improve the law enforcement capabilities of the
host nation law enforcement (LE) forces. This training is subject to
the approval and funding of the Department of State.
Most short-term LE MTTs consist of three or four personnel who conduct
classroom and hands-on maritime LE instruction to foreign maritime LE
authorities for one or two weeks at a time. During FY 95, MTTs provided
training to over 700 foreign nationals in 15 different countries. The
actual number of people trained is indeterminate because of on-going,
long term training conducted with Colombian law enforcement agencies.
When longer-term presence is warranted, the Coast Guard's International
Training Division (lTD) deploys personnel for several months at a time
to train foreign LE authorities (mostly in Latin America) in coastal and
waterway counterdrug law enforcement. (ITD) continues to support the
Waterways Law Enforcement (WLE) program, a US Government initiative to
disrupt the cocaine supply at its source. Throughout FY95, a continuous
3-5 person team presence was maintained in Bolivia and Panama for WLE
training, however, the goal is that these schools will be self-
sustaining by mid CY96. When deployed, ITD personnel are under the
operational control of the US Chief of Mission.
The USCG conducts foreign shiprider and classroom exchanges,
participates in the US Navy UNITAS (South/Central America) and WATC
(West Africa) training programs, conducts extended foreign port visits
in Mexico and Caribbean basin countries, and hosts foreign maritime LE
personnel at USCG facilities in order to train and familiarize foreign
officials in maritime counterdrug tactics.
Once a year, a Coast Guard medium endurance cutter, equipped with a
helicopter and normally accompanied by a Coast Guard patrol boat,
conducts LE training with several nations in the Eastern Caribbean as
Operation TRADEWINDS. This operation involves on-the-job-training and
hands-on law enforcement experience. The result is these nations
normally increase their own counterdrug efforts and are better able to
conduct combined counterdrug operations with the Coast Guard.
COMBINED OPERATIONS
In November 1993, a DOS letter to the British Embassy formalized the
concept of deploying USCG Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs) aboard
Royal Navy vessels in the Caribbean. Additionally, there is now a
similar agreement with the Royal Netherlands Navy allowing the same
participation by Coast Guard LEDET members. Since the inception of
these agreements, there has been significant cooperation between the
USCG, British Navy and Netherlands Navy.
On December 12, 1995, a LEDET aboard the HMS BRAVE (UK) performed the
first seizure covered by this agreement Although only a small portion
of the smuggled narcotics was recovered, this demonstrated the
importance and value of such agreements. These deployments are a
significant counterdrug force multiplier in the Caribbean.
The USCG conducts combined operations with Caribbean Basin and Latin
American countries to assist and further develop indigenous interdiction
forces. Combined operations with foreign maritime interdiction forces
result in on-the-job-training for both the foreign forces and USCG
personnel. Countries must have well-trained forces in order to be
considered for combined operations with the USCG.
Quarterly, a medium or high endurance cutter participates in Visits for
International Exchanges and Technical Assistance (OPVISTA) to countries
in the Caribbean region and Eastern Pacific. OP VISTAs primarily
involve Panama and Colombia, but have involved Guatemala, Belize, and
Honduras.
Combined operations have led to bilateral agreements which facilitate
counterdrug operations. Types of agreements include overflight
authority for USCG surveillance aircraft, permission to enter foreign
territorial waters to carry out enforcement actions, shiprider
agreements to facilitate coordination between forces, and shipboarding
agreements to streamline the diplomatic communication necessary to board
foreign flagged vessels.
An example is the agreement which established Operation Bahamas and
Turks and Caicos (OPBAT). OPBAT is a multi-agency, multinational law
enforcement operation supporting US and Bahamian counternarcotics
efforts in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. OPBAT will
continue to be an important part of the 1996 National Drug Control
Strategy's international focus of interdiction in the transit country.
In addition to combined operations, the USCG conducts coincidental
operations with the Mexican Navy in the Pacific, and in the Gulf of
Mexico. During coincidental operations, USCG and Mexican Naval units
operate simultaneously (as opposed to operating jointly), and exchange
on-scene information which may assist in the interdiction of drug
traffickers. Through these operations, communication between the USCG
and the Mexican Navy has significantly improved to such a level that
arrangements are being pursued for a Mexican naval officer to be
assigned as a liaison officer to USCG command centers in Los Angeles, CA
and New Orleans, LA.
Other Activities
The USCG conducts other activities abroad that, though not necessarily
funded by the Department of State, benefit international narcotics
control efforts. The USCG maintains the ability to transfer
decommissioned patrol boats to Caribbean and Latin American nations and
does so whenever possible. USCG personnel are permanently stationed in
several American Embassies located in source and transit countries.
These USCG positions are sponsored by various US programs.
Officers are posted in Antigua, the Bahamas, Panama, Haiti, Mexico,
Colombia, Bolivia, however, the CG attache position in Venezuela was
eliminated.
In addition, the USCG often hosts foreign dignitary visits to USCG
training facilities and operational units. In FY95, the USCG hosted 90
individuals from 54 nations. The nature of these visits varies, but
most are a general USCG familiarization and provide an overview of all
USCG missions, including counternarcotics.
The following pages provide actual training and assistance provided to
foreign nations for FY 1995 and projected for FY 1996/97.
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