Coast Guard Support of USSOUTHCOM Missions in Central America

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential for the U.S. Coast Guard to perform as the defacto U.S. naval force in Central America in support of SOUTHCOM maritime missions. Due to the limited U.S. Navy presence in Central America, there are maritime oriented national security missions which are currently either not performed, or performed at a level which leaves significant room for enhancement. This paper begins by reviewing the historical and geopolitical aspects of Central America as they pertain to U.S. military and political involvement there. Using the National Security Strategy and National Military strategy as a basis, it then identifies the current maritime oriented SOUTHCOM missions in Latin, and specifically Central, America. Shifting to a review of historical Coast Guard mission and naval support efforts, the study attempts to identify clearly supportive reasons for the Coast Guard to be the primary U.S. naval force in Central America.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 08, 1994
Accession Number
ADA279582

Entities

People

  • James D. Bjostad

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Coast Guard
  • Commerce
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Costa Rica
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • Humanitarian Assistance
  • Military Education
  • Military Science
  • Military Training
  • National Security
  • Security Personnel
  • Students
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Maritime Security/Maritime Homeland Security