Coast Guard will stand up its own Special Missions Command to better counter maritime threats

According to a May 6 press release from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), come October 1, 2026, there will be a new SOF star shining brightly in the constellation of U.S. special operations forces. This one will be centered in Kearneysville, West Virginia, and belong to the U.S. Coast Guard.

On that day, the Coast Guard’s Special Missions Command (SMC) of the USCG will be commissioned in the service’s attempt to fully integrate its deployable special forces under a single operational commander. This will remove the current operational control of the component pieces of that force from geographical commands, or districts, placing them instead under the commander of SMC.

This is the same type of transformation that the other service branches of the U.S. military underwent when U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was created back in 1987.

The lesson learned back then for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and (later) Marines, was that SOF units needed a single, permanent command that would ensure their readiness, training, supply, and deployment to operational commanders in the field.

“The geo-political landscape is evolving and the demand for Coast Guard Deployable Specialized Forces is at an all-time high,” said Capt. Robert Berry, Special Missions Command pre-commissioning team lead.

“These forces are instrumental to the Coast Guard’s readiness and its role as a global leader in maritime contingency response. The Service has always turned to its specialized forces to respond to national threats and disasters, and establishing this command is the natural next step to enabling our forces to lead the way at the tip of the spear,” Berry added.

Although not known by many, the Coast Guard has a handful of special operations units and bringing them under one command structure makes sense.

The specialized Coast Guard units that will fall under the new SMC are the following:

Maritime Security Response Teams

Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team West servicemembers search a target vessel during a joint training exercise, Nov. 5, 2019. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team West personnel led a visit, board, search and seizure exercise and included teams from MSRT West, Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team, MSST LA/LB, National Strike Force’s Pacific Strike Team and the Coast Guard Cutter Terrell Horne who participated in the training scenarios over the course of two days. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Matthew S. Masaschi)

MSRTs are similar to SWAT elements. They undertake tactical, high-risk maritime counterterrorism and law enforcement missions. These can include boarding hostile vessels, hostage rescue, or other tactically complex and challenging operations. Maritime Security Response Teams operate at the higher end of the tactical spectrum.

Tactical Law Enforcement Teams

Members of Tactical Law Enforcement Team South (TACLET) and crewmembers from U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756) transfer 68 bales of cocaine weighing approximately 2,280 kilograms from an interdicted suspected drug smuggling vessel after law enforcement operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, April 17, 2025. TACLET teams deploy around the world to combat narcotics smuggling, aiding the effort to stop illegal drugs from entering the United States. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty officer 3rd Class Austin Wiley)

TACLETs, on the other hand, specialize in maritime law enforcement boarding and interdiction, such as counter-drug operations, security, or other missions at sea.

They may deploy on maritime vessels, sometimes those of the U.S. Navy or other partner agencies. TACLETs are not quite as tactically specialized as the MSRTs.

Maritime Safety and Security Teams

Petty Officer 1st Class Alesha Horn and Nikki, an explosive detection K9 assigned to Maritime Safety and Security Team 91101, are hoisted from a response boat into an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter during air-to-vessel training in Port Angeles, Washington, Nov. 18, 2025. This capability enables K9 teams to rapidly access vessels at sea to detect potential explosive threats. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Annika Hirschler)

MSSTs’ main mission is protecting U.S. ports and waterways, or any special/major event taking place at sea. This can include force protection for the military, as well as disaster response related to U.S. maritime infrastructure.

MSSTs also have K-9 teams as part of their capabilities and engage in ship boarding as well.

Related: Preparing For Coast Guard Boot Camp

Port Security Units

U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Unit (PSU) 311 members participate in Casulty Evacuation (CASEVAC) training on a U.S. Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter on San Clemente Island, June 27, 2022. PSUs serve as anti-terrorism force protection expeditionary units, with boat crews and shore-side security teams capable of supporting port, waterway, and coastal security within the United States or anywhere in the world. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Alex Gray)

PSUs are deployable (or expeditionary) security forces, that can travel worldwide to provide protection at ports, harbors, bases, or other critical waterfront infrastructure. This can include supporting military operations overseas by providing security.

Regional Dive Lockers

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Maurer, a diver from Coast Guard Regional Dive Locker Pacific, conducts a subsea inspection of the USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) amid dive operations in the Ross Sea during Operation Deep Freeze 2026, Jan. 19, 2026. The U.S. military’s support of U.S. Antarctic research began in 1955. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command proudly continues to lead the Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica team in providing logistic support for the United States Antarctic Program. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Blake Metcalf)

Just as the name implies, these are the dedicated diving units that carry out USCG underwater missions. These can include salvage operations, maintenance of maritime navigational aids, or hull inspections, to name a few.

Related: Tougher-than-nails Coast Guard rescue swimmers describe daring rescues

National Strike Force

Members of the Atlantic Strike Team (AST) of the National Strike Force conduct training exercises underground in the National Response Tunnel in Charleston, W. Va. The AST is one of three teams that make up the National Strike Force. It is a vital national asset comprised of a highly trained cadre of Coast Guard professionals who maintain and rapidly deploy with specialized equipment and incident management skills any time to any place or hazard. Here members are training to respond to a generic subway disaster. A Coast Guard instructor on the right grades the team’s performance. (Photo by Robert Semler/Coast Guart Art Program)

Finally, and undoubtedly with the coolest name, the National Strike Force is the Coast Guard’s hazardous materials response unit. It responds to oil and chemical spills, for example, and any other type of hazardous substance emergency.

Curiously, the Coast Guard’s SMC restructuring does not appear to affect its rescue swimmers, nor some air assets that might be considered by some to be “SOF” in nature.

However, like sectors, cutters, stations, and air stations, which are also left unaffected by the change, one should think of rescue swimmers as part of the “conventional” side of the U.S. Coast Guard. All the latter operational units execute the core USCG missions: saving lives, enforcing maritime law, and protecting U.S. ports and waterways.

Feature Image: Two U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT) crews stand overwatch aboard rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIB) near the Statue of Liberty in the New York Harbor, New York, Sept. 25, 2025. The teams maintained a high-visibility security presence in support of maritime operations during the U.N. General Assembly. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Marco Gutierrez Rosales)

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