The United States Coast Guard has 42,000 active personnel. That is 3% of all active United States Military personnel. The Coast Guard is The forgotten military service. It is the smallest of the five Armed Forces in the United States today. The Coast is an truly important force in stopping narcotics from entering our country and performing search and rescue missions along the shorelines of the United States. The United States Coast Guard saves about 3,800 people a year on average. For being the smallest group of Armed Forces in America the Coast Guard has an overwhelming job of providing safety for the coastline of the United States. The New York City P.D is a little bit smaller than the Coast Guard, this is exemplified how many people are enrolled in the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard plays a huge role in stopping narcotics from entering the United States especially in Florida. The fiscal year of 2014 the Coast Guard seized over 60,000 pounds in drugs. The Coast Guard is one of the only forces that stops narcotics from landing on the shores of the U.S. .
The Coast is stationed all over the United States from Alaska to Florida. Law enforcement was recently added to the Coast Guard, and they have been a huge factor in protecting American citizens. The Coast Guard has added many tools for stopping drugs from entering the, U.S including HITRON (Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron) and by adding several 45 foot Response boats and many 33ft Law Enforcement special purpose boats. The HITRON program involves a sharp shooter who shoots out of helicopters to stop a Go Fast boat which is a extremely fast boat, for carrying narcotics. The shooters have to hit the engine block to put the boat on a stand still. One of the most difficult threats to stop from reaching the U.S are the Narco- Submarines. These sneaky subs can fit up to 7 tons of cocaine in their hull. For the Coast Guard this tactic is very hard to spot that why the only efficient way to stop them is to locate the subs before they launch.