Military

Why the Government is Increasingly Depending on the Coast Guard as an Important Player

 in National Security

 

CSC 1997

 

Subject Area – National Security

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

Title:     Why the Government is Increasingly Depending on the Coast Guard as an Important Player

               in National Security

 

Author:  Lieutenant Commander David A. Cinalli, United States Coast Guard

 

Thesis:   The Coast Guard has become an increasingly important, if unsung,  player in ensuring the national security of the United States.  As Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) starts to play a greater role in United States national security, the Coast Guard alone has the unique ability to integrate its humanitarian mission of search and rescue, and its national security mission of law enforcement, with its multi-mission platforms to meet these emerging demands.  

 

Discussion:  With the global threat of the Cold War diminished, increased involvement in Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) in the 21st Century will continue to increase as chaos spreads and world resources become scarce.  This is occurring as the federal government is downsizing, and funding continues to be scarce throughout an austere budget environment.  The federal government, therefore, needs a service capable of meeting these multi-mission demands in a cost effective manner.  A case study of the Haitian Mass Exodus which occurred from 1991 to 1994,  exemplifies why the federal government is increasingly dependant upon the Coast Guard's expertise and capabilities as the service of choice in similar maritime operations in the littorals. 

 

          The Coast Guard was the primary maritime federal law enforcement agency and took the lead throughout the Haitian Mass Exodus, bearing the burden of enforcing United States immigration laws. The Coast Guard provided an invaluable service and a most noteworthy contribution to humanity, saving thousands of Haitian lives that would surely have perished at sea. The Coast Guard's ability to expertly handle the vital functions of Search and Rescue (SAR) and law enforcement integrating them with their mulit-mission platforms, while still responding to routine emergencies, proved once again that the Coast Guard is the premier maritime service and the service of choice for this type of operation. Being prepared to stop the influx of illegal migrants is a key part of the Coast Guard's law enforcement mission and an important national security concern. 

 

Conclusions:   Given the likelihood that the next naval conflict will be in the littoral versus open ocean, the Coast Guard's multi-mission capabilities will make it the service of choice. Operation Able Manner was a classic example of how the Coast Guard was able to use its multi-mission force to provide a non-redundant capability to complement the Navy in support of U.S. goals and interests in a littoral area.  Its complex, yet efficient, organization of people, ships, boats, aircraft, and operation centers consistently ensured that the proper tools were always at hand.  The Coast Guard's greatest strength was its versatility and its ability to tie together its many missions, effectively meeting challenges whenever and wherever they arose. An aggressive high seas boarding program is essential for both deterring and interdicting drug and alien smuggling at sea. The demand for Coast Guard assets and expertise will continue to grow. There is simply no one else available with the training, experience, or multi-mission platforms to assure these national maritime priorities in the absence of the Coast Guard.

 

 

 

 CONTENTS

 

 

CHAPTER     PAGE

 

1.  THE COAST GUARD AS THE LEAD AGENCY IN

                 THE HAITIAN MASS EXODUS.................................................................. 1

 

2.  HAITI - THE CASE STUDY......................................................................... 5

 

  Haiti: An Agenda For Democracy................................................. 5

  Haitians Know When to Go and When to Stay.............................. 6

  Alien Migrant Interdiction Operation............................................. 9

  Legal Framework for Coast Guard Operations in

  Support of Immigration Law Enforcement..................................... 12

  Executive Order 12807.................................................................. 13

  Another Mass Exodus................................................................... 17

  Operation Able Manner................................................................. 19

 

3.   Search and Rescue.............................................................................. 22

 

4.   LAW ENFORCEMENT................................................................................. 27

 

  Legal Authorization....................................................................... 30

 

5.   tRAINING.................................................................................................... 33

 

6.   MULTI-MISSION PLATFORMS AND APPROACH................................... 37

 

7.    CONCLUSION............................................................................................. 42

 

 

 

APPENDIX A:  CHRONOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  US/HAITI  INTERACTION...... 45

 

 

NOTES..........................................................................................................................    49

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................... .....    54

 

 

 

 

Why the government is increasingly depending on the The United States Coast Guard as an important player in National Security

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

 

THE COAST GUARD AS THE LEAD AGENCY IN

THE HAITIAN MASS EXODUS

 

SEMPER PARATUS!!!   Always ready.  The Coast Guard has a long sea-going tradition and a high spirit which is summed up in its motto. The United States Coast Guard, known as the "Smokies of the Sea" and the "Lifesavers," has approached its mission and served its country and humanity with professionalism, enthusiasm, and a high sense of vigor since August 4, 1790.   The Coast Guard was originally entrusted with the enforcement of the young republic's anti-smuggling laws using its fleet of ten cutters.  As such, the Coast Guard is the oldest continuous sea-going armed service of the United States.  In 1967, the Coast Guard was transferred from the Treasury Department to the Department of Transportation where it performs a peace time mission.  In war time, the Coast Guard reports under the Department of Navy and serves alongside other Navy surface combatants.

 

With the global threat of the Cold War diminished, increased involvement in Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) in the 21st Century will continue to increase as chaos spreads and world resources become scarce.  This is occurring at the same time that the federal government is downsizing, and funding continues to be scarce throughout an austere budget environment.  The federal government, therefore, needs a service capable of meeting these multi-mission demands in a cost effective manner.

 

The Coast Guard has become an increasingly important, if unsung,  player in ensuring the national security of the United States.  As MOOTW starts to play a greater role in United States national security, the Coast Guard alone has the unique ability to integrate its humanitarian mission of search and rescue, and its national security mission of law enforcement, with its multi-mission platforms to meet these emerging demands.  A case study of the Haitian Mass Exodus exemplifies why the federal government is increasingly depending on the Coast Guard's expertise and capabilities, as the service of choice in similar maritime operations in the littorals.

 

Although the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS)  is the primary agency for enforcing United States immigration law and administering the relevant federal programs,  most Americans  remember the United States Coast Guard  as the first military force and government agency involved in the Haitian Migration Mass Exodus. The Coast Guard was the primary maritime federal law enforcement agency and took the lead throughout this crisis, bearing the burden of enforcing United States immigration laws and related international agreements at sea.   The Coast Guard may have been the smallest United States military service and government agency  involved, but it was also the most visible.  Providing an invaluable service and a most noteworthy contribution to humanity, the Coast Guard  saved thousands of Haitian lives that would surely have perished at sea.

 

Two Joint Chiefs of Staff,  have recognized the Coast Guard as a valuable asset.  In 1992, General Colin Powell stated,  "I'm more certain than ever that the Coast Guard belongs in the toolbox of military capabilities. The Coast Guard's national security functions will evolve with the emerging requirements of the post Cold War era." ^[1]   The Coast Guard was further recognized receiving numerous other accolades by General Powell's successor General Shalikashvili, the present Commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a visit to Haiti.  He stated to Admiral Kramek, Commandant of the Coast Guard , "Your people performed superbly in Haiti.  You were right there when we needed you the most.  We can always rely on the Coast Guard !  You are truly Semper Paratus." ^[2]

 

The Haitian Mass Exodus, which occurred from 1991 to 1994, was sparked by the overthrow of  President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a Roman Catholic priest, was elected to office on 16 December 1990.   Jean-Bertrand Aristide was Haiti's first popularly elected president receiving 67% of the vote.  On September 30, 1991,  LT Gen Raoul Cedras, named by Aristide to run the army, led a coup and seized control of the country.   The leaders of the coup massacred many Haitians after assuming power.^[3]  Aristide fled to Caracas, Venezuela, and then eventually to Washington, D.C. 

 

In an effort to restore him to power, the United Nations, led by the United States, imposed an  embargo on the island.  This worsened the already desperate economic situation.  The exodus of the Haitians was also prompted in part by the Clinton administration's decision to grant political asylum hearings to Haitians picked up at sea, rather than summarily returning them to Haiti.   A mass exodus form Haiti ensued.  During this mass exodus, thousands of Haitians departed Haiti in an attempt to reach the United States in search of  freedom and a better life.  Unfortunately, they used a variety of extremely dangerous, overloaded, and unseaworthy craft.  Nearly all of the vessels lacked basic safety equipment and had inadequately trained crews.  This ultimately challenged the Coast Guard, which was tasked with both enforcing immigration laws and working around the clock performing numerous search and rescue (SAR) missions to assure the preservation of  life. 

CHAPTER TWO

HAITI - THE CASE STUDY

 

Haiti,  located in the Caribbean, occupies the western one-third of the island of Hispaniola between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean.  It is west of the Dominican Republic and just to the east of  Cuba.  (See figure 1)   Its population is approximately six and one-half million, with a population density of 2000 people per square mile. Haiti lacks a stable economy and unemployment is as high as 60 %.  The capital  is located in Port-au-Prince, where one fifth of the population resides. 

 

hAITI: AN AGENDA FOR DEMOCRACY

According to sources from the World Bank, Haiti is by far the western hemisphere's poorest country, despite receiving a large volume of international aid.  The United Nation's Human Development Index,  a device designed to measure standards of living rather than just income, also ranks Haiti at the bottom of the hemisphere, resting firmly in the misery levels of the world's poorest countries, with a per capita income of  only $218 per year.^[4]

 

Numerous attempts by the United States and other nations to resurrect Haiti  have failed.   Josh Dewind, the Director of Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Hunter College in Pennsylvania, and David Kinley III of the World Bank stated, " in the past, as much as 80% of money earmarked for aid was misused for corruption." ^[5]   Likewise, sources from the Government Accounting Office  (GAO) stated, "corruption has a grave impact on Haiti's dire poverty and severe social problems." ^[6]   With a long history of corruption in a country where a coup is capable of ousting the president and massacring hundreds of people, it is no wonder Haitians sought refuge in the United States. 

 

Throughout the last decade, the number of Haitians who attempted to enter the United States illegally rose and fell according to the degree of political and economic problems facing the Haitians.  In 1981, the United States Government established an agreement with the government of Haiti that permitted the Coast Guard  to board Haitian-flagged vessels on the high seas in an attempt to aid Haitian vessels in distress, remove Haitians from unseaworthy vessels, and  prevent them from entering the United States illegally.  Haiti's poverty, high population density, and political instability are endemic.  Therefore, Haitians have sought, and are likely to continue to seek, better conditions elsewhere.  As Paul Kennedy comments in his book,  Preparing for the 21st Century,  the United States continues to be the destination for thousands of Haitian immigrants who consider it very desirable.  Unfortunately, Haitian migrants come to the United States with low educational and skill levels, and they tend to congregate in Southern Florida, which  places severe demands upon social, educational, and medical services.

 

HAITIANS KNOW WHEN TO GO AND WHEN TO STAY

Surrounded by horrendous conditions in Haiti, boat people will voyage to the United States no matter how daunting and risky, spending their entire life savings, rather than remain in their own country.  In their desperate bid for freedom, many dared the perilous 650 mile voyage to the United States in leaky, overcrowded and terribly unsafe vessels, considered to be the world's most pathetic ocean-going boats.  One Coast Guardsman who took part in a rescue effort described the fleeing Haitian Boats as, "no better than floating coffins.  Passengers were so seasick, hungry, and dehydrated that they  can not even answer questions put to them by immigration officers stationed on the cutters."^[7]  Despite the high risk,  thousands of migrants from Haiti, as well as other countries such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic, are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to leave their country in search of the American dream.  If Haitian migrants perceive a lack of  Coast Guard presence in the Windward Passage, they will immediately exploit our weakness and set sail for the Florida coast.  One Haitian captain interviewed by an INS agent stated,

 

The Coast Guard can cause trouble, but how long can they stay?  My people

 have weeks and months and the Coast Guard does not. Here, all you do is wake up and sit down with nothing to do.  But if you get to Miami you can get a job and a good car.  So, people are willing to kill themselves trying to leave.  What else can they do?" ^[8]

 

There is a positive correlation between failed economies and migrant traffic.  Although some Haitians, when interviewed, argued that their lives were endangered, this was not always the case.  The majority of Haitian migrants came to America because they were hungry and wanted a better life.^[9]  

 

There was an initial surge of migrants after the military coup overthrew Aristide on September 30, 1991.  Throughout the period from October 1991 through February 1992, there was a series of changes in policy which influenced the departure of migrants.  Several times during the period, the repatriation policy was suspended and resumed.  When the repatriation policy was suspended during November and January, the Coast Guard interdicted in excess of six thousand migrants.  The next large interdiction occurred in March when INS changed their policy due to the court hearing  held in Brooklyn, the Eastern District of New York, on the court case Sales vs Haitian Center Counsel (HCC) which required INS to provide each Haitian with a hearing.  In anticipation of these new procedures, many Haitian's hopes were raised as they sought this ideal time to set sail.  Haitians were keenly aware of the U.S. decision making process.  Friends and family members in the U.S. kept the Haitians well appraised of any changes in policy, frequently reporting back to their relatives on the same day that any changes were implemented.  The number of interdictions in April totaled 6,158, and in May the number of interdictions reached an all time high of 13,103.  In response to this, President Bush signed Executive Order 12807 on May 23, 1992, which suspended the screening process and allowed the direct repatriation for all Haitians.  The news reached Haiti that the Coast Guard was no longer taking interdicted migrants to Guantanamo Bay.  This resulted in a dramatic decrease of Haitians departing Haiti until the November 1992, elections when 1,016 were interdicted.  Their new hope came from the victory of President-elect Clinton and his campaign statement that favored Haitian immigration.  The second wave of Haitians came in January,  again in anticipation of President Clinton's inauguration and anticipated relaxation of the immigration policy.  Instead, President Clinton announced no change in the direct repatriation policy.  On January 15, 1993, Operation Able Manner commenced.  This operation was designed to form a white picket fence of Coast Guard ships around Haiti and stop all migration to the U.S.  The next surge came in June and July 1994, when the Migrant processing center opened reviving new hope for many Haitians.  Eventually a Safehaven policy was announced and  16,086 migrants fled Haiti.

 

The Alien migrant interdiction mission operation has become a major Coast Guard mission.  During the 1990s, the Coast Guard dedicated more resources to the migrant interdiction mission than to any other if its missions.

 

ALIEN MIGRANT INTERDICTION OPERATION

In early 1981, thirty Haitians drowned and washed ashore at Hillsboro Beach , Florida.^[10]  This drowning, in combination with several other tragic incidents, convinced the United States public, as well as policymakers, that the U.S. needed to control the number of Haitians attempting to enter the country.  In September 1981,  Executive Order 12324 was signed and issued  by President Reagan.  Executive Order 12324  established  the Alien Migrant Interdiction Operation (AMIO),  which authorized the Coast Guard to interdict vessels suspected of  transporting illegal immigrants to the U.S.  In addition, the U.S.  signed a treaty with Haiti detailing the joint cooperation between the U.S. and Haiti in implementing these interdictions.  The AMIO program also allows the Coast Guard to interdict stateless vessels as well as vessels of countries with which the U.S. has an interdiction agreement.  This means that any boats which are suspected of having illegal aliens embarked can be intercepted by Coast Guard cutters, with  the Coast Guard empowered to assess the situation and screen all potential refugees.  Since the conception of AMIO, the Coast Guard has stationed at least one large or medium cutter in the Windward Passage, the body of water which separates Haiti and Cuba, with an INS agent and an interpreter on board.  Additionally,  a Coast Guard Liaison Officer (billeted for a CDR/O-5) is stationed  in Port-au-Prince and oversees issues which involve coordination between the Coast Guard and Haiti.

 

Not only does the agreement between the U.S. and Haiti allow the Coast Guard to board all Haitian vessels, it also provides some protection to Haitians who are repatriated.  The Haitian Government agreed that they will not prosecute Haitians who are returned for illegal departure.^[11]  Despite the AMIO program, Haitian emigration grew steadily until 1988, when it experienced a slight drop.  However, from 1991 to 1993, an enormous increase occurred.  Figure One below details the number of Haitians interdicted each month from 1981 through September 1995.  Since 1981, the Coast Guard interdicted 92, 660 Haitians attempting to enter the United States illegally.^[12]