Enclosure (1) to COMDTINT 5710.2A
Figure 2.
Coast Guard core strategic goals overlaid on the field of domestic and international
interests.
International engagement should normally not be pursued in the circle of nations or activities
having minimal United States interest. However, we may have incidental or even significant
influence in this area. For example our negotiation of international standards influence many
smaller, third world nations.
Our domestic operations, international operations, and international engagement can be generally
categorized as follows:
A. CG Funded Domestic Operations - Coast Guard operations conducted within United States
territory assume an international dimension when they involve foreign nationals and foreign
vessels. However, these are domestic operations which are mandated by U.S. law; they
involve assertions of port and coastal state legal authorities.
B. CG Funded International Operations - These are Coast Guard-initiated and funded
operations conducted seaward of any nation's territorial sea and airspace or inside their
territory with their authorization. This category includes search and rescue, drug and migrant
interdiction, fisheries law enforcement, and joint fleet operations with other U.S. naval
services. While generally done unilaterally, bilateral and multilateral maritime enforcement
operations, such as the Steel Gauntlet series of counter-narcotics operations in the eastern
Caribbean, may also be included as international, CG funded operations. Absent a standing
international agreement authorizing such cooperative ventures, interagency consultations
under Presidential Directive/NSD-27 and a Commandant Statement of No Objection (SNO)
are normally required prior to their initiation. The Coast Guard would likely conduct these
operations regardless of the Service's level of international engagement. The difference
between routine international operations and engagements involving Coast Guard interests
(described in C.1. below) is often not clear in operations with Latin America and Pacific Rim
nations.
foreign government and occurring at any location. Coast Guard funds may not be used to pay
the costs of visiting foreign ships and delegations for the purpose of training, orientation,
professional exchanges, and joint operations planning; therefore, for many international
engagements, the Coast Guard acts as an instrument of a sponsoring agency that can legally
engage and fund the operation. Three sub-categories of international engagement are:
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