Guest post by CDR Todd Gatlin, Chief, Office of Law Enforcement Plans and Analysis.
The Commandant, in his recent State of the Coast Guard address, stated "...a real central issue is going to be taking a look at performance measures; are they adequate and are those the right things we should be measuring?" In support of the Commandant's mission focus in maritime law enforcement, the Office of Law Enforcements Plans and Analysis Division (CG-5311) tracks and analyzes important performance trends so that we can better secure our nation's borders and keep our communities safe. By measuring our operational performance, watching critical inputs and tracking trends, the Coast Guard continues to offer a real return to the American taxpayer.
The Coast Guard removed 367,926 lbs of cocaine in FY08, setting yet another record for maritime cocaine removal. This record was over 12,000 lbs more than the previous record set in FY07. In fact, the Coast Guard has set records for cocaine removal 3 out of the last 4 years, and with 152,889 lbs of cocaine removed in just the first 5 months of FY09, chances are we'll at least challenge for a new record this year.
Maritime border security has also improved. Migrant interdictions have declined from 9455 maritime migrants interdicted in FY05 to 4802 in FY08. Thus far in FY09, 2126 illegal migrants have been interdicted on the high seas, representing a small increase from this time last year.
However, the numbers aren't as important as what we do with them. For example, the self-propelled semi-submersible vessels, which are being used by our highly adaptive adversaries, mean larger, single shipment loads, when compared to go-fasts. As a result of our SPSS analysis, we have successfully pursued important advances in operations and legal authorities, and are addressing this latest threat. As for migrants, although the overall flow from Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic continues to fluctuate due to impacts from factors such as hurricanes, the world's economy, and smuggling organizations using go-fasts to carry a smaller number of migrants, the Coast Guard can still influence the numbers. For instance, we observed a substantial downward trend in migrants originating from the Dominican Republic with the introduction of a new biometric program which discourages repeat offenders, especially known criminals, through identification and prosecution.
As we transition into a more modern, capable and responsive Coast Guard, we'll continue our improvement by the numbers, using performance measures to prioritize the employment of current resources and establish future requirements, ensuring American's Maritime Guardians are "Always Ready".
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On a related note, Wednesday, RADM Wayne Justice and RADM Joseph Nimmich testified on Coast Guard interdiction operations before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
