About the Coast Guard

Relationship to the Navy

Although the Posse Comitatus Act prevents federal military personnel from acting in a law enforcement capacity, the Coast Guard is exempt from the law and fulfills a law enforcement role in naval operations. It provides Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs) to Navy vessels, where they perform arrests and other law enforcement duties during Navy boarding and interdiction missions. In times of war, or when directed by the president, the Coast Guard operates as a service in the Navy and is subject to the orders of the secretary of the Navy until it is transferred back to the Department of Homeland Security.[167] At other times, Coast Guard Port Security Units are sent overseas to guard the security of ports and other assets. The Coast Guard also jointly staffs the Navy's Naval Coastal Warfare Groups and Squadrons (the latter of which were known as Harbor Defense Commands until late-2004), which oversee defense efforts in foreign littoral combat and inshore areas. Additionally, Coast Guard and Navy vessels sometimes operate together in search and rescue operations.