U.S. Coast Guard: Purpose, Characteristics, Contributions, and Worth to the Nation

The Commandant of the Coast Guard requested CNA analytical assistance in identifying the Coast Guard's enduring features and in describing its unique character as a multi-missioned institution serving a diverse customer base. This task is an essential feature of a brader study attempting to develop a notional end state for the year 2020 by comparing service missions with trends affecting them. We believe that the future direction of the Coast Guard must be consistent with the service's enduring characteristics and its history and traditions. This report contains a brief history of the organization, a description of Coast Guard purpose and responsibilities, and a discussion of service identity and characteristics, organizational motivation, and national contributions. The reader should understand that his document represents an outsiders view of the Coast Guard.