Coast Guard Joins Counterterrorism Business
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Though known for its search-and-rescue efforts at sea, the U.S. Coast Guard (search) is now training members to fight terrorism.
The new Maritime Law Enforcement Training Center (search) has just opened at a former Naval base in Charleston, S.C., and will teach counterterrorism techniques to some 2,000 Coast Guard personnel each year.
So now, in addition to performing search-and-rescue and environmental protection missions, they’ll learn more traditional military and protective functions under the Department of Homeland Security (search).
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Coast Guard members say they’ll remain the friendly forces saving boaters in distress. But in their new role, they’ll also be able to deal a crushing blow to any enemy that threatens U.S. waters.
“This unit is a direct outcome of the events of 9/11,” said Lee Alexander, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Special Missions Training Center at Camp LeJeune and a trainer at the new facility.
“We need them to learn how to work together as a team and learn to recognize what’s an attack and what’s not an attack so they use the appropriate level of force,” he said.
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Click in the box near the top of the story to watch a report by FOX News' Jonathan Serrie.