Galveston guards GTMO

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Nistas | U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Lewis, a waterside securityman deployed with Maritime Safety and Security Team 91104, mans a .50-caliber machine gun aboard a U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat, May 12. MSST 91104 is deployed to U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to perform maritime anti-terrorism and force protection duties for Joint Task Force Guantanamo. JTF Guantanamo conducts safe, humane, legal and transparent care and custody of detainees, including those convicted by military commission and those ordered released by a court. The JTF conducts intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination for the protection of detainees and personnel working in JTF Guantanamo facilities and in support of the War on Terror. JTF Guantanamo provides support to the Office of Military Commissions, to law enforcement and to war crimes investigations. The JTF conducts planning for and, on order, responds to Caribbean mass migration operations.  

GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA

05.14.2010

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Shane Arrington 

Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba -- "Joint Task Force Guantanamo" brings to mind thoughts of the detention facility, and the men and women who stand the watch every day inside the wire. However, those who stand the watch outside the wire and on the water are just as important. The job of protecting JTF Guantanamo's waters falls to Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team, recently deployed here from their homeport of Galveston, Texas.

Before arriving in Cuba, members of MSST 91104 spent the majority of their time performing training exercises. Only a month ago, they were off the coast of Texas conducting advanced on-water tactical boat-handling training in preparation for their mission of supporting JTF Guantanamo and U.S. Southern Command.

"We're here to provide waterside security for the JTF," said Coast Guard Lt. George Adams, MSST 91104 Operations Officer. "It's a great mission, and I know myself and my guys feel great to be a part of the larger effort."

Created under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, the Maritime Safety and Security Teams are a part of the United States Department of Homeland Security's multi-leveled strategy focused on protecting U.S. ports and waterways.

It's not all about riding in boats equipped with big guns. According to Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Johnny Roach, there are a lot of things to cram into a 12-hour shift.

"We have to eat," said Roach with a chuckle. "We also have a little down time to e-mail and do online classes. Mostly, though, when we're not out, we're cleaning our weapons, cleaning the boat and making sure everything is ready to go for the next crew."

MSST 91104's overall mission is to provide enhanced port safety and security and law enforcement capabilities to JTF Guantanamo.

As part of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, the MSST is not only responsible for securing the waterways: the unit also provides some landside security while Military Commissions proceedings for detainees are underway.

• Date Taken: 05.14.2010
• Date Posted: 06.03.2010 10:52
• Story ID: 50786
• Location: GUANTANAMO BAY, CU