The US Coast Guard will stand up a new subordinate command called the Special Missions Command (SMC) to oversee its deployable specialised forces.
The coast guard said the command will enhance the operational effectiveness of the service in responding to a wide range of national emergencies and events as the demand for deployable specialised forces capabilities increase.
The coast fuard selected the existing Coast Guard C5I Service Center facility in Kearneysville, West Virginia, as the future site of the SMC.
The SMC will be commissioned on or around October 1, 2026, fully integrating the coast guard's deployable special forces under a single operational commander to provide oversight and advocacy, improve readiness, mission effectiveness, and interoperability to meet service, department, and joint military requirements.
The SMC will include maritime security response teams (responsible for responding to maritime terrorism incidents), tactical law enforcement teams, maritime safety and security teams (consisting of rapidly deployable boat teams for port and waterway security), port security units, regional dive lockers, and a national strike force (responsible for addressing national disasters in collaboration with other federal agencies).
The coast guard said additional units, capabilities and functions may be incorporated into the SMC in the future. Currently, the administrative and operational control of specialised forces units is shared between the coast guard’s two area commanders.
