Credit: MSN.com

The graphic above was included in an MSN online article about Ukranian use of dazzle style camouflage on one of their gunboats but allow me to make an unrelated observation.

The graphic is incomplete in that it reports the position of attacks on 15 ships while noting that “In two years, Ukraine has destroyed or damaged a total of 27 ships or boats belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet.” Even so, it appears representative, in that the vast majority, 13 of the 15, attacks were on units either stationary (moored/in drydock/etc) or underway in close proximity to ports. In some cases, the Russian units were protecting the port.

Why?

Finding ships in port is much easier than finding ships at sea. That is where the ships are–concentrated.

Why should we care?

The Coast Guard is the default protector of ports from maritime threats.

You might assume it’s the Navy, but the Navy has ships in only six US ports or port complexes in North America and Hawaii, and one of those (Groton) has only submarines.

That leaves about 25 significant US ports with no organic USN presence. There are no Navy surface combatants or even patrol boats in Coast Guard Districts 1, 8, or 17, none on the East Coast North of Virginia, none on the West Coast between the Puget Sound area and San Diego, and none in the Gulf of Mexico.

The US Army is legally responsible for Coast Defense, but no such organization has existed since the end of WWII.

NORAD provides minimal air defense for the US, but they are not prepared to deal with surface threats.

If there is an attack on a port in the US “Who You Gonna Call?” or who you gonna blame. After all, we are the Coast Guard, people expect us to Guard the Coast.