29 Fall 2024 Proceedings functions are fitting for similarly multidimensional local maritime agencies. As IPS Program members are sometimes the only Coast Guard representatives who visit a given country with any frequency, they serve as de facto conduits to other Coast Guard missions. IPS Program liaison officers have worked on diverse maritime security initiatives and have directly and tangibly aided host nations and U.S. Embassies in addressing critical human, environ- mental, and economic security issues through infor- mation sharing, networks and collaboration, and the employment of authorities and capabilities unique to the Coast Guard. Among other things, liaison officers have supported Defense Threat Reduction Agency train- ing, Department of State initiatives to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and Department of Defense combatant command initiatives including Africa Command regional exercises. Growing Demand for Coast Guard International Engagement Foreign demand is high for Coast Guard skills and exper- tise, and the IPS Program, along with the Coast Guard Mobile Training Branch, helps fill those needs. Demand, however, far outstrips supply, as any IPS Program liaison officer or Coast Guard international traveler can attest. Partner nations regularly request maritime advisors, training, equipment, response assistance, formal edu- cation, and informational exchanges from the United States and often specifically from the Coast Guard. IPS Program liaison officers relay these service-spe- cific requests to IPS Program desk officers and Coast Guard International Affairs, who work with other agen- cies and stakeholders to evaluate request feasibility. Lacking the requisite authorities to fund foreign assis- tance that does not overlap with regular Coast Guard operations, however, the service must work with the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, or Department of State to find external fund- ing to support requests beyond the scope of foreign port security. Given these dependencies, broader requests for assistance are highly dependent on individual liaison officers and their ability to identify potential funding partners. Enterprise-wide prioritization and coordination are key. The Coast Guard is working to improve and coordi- nate international efforts by outlining strategic priorities and choreographing lines of effort in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Discussions on Coast Guard strategy and equities in these regions frequently reveal fault lines amongst the Coast Guard’s international aspirations, its available authorities, and its ability to execute strategy and implement policy. These complexities aside, the Coast Guard has a significant role to play in international Members of a U.S. Coast Guard International Port Security team visit the Maldives Transport Authority to observe implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code at three port facilities in the capital of Male and Addu Atoll in 2016. The Coast Guard developed the IPS Program to reinforce the implementation of the ISPS Code. Coast Guard courtesy photo affairs and is well-suited to lead the U.S. government’s efforts to enhance maritime security diplomacy in those underserved regions that have become de facto arenas for great power competition. The Coast Guard writ large needs to continuously evaluate and prioritize its international engagements and broaden its partnerships with nations across the Global South to promote good maritime and security governance, build host nation ser- vice professionalism, and counter adversary influence in some of the world’s most geopolitically competitive areas. In the absence of more ideal service authorities and foreign affairs resourcing, the IPS Program continues to field multidisciplinary international demands while conducting its primary missions. The program’s agility, unique character, and global footprint put it at the van- guard of the Coast Guard’s international efforts to build a more secure global maritime commons and conduct ever more effective maritime security diplomacy. About the author: LCDR Mason G. B. Hall is a Netherlands-based international port secu- rity liaison officer covering Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Tanza- nia, and Algeria. He is a master’s degree candidate at the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies, where he studies public policy with a focus on governance and transnational policy transfer.
