Port Security Unit

The Port Security program of the Coast Guard began as a result of the Black Tom explosion and the passage of the Espionage Act of 1917.

[6] During the early 1980s, Department of Defense planners formally identified the need for port security forces in OCONUS (Outside of Continental United States) seaports.

Dialogue began between the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard, and the concept of the deployable Port Security Unit (PSU) was born.

In January 1985, the Commandant of the Coast Guard approved three national PSUs to respond to the requirements of Department of Defense operations plans.

The three units were located in Coast Guard District 9 at Buffalo, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

[7] In December 2000, PSU 309 from Port Clinton, Ohio was deployed to the Middle East to provide vital force protection for U.S. Navy assets following the attack on the USS Cole.

The units would participate in the Battle of Al Faw (2003), an hour after the assaults on the oil terminals which had been cleared of Iraqi troops, explosives, and weapons, by SEAL and Special Boat Teams.

PSU boats met the U.S. Army’s large landing craft Mechanicsville and formed up in close formation near it to complete their transit to the oil facilities.

A ground side element of the PSU units, reached the boat landing by convoy to help secure the port.

Various skills are learned and trained which include close-quarters combat, CBRN defense, tactical combat casualty care (TCCC), land navigation, entry control points (ECP), vehicle searches, rear area security, crew-served weapons like the M240B and M2HB, military operations in urban terrain (MOUT), convoy operations, patrolling, individual and squad movement.

[1] Some of the unit's capabilities include, but are not limited to: Each PSU has several fast and maneuverable 32' Transportable Port Security Boats (TPSBs).

Each unit is outfitted with spare material, pick-up trucks, boat trailers, transportable kitchens, tents, and Department of Defense-compatible radios.

Through the use of vigilant escort and patrol techniques, the HVA is protected from asymmetrical threats, such as assaults by small boats or swimmers.

The Weapons Division ensures that the unit is properly armed, equipped, and trained for exercises, operations, or incidents that the PSU may respond to.

[citation needed] The design for the pin was developed in 1991 by Reserve Coast Guardsman, Storekeeper First Class Terry D. Jelcick while sitting on his bunk at Batar Camp, Dammam, Saudi Arabia in the evenings after work.

Coast Guardsmen training at Fort Dix
A Coast Guardsman with Port Security Unit 305 stands the watch in a battle position.
Transportable Port Security Boats attached to Port Security Unit 308, at Camp Lejeune in 2012
Port Security Unit 313 and Navy Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 provide anti-terrorism and force protection at Mina' Ash Shu'aybah Port in Kuwait.
Port Security Unit 311 in Iraq (2003)
Coast Guard sharpens shooting skills at Camp Lejeune
Coast Guard Port Security Unit and Marine Security Forces conducts convoy operations on the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base border.
A pair of 32-foot Transportable Port Security Boats (TPSB) in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba , 2015
Port Security Unit 305, extract Marine Security Forces Company during a joint training exercise.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Gene Cox, a boatswain's mate with Coast Guard Reserve Port Security Unit 305, aims a Browning M-2 .50-caliber machine gun at a floating target during a firing exercise, Jan. 14. PSU 305
Members of Coast Guard PSU 307 from Clearwater, Florida . (Photographed in Ash Shuaiba, Kuwait, on March 26, 2004)
Port Security Unit 313, operating the M2 .50-caliber machine gun during an exercise
Port Security Unit 313 in Pohang, South Korea
Operation Iraqi Freedom . Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit 206 works with, Seabees , and PSU 307 to provide harbor security.
Port Security Enlisted Qualification Badge