The U.S. Coast Guard’s Deployable Specialized Forces are set to be reestablished under a new unified command structure later this year, as lawmakers examine the units’ expanding role in high-risk maritime operations.
According to a recent Coast Guard bulletin, the service will stand up a new U.S. Coast Guard Special Missions Command (CG SMC) to align all Deployable Specialized Forces (DSF) units and other specialized capabilities under a single organizational structure. The Coast Guard has directed its Chief of Staff to commission the command under the leadership of a rear admiral, with establishment scheduled for Oct. 1, 2026.
The move comes as Congress reviews how the Coast Guard’s specialized units fit into the nation’s broader homeland security strategy.
On Feb. 3, the House Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security held a hearing focused on the role of the Coast Guard’s Deployable Specialized Forces. Subcommittee Chairman Carlos Gimenez opened the session by pointing to the units’ recent operational tempo and their role in countering maritime threats, including narcotrafficking and the smuggling of illicit goods.
Deployable Specialized Forces include Maritime Security Response Teams, Tactical Law Enforcement Teams, Port Security Units, and other elements trained to conduct high-risk boardings, counterterrorism missions, and drug interdiction operations. These teams frequently operate alongside other U.S. and international partners, including Joint Interagency Task Force South.
Lawmakers highlighted the Coast Guard’s recent seizure of sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela as an example of the complex maritime enforcement missions DSF units conduct. The operations involved right-of-visitation boardings and vessel seizures tied to violations of U.S. and international law.
Drug interdiction was also a focus. According to information cited during the hearing, Deployable Specialized Forces were involved in seizing nearly 510,000 pounds of cocaine in Fiscal Year 2025, underscoring their role in disrupting transnational criminal organizations operating in maritime corridors.
The Coast Guard’s decision to consolidate these capabilities under the forthcoming Special Missions Command aligns with broader modernization efforts outlined in its Force Design 2028 plan, which calls for a Deployable Specialized Forces Command to strengthen unity of effort, readiness, and oversight.
The new command structure is expected to take effect at the start of the next fiscal year on Oct. 1.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)
