Editing United States Coast Guard (section)

===Authority as an armed service===
[[File:Hook & Climb 002.jpg|thumb|Members of the U.S. Coast Guard [[Maritime Safety and Security Team|Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT)]] hooking and climbing onto a target to show the skills needed to complete a variety of missions dealing with [[anti-terrorism]], protecting local [[Marine (ocean)|maritime]] assets, and harbor and inshore security patrols as well as [[Anti-frogman techniques|detecting, stopping, and arresting submerged divers]], using the [[Underwater Port Security System]]]]

[[Title 10 of the United States Code|Title 10 of the U.S. Code]] says that "[t]he term "armed forces" means the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard."<ref>{{UnitedStatesCodeSub|10|101|a|4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/2046035/trump-signs-law-establishing-us-space-force/|title=Trump Signs Law Establishing U.S. Space Force|website=U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE|language=en-US|access-date=21 December 2019}}</ref>
The Coast Guard is further defined by [[Title 14 of the United States Code]]: "The Coast Guard as established {{sic|January 2|8, 1915|hide=y}}, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times. The Coast Guard shall be a service in the Department of Homeland Security, except when operating as a service in the Navy."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title14/pdf/USCODE-2011-title14-partI.pdf|title=14 USC §1. Establishment of Coast Guard|year=2011|website=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]]|access-date=5 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102131556/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title14/pdf/USCODE-2011-title14-partI.pdf|archive-date=2 November 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
Coast Guard organization and operation is as set forth in [[Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations]].

On 25 November 2002, the [[Homeland Security Act]] was signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush, designating the Coast Guard to be placed under the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|U.S. Department of Homeland Security]]. The transfer of administrative control from the U.S. Department of Transportation to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was completed the following year, on 1 March 2003.<ref name=DHSTransfer2003>{{cite web|url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/Chron/Chronology_Mar.asp|title=Daily Chronology of Coast Guard History|author=United States Coast Guard|publisher=United States Department of Homeland Security|quote=2003 - Administrative control of the Coast Guard transferred to the newly created Department of Homeland Security from the Department of Transportation, where it had served since 1 April 1967.|access-date=18 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203010739/http://www.uscg.mil/history/Chron/Chronology_Mar.asp|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-107publ296/pdf/PLAW-107publ296.pdf|title=Homeland Security Act of 2002|website=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]]|date=25 November 2002|access-date=5 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130324080341/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-107publ296/pdf/PLAW-107publ296.pdf|archive-date=24 March 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/articles/Homeland_Security_Baldinelli.asp|work=United States Coast Guard|publisher=United States Department of Homeland Security|title=The U.S. Coast Guard's Assignment to the Department of Homeland Security: Entering Uncharted Waters or Just a Course Correction?|date=9 December 2002|last=Baldinelli|first=D.C.|access-date=18 January 2014|quote=On November 25, 2002, President George Bush signed the Homeland Security Act, which called for the largest reorganization in the U.S. government since the formation of the Department of Defense. The reorganization plan will bring together twenty-two agencies or parts of agencies from other departments such as Justice, Commerce, Health and Human Services, etc., under the control of the Department of Homeland Security.... One of those agencies affected was the United States Coast Guard, which will be transferred from the Department of Transportation.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203010130/http://www.uscg.mil/history/articles/Homeland_Security_Baldinelli.asp|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

The U.S. Coast Guard reports directly to the civilian secretary of homeland security. However, under {{UnitedStatesCode|14|3}} as amended by section 211 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006, upon the declaration of war and when [[United States Congress|Congress]] so directs in the declaration, or when the [[President of the United States|president]] directs, the Coast Guard operates under the Department of Defense as a service in the [[United States Department of the Navy|Department of the Navy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/house-bill/889|title=Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006|website=Congress.gov|date=12 July 2006|language=en-US|access-date=1 December 2020}}</ref>

As members of the military, coast guardsmen on active and reserve service are subject to the [[Uniform Code of Military Justice]] and receive the same pay and allowances as members of the same pay grades in the other uniformed services.<ref>{{cite web|title=14 U.S.C. § 2 - U.S. Code Title 14. Coast Guard § 2|url=https://codes.findlaw.com/us/title-14-coast-guard/14-usc-sect-2.html|access-date=12 May 2021|website=Findlaw|language=en-US}}</ref>

The service has participated in every major U.S. conflict from 1790 through today, including landing troops on [[D-Day]] and on the Pacific Islands in [[World War II]], in extensive patrols and shore bombardment during the [[Vietnam War]], and multiple roles in [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]. Maritime interception operations, coastal security, transportation security, and [[Law Enforcement Detachments|law enforcement detachments]] have been its major roles in recent conflicts in [[Iraq]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Long Blue Line: Coast Guard combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom |url=https://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2018/07/tlbl-uscg-combat-operations-in-oif/ |first1=William H. |last1=Thiesen |date= July 26, 2018 |access-date=12 May 2021|website= Coast Guard Compass |archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112045825/https://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2018/07/tlbl-uscg-combat-operations-in-oif/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 17 October 2007, the Coast Guard joined with the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] and [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] to adopt a new [[maritime strategy]] called ''[[A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower]]'' that raised the notion of prevention of war to the same philosophical level as the conduct of war.<ref name="Garamone">{{cite news |last=Garamone |first=Jim |url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=32655 |title=Sea Services Unveil New Maritime Strategy |work=Navy News Service |date=17 October 2007 |id=NNS071017-13 |agency=[[American Forces Press Service]] |access-date=30 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305040311/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=32655 |archive-date=5 March 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This new strategy charted a course for the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps to work collectively with each other and international partners to prevent regional crises, man-made or natural, from occurring, or reacting quickly should one occur to avoid negative impacts to the United States. During the launch of the new U.S. maritime strategy at the International Seapower Symposium at the [[United States Naval War College|U.S. Naval War College]] in 2007, Coast Guard commandant admiral [[Thad Allen]] said the new maritime strategy reinforced the time-honored missions the service has carried out in the United States since 1790. "It reinforces the Coast Guard maritime strategy of safety, security and stewardship, and it reflects not only the global reach of our maritime services but the need to integrate and synchronize and act with our coalition and international partners to not only win wars ... but to prevent wars," Allen said.<ref name="Garamone" />