236 years of standing watch: Honoring the Coast Guard’s past and investing in their future

• From Biloxi to Gulfport to Pascagoula, Mississippi has helped write the Coast Guard’s history for generations.

On August 4, 1790, Alexander Hamilton established a fleet of vessels to enforce America’s trade laws, laying the foundation for what would become the U.S. Coast Guard. For 236 years, the Coast Guardsmen have stood watch over our nation’s maritime borders, protected American lives, and adapted to meet every new threat.

The Coast Guard in Mississippi has long been a proud part of that legacy.

During World War II, the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Biloxi played a pivotal role in defending the Mississippi Coast. As German U-boats launched Operation Drumbeat against American shipping in the Gulf of Mexico, sinking 58 Allied ships and damaging another 19, the Coast Guard station in Biloxi shifted from peacetime operations to anti-submarine patrols and medical evacuation missions that helped safeguard the region.

Decades later, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast, our Coast Guard crews once again answered the call. Units like Coast Guard Station Gulfport operated for hundreds of hours to save countless lives under extreme conditions, including limited communications, fuel shortages, and scarce supplies.

President Trump and Congressional Republicans are carrying the momentum of this legacy forward. In July 2025, in a partisan line vote, Congressional Republicans passed the largest investment ever in the Coast Guard through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. Nearly $25 billion has been dedicated to help modernize the service with new cutters, helicopters, facilities, technology systems, and critical infrastructure needed to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

New Polar Security Cutters will be built right here at home, creating new job opportunities for Mississippi workers, revitalizing our state’s shipbuilding industry, and solidifying Mississippi’s reputation as a cornerstone of America’s national defense.  As China and Russia race to expand their military and economic presence in the Arctic, these icebreakers will help ensure America can maintain a strong presence in one of the world’s most strategically important regions.

The Coast Guard is equally indispensable to border security efforts. For a state with more than 60 miles of Gulf coastline, maritime security is a necessity. The Coast Guard serves as one of the first lines of defense against drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and transnational criminal organizations that exploit gaps along our maritime borders. In 2025 alone, the Coast Guard crews patrolled over 100,000 miles of U.S. border, leading to the interdiction or transport of over 11,000 illegal aliens. They also seized 511,000 pounds of cocaine, the largest maritime drug interdiction in the service’s history, stopping countless lethal doses from reaching U.S. communities. 

The Coast Guard also provided critical security reinforcement during international events at home and military operations abroad. With resources and support provided through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, they were able to coordinate alongside federal, state, and local partners to secure ports and waterways, counter drone threats, and protect vital maritime infrastructure during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Earlier this year, the Coast Guard’s Deployable Specialized Forces aided with the successful outcome of Operation Absolute Resolve, helping to conduct right-of visit boardings, seize vessels operating in violation of U.S. and international maritime law, and dismantle Venezuela’s communist and illegitimate narco-regime led by Nicolás Maduro.

The Coast Guard also helps fight against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, which is critical for protecting Mississippi’s fishing and seafood processing industry. IUU fishing threatens the marine ecosystem, undermines sustainability, and hurts American fishermen by allowing bad actors to evade regulations, exploit forced labor, and flood markets with untraceable seafood. The Pascagoula-based crew and their cutter, the Jacob Poroo, are deployed to the Gulf of America to combat these illegal operations and protect American economic and national security interests. 

Semper Paratus is more than a slogan. It’s the Coast Guard’s promise to protect the American people. From Biloxi to Gulfport to Pascagoula, Mississippi has helped write the Coast Guard’s history for generations. As threats from communist countries, transnational criminal gangs, and other adversaries evolve, I am committed to ensuring our state continues supporting the Coast Guard’s mission. The men and women have never failed to answer the call. We should continue answering theirs.