Deployable Operations Group

Deployable Operations Group
Seal of the Deployable Operations Group
Active	July 20, 2007 – October 1, 2013
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Coast Guard
Type	Deployable specialized forces
Role	Provide the Coast Guard, DHS, DoD, DoJ and other interagency operational commanders adaptive force packages drawn from the U.S. Coast Guard's deployable specialized force units.
Size	2,000
Part of	Department of Homeland Security
Nickname(s)	"DOG Teams", "Puddle Pirates"

The Deployable Operations Group (DOG) was a United States Coast Guard command that provided properly equipped, trained and organized Deployable Specialized Forces (DSF) to Coast Guard, DHS, DoD and inter-agency operational and tactical commanders. Formerly headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, it was established on 20 July 2007, and was commanded by a captain and was decommissioned by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Robert Papp on 1 October 2013. Upon decommissioning, the units previously assigned to the DOG were split between Coast Guard Pacific and Atlantic Area commands.

From 2007-2013, the DOG and DSF deployed throughout the world in support of national interests and requirements as tailored and integrated force packages. This included response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and more recently deploying specialized counter piracy boarding teams to the Middle East to combat piracy operations.

The DOG's purpose was to develop systems and processes for standardized training, equipment, organization, planning, and scheduling of rapidly deployable specialized forces to execute mission objectives in support of tactical and operational commanders.

The DOG was the Coast Guard's element of specialized forces, but is not a part of United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) because the Coast Guard does not operate under the Department of Defense. DOG units' missions include high-risk, high-profile tasks such as counter-terrorism, diving operations, intelligence-cued boardings, shipboard take-downs and threat assessments involving nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons