Maldivian Coast Guard
| Maldivian Coast Guard | |
|---|---|
Coast Guard Badge
|
|
| Active | 1 January 1980 – present |
| Country |
 Maldives
|
| Branch | Maldives National Defence Force |
| Type | Coast Guard |
| Commanders | |
| Commandant | Colonel Mohamed Ibrahim (Principal Adviser on Maritime Operations) |
| Principal Director | Colonel Ismail Shareef |
| Director | Major Mohamed Saleem |
The Maldivian Coast Guard is the naval or maritime arm of the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDMF). Because the Maldives does not have a navy, the MNDF Coast Guard functions as the armed maritime force of the nation with a charter to contribute to national defence and by and large to respond to issues related to the maritime security of the nation. Therefore, the Coast Guard is documented as the custodian of the Maldives Maritime Domain. Maritime security is a constituent ingredient of the national security in a maritime nation such as the Maldives and its significance is best understood when one perceives the island or the archipelagic nature of the country.
As the new government took power in 2008 the Coast Guard has been the highest priority of the Defense sector in Maldives. Four Coast Guard squadrons are deployed to south, central and north of Maldives, and a Strategic Reserve has been established at the Capital Male'.
The roots of the MNDF Coast Guard lie in the 1570s Kalhuoffummi, as its insignia symbolizes, the legendary sailing boat used by the heroic Mohamed Thakurufaanu and his allies in his guerrilla battle to free the country from the invasion of the Portuguese. Until the establishment of the modern Coast Guard in 1980, the small speed boat section of the National Security Service was the maritime security service in the Maldives and it lays claim on being the Maldives oldest continuous seagoing force. The Coast Guard was established as a separate wing of the defence forces on 1 January 1980 with the late Colonel Hussain Fulhu as its first Commanding Officer.
The MNDF Coast Guard has a dual role, with the strategic military application settling within the parameters of national defence and territorial integrity as the primary task while its secondary role is aimed at relatively non military aspects of maritime security which covers areas such as maritime terrorism, transnational crime, drug trafficking through maritime routes, smuggling, piracy and so forth. In times of peace, Coast Guard is popular as a force of goodwill due to its endeavours in building bridges of friendship with the public. It reaches out to people and save their lives by intensely conducting well planned and executed Search and Rescue (SAR) operations at sea and assume other humanitarian roles in crises when the public is in need.
Whilst most other military services of the MNDF are either at standby or training for the unseen hostile actions, the Coast Guard is deployed every day. With decentralized Coast Guard squadrons placed at Area Commands in North, Central and South of Maldives and a strategic reserve at the capital Male’ under the new Strategic Defence Directive, and much responsibility placed on even the most junior sailors, the Coast Guard is frequently lauded for its quick responsiveness and adaptability in a broad range of tasks and emergencies.
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Wikipedia