Marine Safety Insignia

The Marine Safety Insignia is awarded to enlisted members (grade E-4 and above) and officers of the United States Coast Guard and United States Coast Guard Reserve, to Coast Guard Civilians, and to members of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary to recognize professional accomplishment in the Marine Safety program. In addition, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary has a similar award called the Auxiliary Marine Safety (Trident) Device as part of the Auxiliary's Marine Safety Trident Program.

Admiral James Loy, as Commandant of the Coast Guard, approved the creation of the Marine Safety Insignia on November 2, 2000 to recognize the professional accomplishment of personnel in the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Program. The Commandant presented Rear Admiral Robert C. North, then-Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety and Environmental Protection, with the first Marine Safety Insignia on April 10, 2001, who accepted it "on behalf of all the marine safety professionals past, present, and future." Admiral North then presented the second Marine Safety Insignia to Master Chief Bell, the Marine Science Technician Rating Force Manager.

The description and symbolism of the Marine Safety Insignia is explained:

To receive the Marine Safety Insignia the member must earn four marine safety competencies. To earn the permanent version of the insignia, the member must also serve a cumulative five years at certain unit types in a billet with direct and regular involvement in Marine Safety operations as determined by the commanding officer. If the member has not obtained the required five years, temporary entitlement may be awarded for the period that the member is permanently assigned to that unit. The list of eligible competencies and unit/billet types are found in Chapter 6 of the Military Qualifications and Insignia Manual, COMDTINST M1200.1.

The first detailed information on the Marine Safety Insignia was announced in ALCOAST 183/01. More guidance was included in ALCOAST 295/01. Updated guidance was announced in ALCOAST 192/10, which changed the marine safety field unit service requirement for permanent award from four years to five, and updated the criteria to reflect modified qualification codes and the adoption of the Sector organizational structure.

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