United States Coast Guardsman

United States Coast Guard
Emblem of the United States Coast Guard
Founded	January 28, 1915; 103 years ago (1915-01-28)
Country	United States of America
Type	Coast guard
Role	Defense operations, maritime law enforcement, and search and rescue
Size	Total workforce of 87,569
Part of	Department of Homeland Security
Headquarters	Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Nickname(s)	"Coasties", "The Guard",
Motto(s)	Semper Paratus (English: Always ready)
Colors	CG Red, CG Blue, White
March	"Semper Paratus"  Play
Anniversaries	4 August
Engagements	See list Quasi-War War of 1812 Seminole Wars Mexican–American War American Civil War Spanish–American War World War I World War II Korean War Vietnam War Invasion of Grenada Invasion of Panama Persian Gulf War Kosovo War War in Afghanistan Iraq War Operation Inherent Resolve
Decorations	See list Presidential Unit Citation (Coast Guard) Presidential Unit Citation (Navy) Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award Coast Guard Unit Commendation Navy Unit Commendation Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation Meritorious Unit Commendation (Navy) Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army)
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief	President Donald Trump
Secretary of Homeland Security	Kirstjen Nielsen
Commandant	ADM Karl L. Schultz
Vice Commandant	ADM Charles W. Ray
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard	MCPOCG Jason M. Vanderhaden
Insignia
Standard
Ensign
Seal
Mark
Guidon
Pennant

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's seven uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the U.S. military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission (with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters) and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its mission set. It operates under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during peacetime, and can be transferred to the U.S. Department of the Navy by the U.S. President at any time, or by the U.S. Congress during times of war. This has happened twice, in 1917, during World War I, and in 1941, during World War II.

Created by Congress on 4 August 1790 at the request of Alexander Hamilton as the Revenue Marine, it is the oldest continuous seagoing service of the United States. As Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton headed the Revenue Marine, whose original purpose was collecting customs duties in the nation's seaports. By the 1860s, the service was known as the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and the term Revenue Marine gradually fell into disuse.

The modern Coast Guard was formed by a merger of the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life-Saving Service on 28 January 1915, under the U.S. Department of the Treasury. As one of the country's five armed services, the Coast Guard has been involved in every U.S. war from 1790 to the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan.