The Port Security program of the
U.S. Coast Guard began as a result of the
Black Tom explosion and the passage of the
Espionage Act of 1917. The Coast Guard's
Captains of the Port were given responsibility for the security of port areas under this act. During
World War I, port security operations were conducted by active-duty personnel. After World War I, interest in port security decreased until images of burning ships visible from US coastlines, as the country entered
World War II, rekindled media and public concern. During the early 1980s,
Department of Defense planners formally identified the need for port security forces in
OCONUS seaports. Dialogue began between the
Army,
Navy, and Coast Guard, and the concept of the deployable Port Security Unit (PSU) was born. In January 1985, the
commandant of the Coast Guard approved three national PSUs to respond to the requirements of
Department of Defense operations plans. The three units were located in the
U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes District, then known as District 9, at Buffalo, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition to more recent operations around the world, PSUs were first deployed to the
Persian Gulf during the
Gulf War in 1990. In December 2000, PSU 309 from
Port Clinton, Ohio was deployed to the Middle East to provide vital force protection for
U.S. Navy assets following the
attack on the USS Cole. PSUs have played an active role during the
war on terror and have been deployed on numerous operations such as
Operation Noble Eagle,
Operation Enduring Freedom, and
Operation Iraqi Freedom. PSUs 309, 311, and 313 served in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom and operated under Naval Coastal Warfare Group One (NWCG 1). In March 2003, an amphibious force composed largely of British
Royal Marines initiated an amphibious assault against Iraqi defenses on the Al Faw Peninsula, the location of many Iraqi oil facilities. In the
Battle of Al Faw, shortly after the oil terminals had been cleared of Iraqi troops, explosives, and weapons by
Navy SEAL and
Marine assault teams, PSUs 311 and 313 arrived to take control of the facilities. PSU boats met the U.S. Army's
large landing craft Mechanicsville and formed up in close formation near it to complete their transit to the oil facilities. PSUs also helped secure and establish the beachhead for the USAV
Mechanicsville's beach landing. At the same time, a shoreside element of the PSU units reached the boat landing by convoy to help secure the port. They helped unload army vehicles and prepared for operations. While most of the coalition forces had secured the port earlier, snipers occasionally harassed the landing element and PSUs. Days later, an element of PSUs moved into Umm Qasr with coalition forces. NCWG 1 reassigned PSU 311 from its original mission and tasked it with providing port and perimeter security at Umm Qasr on the Khor Abd Allah Waterway during the
Battle of Umm Qasr. Meanwhile, remaining members of PSUs 309, 311, and 313 back-filled port security needs at the back at the port of Ash Shuaybah. ==Training==