Coast Guard, United States, is a branch of the armed services. The Coast Guard operates within the Department of Homeland Security. It works to protect the public, the environment, United States economic interests, and national security in maritime regions. The regions where the Coast Guard operates include U.S. coasts, ports, and inland waters, and international waters. Its many duties give special meaning to its motto, Semper Paratus, which means always ready.
The Coast Guard is the nation's oldest continuous seagoing force. Since 1790, it has grown from a fleet of 10 small sailing vessels to a force of modern ships and aircraft. Its members have fought in every major war of the United States. They have rescued hundreds of thousands of people from disasters and have saved billions of dollars' worth of property from shipwrecks and floods.
The Coast Guard maintains an active-duty force of about 35,000 men and women. It has 8,000 reserve members; an 34,000-member, all-volunteer Coast Guard Auxiliary; and a civilian work force of more than 5,000.
The Coast Guard emblem was adopted in 1927. "Semper Paratus" is the Coast Guard's famous marching song.
