Cayman Islands Coast Guard

Cayman Islands Coast Guard
Cayman Islands Coast Guard
	Cayman Islands Coast Guard Crest
Abbreviation	CICG
Motto	To Save Lives & Protect Our Borders
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Cayman Islands
Constituting instrument	Cayman Islands Coast Guard Bill, 2021;
Specialist jurisdiction	Coastal patrol, marine border protection, marine search and rescue.;
Operational structure
Headquarters	1101 Hirst Rd, Savannah, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Elected officers responsible	Jane Owen, Governor of the Cayman Islands; Burnie Bush, Minister of Home Affairs;
Agency executives	Robert Scotland, Commander; Leo Anglin, Lieutenant Commander;

The Cayman Islands Coast Guard is the maritime security and search and rescue agency of the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands. It was formed in late 2018 under the umbrella of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and was officially made as its own entity in 2021.^[2]

History

In 2018, the People's Progressive Movement-led coalition government pledged to form a Coast Guard to protect the interests of the Islands, especially in terms of illegal immigration and illegal drug importation as well as Search and Rescue.^[3] In mid-2018, the commander and second-in-command of the Cayman Islands Coast Guard were appointed. The first commanding officer appointed was Commander Robert Scotland and the second-in-command appointed was Lieutenant Commander Leo Anglin.^[4] In mid-2019, the commander and second-in-command took part in Operation Riptide, an international joint operation with the United States Coast Guard and the Jamaica Defense Force Coast Guard. This was the first deployment of the Cayman Islands Coast Guard and the first counternarcotic deployment of a Cayman Islands representative on a foreign military ship in 10 years.^[5]^[6]

In late November 2019, it was announced that the Cayman Islands Coast Guard would become operational in January 2020, with initial total of 21 Coast Guardsman, half of which would come from the joint marine unit, with further recruitment in the new year.^[7]

The legislation to establish the Cayman Islands Coast Guard was gazetted in 2021,^[1] after which the Cayman Islands Coast Guard officially became its own entity separate from the Cayman Islands Police Service.^[2] Its first cohort of 16 recruits graduated in March 2021.^[1]^[2]

Responsibilities

The Cayman Islands Coast Guard is responsible for maritime security, maritime enforcement of local laws and international laws in Cayman Islands waters, and compliance with conventions regarding safety at sea and pollution prevention.^[1]^[2]

Structure

The Cayman Islands Coast Guard has two main operational departments:^[8]

Coast Guard
Coast Guard Reserve

Within these two department are four main detachments:^[8]

Headquarters Detachment,
Sea Detachment,
Shore Detachment,
Sister Islands Detachment.

Commanding officers

As of September 2021, the commanding officer is Robert Scotland.^[1]

Ranks

Ranks of the Cayman Islands Coast Guard are almost exactly the same as the ranks in the Royal Navy.^[8]

Commissioned Officers

NATO Code	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1	OF-1
Cayman Islands Coast Guard Epaulette Rank Insignia^[9]				1 rows of 14mm lace with a row of 7mm lace below
Rank Title:	Commander	Lieutenant commander	Lieutenant	Lieutenant (Junior Grade)	Sub-Lieutenant
Abbreviation:	Cdr	Lt Cdr	Lt	Lt (JG)	Sub Lt / SLt

Non-Commissioned Officers

NATO Code	OR-9	OR-7	OR-6	OR-5	OR-4	OR-2	OR-1	OR-0
Cayman Islands Coast Guard Rank Insignia^[9]							Blank Insignia	No Insignia
Rank Title:	Warrant Officer	Chief Petty Officer	Petty Officer		Leading Seaman	Able Seaman	Ordinary Rating	Coast Guard Recruit
Abbreviation:	WO	CPO	PO		LS	AB	OS	CGR

Aviation

The Cayman Islands Coast Guard currently relies on the expertise of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service Air Operations Unit, for aerial search capabilities.