U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Unit 305,
30 Year Anniversary

16th of August, 2025
Training Center Yorktown, Virginia

 Deployments Throughout the Years

Early Years of the PSUs

Our Roots

The roots of the Coast Guard's deployable port security mission are traced back to World War I and World War II and the traditional CONUS port safety and security duties of the Captain of the Port (COTP). During World War II, some overseas COTP-type operations were carried out by the Coast Guard in both the Pacific and European Theaters. Experiences in Vietnam demonstrated that a need for Coast Guard port security capabilities in overseas ports continued to exist. During the early 1980's, DoD planners formally identified the need for port security forces in OCONUS seaports of debarkation. 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 approved three notional PSUs to respond to the requirements of DoD operations plans. The three units were located in the Ninth Coast Guard District at Buffalo, NY, Cleveland, OH, and Milwaukee, WI.

Mission Defined

PSUs are organized, equipped, and trained to operate in joint security areas, specifically in accessible (ice-free) harbors and port areas worldwide in support of regional Combatant Commanders’ requirements, and in company with DoD for national defense regional contingencies. PSUs provide 24-hour operations under all environmental conditions within the limits of equipment and personnel. PSUs normally protect vessels in transit, at the pier/port complex, or along the waterfront facility. Harbor defense and port security operations are frequently characterized by confined and traffic-congested water and air space.

Notional Mission Assessment

In the years between the approval of the three notional PSUs and their first deployment in 1990, the PSUs suffered from inconsistent budgetary, programmatic, and training support. Personnel assigned to the units augmented small boat stations, groups, and marine safety offices during monthly drills. The PSUs borrowed boats from local units for training and exercises. Their only opportunities to train as a unit came during their two weeks of annual training. Even then, the PSUs assembled as a unit just two out of three years since unit members were still required to perform non-PSU duties. In 1986, 311 Ninth District Coast Guardsmen, both active duty and reserve, attended Marine Corps combat skills training at Quantico, VA. In 1987, $5 million of the Navy and Coast Guard budget was made available for the purchase of PSU equipment which included 22' Boston Whaler Transportable Port Security Boat's (TPSBs). In the late 1980's, various PSU force elements took part in several CONUS and OCONUS exercises, including deployments to Central America and the Middle East.

Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm

During the late summer and fall of 1990, the PSUs made their first operational deployment in support of OPERATION DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM. PSU 301 operated in Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia, PSU 302 in Manama, Bahrain, and PSU 303 in Ad Damman, Saudi Arabia. In preparation for a lengthy Middle East deployment, the PSU Training Detachment (TRADET) was established at Camp Blanding, FL to train replacement units. Three units were trained by the PSU TRADET during the winter of 1991. Two were deployed to Saudi Arabia in relief of PSU 301 and PSU 303. Shortly before 301 and 303 were rotated, PSU 302 redeployed to the U.S. when it was determined that port security forces were no longer needed in Bahrain.

The buildup of personnel and equipment required to support the largest U.S. expeditionary force since World War II was tremendous. Providing secure seaports of debarkation was critical to the success of U.S. and allied forces. The units performed their port security mission admirably despite the logistical and administrative obstacles attendant to the initial deployment of new units.

Transitions and Missions of the 1990s

After returning from the Middle East, the PSUs resumed their notional status. They only trained or exercised as a unit during their two weeks of annual training. Initiatives at both the Headquarters and District level in 1993 and 1994 led to the recommendation that PSUs become dedicated drilling units. It was also recommended that two of the PSUs move to the Fifth and Eleventh Coast Guard Districts. Simultaneously, formal, skills-based PSU training was being developed for the first time. Before these initiatives could be completed, PSUs were deployed again. This time to support OPERATION UPHOLD DEMOCRACY in Haiti.

In September 1994, DOD requested PSU support for operations in Haiti. PSU 301 and PSU 302 were provided pre-deployment training at Camp Perry, Ohio. Later that month they were deployed to Cap-Haitien and Port-au-Prince, Haiti, respectively. This time the units went into action with one third active duty personnel, taking the PSU mission into the active duty community. Deploying as components of the U.S. Navy Harbor Defense Command, the PSUs provided waterside security for military sea-lift and humanitarian relief vessels. After successfully completing their mission in the challenging conditions of a third world nation, the units were brought home in late October and November, 1994. PSUs were further used for the security of waterside venues in Coastal Georgia during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.