The United States Coast Guard might be the smallest branch of the U.S. military but it plays a vital role in our national security as detailed in the selections appearing in this wheel book. From protecting the homeland to providing coast guard forces to combatant commanders and every mission in between, all 11 of the U.S. Coast Guard's statutory missions are highlighted. Subjects include Coast Guard history, roles and missions, Team Coast Guard (active, reserve, civilian and auxiliarists), the coast guard's $25 billion modernization program, research and development, port security in New York City, counter-narcotics, coast guard intelligence, maritime law enforcement, freeing the whales, the Arctic, and the National Fleet concept, to name a few. Every author of each selection is a subject matter expert on the topic and it will be a real treat for readers of the U.S. Coast Guard to have so much wisdom from some of the Coast Guard's best thinkers and senior leadership in one volume. Readers will be surprised to learn that the coast guard deploys highly trained dogs on the high seas. They will also be pleasantly surprised that the Coast Guard is a unique tool for theater security cooperation for combatant commanders around the globe since many of the world's navies are more like the U.S. Coast Guard focused on maritime law enforcement issues instead of projecting power like the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Coast Guard is a bargain for the American taxpayer. From the selections compiled for this wheel book, the readers will be amazed to learn that the U.S. Coast Guard is able to accomplish the wide range of missions with minimal taxpayer funds, aging platforms, and an active duty force slightly larger than the New York Police Department (NYPD).