SEATTLE — Members of Maritime Safety and Security Team(MSST) Seattle (91101), deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to perform port security duties Sunday.
MSST Seattle (91101) is assigned to the Coast Guard’s Deployable Operations Group and is a rapid response force capable of nationwide deployment via air, ground or sea transportation to meet emerging threats. Unit personnel are trained in Anti-terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) and Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE) policies and practices, enabling them to augment Coast Guard forces during National Special Security Events, major marine events, contingencies, and other Coast Guard law enforcement operations primarily in ports, harbors, internal waterways, and coastal regions.
MSSTs were created under the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) 2002 and are a part of the Department of Homeland Security’s layered strategy directed at protecting our seaports and waterways. MSSTs were created in direct response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Accordingly, every MSST designation number begins with “911”. Commissioned on July 3, 2002, MSST Seattle was the first MSST created; hence having the honor of being known as 91101.
