Last week the United States Coast Guard seized several tons of cocaine before it could enter the United States. All in a day's work. This is on top of the Coast Guard's outstanding performance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Their work in New Orleans isn't over, they are also working round the clock to get New Orleans' port facilities back up and running.

These operations represent only a fraction of the Coast Guard's responsibilities - they also play key roles in national security (Coast Guard teams are in Iraq and have supported peacekeeping operations in Bosnia), maritime safety, alien interdiction, scientific research, and environmental protection. There is an expression that using the sharpest knife in the drawer for every task will wear it down and make it useless. So far, the Coast Guard has managed to excel at its many, many duties. But there is a cost.

Back in August, well before Katrina hit, the Washington Times reported that the Coast Guard fleet was aging and that nearly half of its 110 Ft. Cutters had large holes and had to continually pump out water to be operational. 9/11 expanded the demands on the Coast Guard exponentially, and even without 9/11 their infrastructure was wearing down rapidly. A terrific overall summary of the Coast Guard's new needs in the wake of 9/11 is here. As it happens, it was written by Jessica Altschul, who was my research assistant while writing Profiles in Terror. Clearly the Coast Guard deserves a major overhaul and expansion.

But there may be some value-added to building up the Coast Guard. DHS as a whole is a dysfunctional department, while the Coast Guard has remained effective. First the Coast Guard has a results oriented culture and the ability to mobilize substantial manpower and equipment quickly. But the Coast Guard has another important virtue - it generally cooperates effectively with other agencies because of its varied missions and its own unique history. The Coast Guard is a military organization that also has to respond to the Department of Transportation and now DHS. The Coast Guard is already in engaged in almost every DHS activity, particularly border control and critical infrastructure protection. Could the Coast Guard take a lead role and help shape the broader departmental culture?

The Coast Guard has a small, well-regarded intelligence department. The overall DHS intelligence analysis wing has been less than successful. Also the ICE - Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau is attempting to build an intelligence arm. (The 911 Commission noted the value of "travel intelligence" in tracking and intercepting terrorist activity.) Another important area is having effective senior leaders. Coast Guard officers could be groomed to take senior DHS positions on their retirement.

There is another interesting opportunity in expanding the Coast Guard. Overall, the military is more connected to "red" America than "blue" America. But the Coast Guard does not have the same political overtones as the other military services. Talented individuals who would like to serve their country but are turned off by the politics (or face anti-military family pressures) might find the Coast Guard an agreeable path. Bringing these best and brightest into the Coast Guard could be an important step in re-engaging large segments of the U.S. population with their military.