MARCH 17, 2025 — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Reliance (WMEC 615) returned to their home port in Pensacola, Monday, following a 60-day patrol in the Florida Straits, Windward Passage and Gulf of America.
Reliance deployed in support of Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast (HSTF-SE) and Operation Vigilant Sentry (OVS) while underway in the Seventh Coast Guard District’s area of responsibility, where crew members contributed to safeguarding America by patrolling U.S. maritime borders.
While underway, the crew assisted in the interdiction of 12 aliens attempting to reach the United States unlawfully by sea, including several young children. Crew members provided humanitarian aid and care until the aliens were repatriated to their country of origin.
Reliance maintained presence and directed operations for additional Coast Guard assets to deter dangerous and unlawful alien migration departures in the Windward Passage, which enabled other Coast Guard crews to assist with joint force operations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-led mission at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
While at sea in the Eighth Coast Guard District area of responsibility, Reliance’s crew patrolled the U.S.-Mexico maritime border in the Gulf of America to deter illicit activity such as illegal maritime migration, fishing and smuggling at sea.
Reliance’s crew also worked with two nearby Coast Guard air stations to conduct flight operations and maintain critical ship-helicopter interoperability.
“I am enormously proud and impressed by the Reliance crew’s exceptional professionalism, versatility and adaptability, which they demonstrated across multiple dynamic, high-profile and demanding missions during this patrol,” said Cmdr. Aaron Kowalczk, commanding officer of Reliance. “Their tireless commitment to the aggressive deterrence of alien maritime migration ventures and the relentless compassion displayed in their dedication to the Coast Guard’s humanitarian mission was exemplary, once again saving countless lives while safeguarding our borders.”
Established in 2003, HSTF-SE is the DHS-led interagency task force charged with directing operational and tactical planning, command and control, and functions as a standing organization to deter, mitigate and respond to maritime mass migration in the Caribbean Sea and Florida Straits.
OVS is the 2004 DHS plan that provides the structure for deploying joint air and surface assets and personnel to respond to irregular maritime migration in the Caribbean corridor of the United States. Its primary objectives are to prevent the unnecessary loss of life at sea while deterring and dissuading maritime mass migration alongside our federal, state and local partners.
Reliance is a 210-foot, Reliance-class medium endurance cutter with a crew of 77. The cutter’s primary missions are counter-narcotics and migrant interdiction operations, living marine resources protection, and search and rescue in support of U.S. Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.
For information on how to join the U.S. Coast Guard, visit GoCoastGuard.com to learn about active duty, reserve, officer and enlisted opportunities. Information on how to apply to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy can be found here.
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