I doubt they will be raiding too many coasties, there are only something like 4-8 slot's open per year, this has more to do with the CG wanting to have the personel to stand up their own "special unit"in a few year's time.

For what pupose would the Coast Guard need a "special unit" with capabilities comparable to those of the Navy's SEAL force?

It might be a "nice-to-have" element, certainly, but wouldn't it fall rather too much into the realm of Mayberry, North Carolina, standing up a Barney Fife Memorial SWAT Team?

 

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As far as the USCG's elite force, I thought they already had an elite force with their special boarding teams?

No, definitely not. Did some research on their boarding team. Im not disparaging or comparing anyone, but I don't think their VBSS skills are on the same level as HRT or a SEAL Team just based on the fact that their course isn't that long. Thus the need for an "Elite" unit I guess? 

Your guess is as good as mine, but every other branch has ninja's I guess the CG want some too......maybe they would like to make a play for the maritime CT job in a similar way to the FBI has the HRT...who know's, but I do know that officers love pet project's and the cash to see them happen.

 

The similarity between Navy SEAL's and Coast Guard CRS's is that they are extremely motivated individuals in peak physical condition that are highly trained to routinely perform a set of extremely hazardous (i.e. near suicidal for less well prepared individuals) missions involving water.  However, the missions and training are radically different, and the CRS training does not include a combat component.  CRS is NOT a SWAT equivalent.

 If these specialties were Olympic sports then SEAL's would the decathlon while CRS's are the distance swimmers.

 The reason that the Coast Guard worries about the SEAL's recruiting from the CRS's, and that the Navy would like to, is that the pool of individuals with both the mental and physical capabilities required to perform either of these missions with any degree of safety is extremely limited, but highly similar.  And of the two, the mental capabilities are the hardest to find and the most difficult to develop.  Note that even after providing additional physical training the rejection rate in SEAL training only dropped from 75% to 60%.

BTW that 15% increase in guy's passing is huge in SW terms, it's the difference between being able to stand up an extra SEAL Platoon or not.... if the UKSF had a pass rate jump like that, they'd be able to stand the SAS boat troop's back up a hell of a lot faster then they can now..

Different skillsets.  There is an international shortage of decent operators for maritime security work. 

 

exp coasties would be snapped up pretty quickly by private companies.  I'll put myself on a limb and say that in a toss up between an ex coastie and a special who's come from a "specialised" water troop - the maritime security company preference would run with the coastie.

Yeah, see I really know very little about their boarding team. What is the difference? Are they better at search and seizure whereas a SBS unit would be better at opposed boarding kind of thing? And why in your opinion would a PMC be more likely to pick up a coastie over say a SEAL or SBS dude?

 

So when looking for a reason why the might want to start up a true SOF type force similar to the SEALs, if you keep in mind that 1) they have Arrest Power.  2) like GOP said earliar CG's are heavily involved in Drug Interdictions.  3) w/ their Arrest Authority similar to the FBI's like Moug said they can setup a Maritme CT version of their own HRT.

 

So if you use those 3 you can kind of triangulate on a nice little uniqe niche for a CG SOF level Force. 

 

One who's primary would be Maritime Homeland CT opposite HRT, but can also deploy to possibly relieve the SEALs in their Counter-Narcotics in S. America.

I think that would be cool for the CG to have some other SOF teams out there, They would probably be best suited for Anti-Narcotics operations, but yeah that would be cool, and i dont see a reason for the CG to be worried about there rescue Swimmers transitioning to the SEAL teams, after all there still working for the U.S. government, and are still putting their skills to good use, its like a Roman-Greco wrestler to transfer to Collegiate wrestling, but the wrestler still plays for the same school, just not the same coach. i think its more of a worry that they might be understaffed in the rescue swimmers, and since their pretty tough to get, since the training is so hard and most ppl arent up for the task, they dont want to lose to many.