MEDIA ADVISORY: Subcommittee Chairman Gimenez Announces Hearing on U.S. Coast Guard’s Deployable Specialized Forces

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security Chairman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) announced a hearing for Tuesday, February 3, to examine the capabilities, readiness, and operational demands of the U.S. Coast Guard's (USCG) Deployable Specialized Forces (DSF) as part of a broader homeland security mission. This hearing will provide an opportunity to better understand DSF's recent activities off the coast of Venezuela and across the Western Hemisphere, and to examine the maritime challenges faced during these complex law-enforcement missions.

The Coast Guard's DSF are trained to rapidly deploy into high-risk maritime operations such as narcotic interdictions, seizure of rogue vessels, and efforts to combat human smuggling. Most recently, USCG's DSF played a leading role in the seizure of sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, demonstrating the value of these specialized forces in countering evolving threats and safeguarding U.S. security interests.

"For far too long, narcoterrorists and foreign adversaries have exploited weaknesses along our maritime borders to flood our country with deadly drugs, poison American communities, and undermine the rule of law. That era is over. Under President Donald J. Trump's leadership, border security on land and at sea are once again a top national priority," Chairman Gimenez said. "Operation Absolute Resolve delivered a decisive blow to a criminal narco-regime with the swift capture of Nicolás Maduro and set in motion the restoration of democracy and the rule of law throughout the Western Hemisphere. The United States Coast Guard plays a unique and indispensable role in defending our homeland in this region. As threats from Communist Cuba and Communist China continue to grow, we must ensure our Coast Guard has the specialized workforce, real-time intelligence sharing, coordinated strength, and cutting-edge capabilities needed to confront these threats head-on and keep America safe."

DETAILS:

What: Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security hearing entitled, "Frontline Defenders: How the Coast Guard's Deployable Specialized Forces Combat Narcoterrorists and other Maritime Threats on the High Seas."

When: Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 10:00 am EST

Where: 310 Cannon House Office Building

WITNESSES:

Rear Admiral David C. Barata
Deputy Commandant for Operations Policy and Commander, United States Coast Guard

Ms. Heather MacLeod
Director, Homeland Security and Justice Team, Government Accountability Office

The hearing will be livestreamed on YouTube and will be open to the public and press. Press must be congressionally credentialed and should RSVP in advance.

BACKGROUND:

Since December 10, 2025, the Coast Guard, in coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of War (DoW), has conducted multiple boardings of rogue vessels suspected of transporting embargoed Venezuelan oil in violation of U.S. sanctions. DSF carried out enforcement boardings targeting these vessels suspected of carrying sanctioned oil and are expanding their operations across the region.

Last year marked a historic year for the USCG securing the nation's maritime borders: In November, the Coast Guard seized approximately 49,010 pounds of cocaine off Port Everglades, Florida, the largest drug seizure conducted by a single cutter during a patrol. Further, they seized nearly 510,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean in Fiscal Year 2025.

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