AST | About Us
The AST is one of 3 Special Teams that make up the National Strike Force. It is a vital national asset comprised of a unique, highly trained cadre of Coast Guard professionals who maintain and rapidly deploy with specialized equipment and incident management skills any time to any place or hazard.
The AST is recognized worldwide as an expert authority in the preparation for and response to the effects resulting from oil discharges, hazardous substance releases, weapons of mass destruction events, and other emergencies on behalf of the American public.
Our area of responsibility covers all or portions of the 1 st, 5 th, 8 th and 9 th Coast Guard Districts and Environmental Protection Agency Regions 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7. In addition to these areas we also have international responsibilities for Europe, the Middle East, Eastern Canada (from 36° Longitude), Bermuda, and Africa.
Services We Provide
Our Mission
Function as a "special team" within the National Response System (NRS) and assist United States Coast Guard (USCG) and Environmental Protection Agencey (EPA) Federal On Scene Coordinators and other federal officials while executing responsibilities under the National Contingency Plan (NCP) and the National Response Plan (NRP).
Provide highly trained, experienced personnel and specialized equipment for response to oil pollution and hazardous substance release incidents in order to protect public health and the environment.
What We Do
- Incident Command / Response Management Support
- Oil and Hazardous Chemical Response
- WMD Response including Radiological and Bio-Terrorism incidents
- Preparedness Exercise & Event Planning Support
2012 Briefing Book