vUSCG HITRON-10

Commanding Officer:

vVADM Lance Royal

CG-02

Beginning in FY00 the Commandant of the Virtual Coast Guard commissioned a study on the effectiveness of current maritime / air interdiction operations.  As a direct result of this study a new interdiction program named Operation New Frontier  was commissioned in FY01.  The purpose of Operation New Frontier  was to redesign the equipment and tactics utilized by the vUSCG in intercepting the ever present "Go Fast" boats that had until then outrun every asset the vUSCG employed.  

Operation New Frontier began the new millennium with the highest success rates ever seen by vUSCG units in the identification, pursuit, and apprehension of the "Go Fast" smuggler.  By combining cutting edge tactics with specially developed marine and air assets the VUSCG has begun a new chapter in Drug Interdiction Operations and Maritime Law Enforcement.  Operation New Frontier has also spawned the first armed squadron in the VUSCG since WWII, HITRON-10.  It is the intention of the HITRON section of the VUSCG to simulate these specific air operations and tactics as a tribute to those uniformed members of the United States Coast Guard who risk their safety each day to protect the United States from the constant influx of illicit drugs.

The Virtual US Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for maritime drug interdiction and shares lead responsibility for air interdiction with the Virtual U.S. Customs Service. As such, it is a key player in combating the flow of illegal drugs to the United States. The VUSCG's mission is to reduce the supply of drugs from the source by denying smugglers the use of air and maritime routes in the Transit Zone, a six million square mile area, including the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Pacific. In meeting the challenge of patrolling this vast area, the VUSCG coordinates closely with other virtual federal agencies and countries within the region to disrupt and deter the flow of illegal drugs.  

HITRON Members:

vADM Grant Ivey, CG-01

vVADM Lance Royal, CG-02

vVADM Chris Wootton, CG-03

vVADM Larry Shelton, CG-05