Peace Time: December 19, 2002

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The new law creating the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) merges 22 federal agencies into the new DHS. The largest of the merged operations is the Coast Guard, which has long been part of the Department of Transportation. The Coast Guard will make up 26 percent of DHS's personnel and 19 percent of its budget. The new law specifies that the Coast Guard will continue to perform its traditional duties, and still be subject to transfer to Navy control in time of war. The Commandant of the Coast Guard will report directly to the Secretary of Homeland Defense. It's unclear what changes the Coast Guard will undergo as it becomes part of the new DHS. With 36,000 uniformed and 5,000 civilian personnel, 130 deep water and coastal ships, the U.S. Coast Guard is larger than all but about ten of the navies in the world.