CBSI Technical Assistance Field Team (TAFT)

The Technical Assistance Field Team is comprised of U.S. Coast Guard and Army engineers, technicians, specialists, and logisticians. The team operates under the tactical control of U.S. Southern Command.

The TAFT focuses on assisting with maintenance, logistics, and procurement systems used in the upkeep of boats needed to disrupt illicit trafficking, conduct search and rescue, and support disaster response missions, as well as other coastal-security operations.

The TAFT typically focuses on support of maritime interceptor craft – similar to boats used by the U.S. Coast Guard – previously provided by the United States through a variety of international support programs.

The TAFT operates in direct support of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI). Funded by the U.S. State Department since 2013, TAFT’s technical expertise and support is one of the various forms of security assistance the U.S. is providing as part of CBSI to help Caribbean countries reduce illicit trafficking, improve public security, and promote social justice.

As of January 2017, Eastern Caribbean coast guards supported by TAFT have increased their maritime patrols by 41 percent, boarding of suspect vessels by 182 percent, and seizure of suspect vessels by 68 percent since the team’s assistance began.