National Coast Guard (Arab Union)

The National Coast Guard (Arabic: حرس الساحل الوطني ḥaras as-sāḥil al-waṭanī) is a civilian agency of the National Maritime Administration Committee, a cabinet-level executive department of the federal government of the Arab Union.

The National Coast Guard is entrusted with three primary responsibilities: 1) the enforcement of nautical laws and regulations for domestic and foreign civilian vessels, including proper use of waterways and fishing resources; 2) performing search & rescue operations within the country's marine territory; and 3) assisting the "J" Directorate of the Joint Security Committee in performing all its customs, immigration control and border patrol operations at sea, mainly via providing relevant maritime transportation for officers in the fulfillment of their duties. During wartime, the National Coast Guard may come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence via presidential executive order, in which case certain divisions will be responsible for directly assisting the Arab Navy in its operations, for the most part domestic.

The National Coast Guard has its headquarters and major docks on the coast of Port Fuad, Palestinian Arab Republic, near Budapest Naval Station, the headquarters of the Arab Navy, and maintains over 200 ports and shipyards throughout the union. In December 2019, the Coast Guard had 60,405 full-time employees. It has been led by Chief-Admiral of the Coast Guard Amir Shelash since February 2016.