U.S. COAST GUARD

CONTRABAND DETECTION

CAPABILITY NEEDS STATEMENT (CNS)

May 2026

Table of Contents

Version Control History

Executive Summary

1 Operational Context / Threat Summary

1.1 Operational Mission and Objectives

1.2 Current and Future Environment

1.3 Relevant Operational Publications

2 Capabilities Needed

3 Capability Performance Attributes

4 Interoperability

4.1 Standard Export Format

4.2 Wireless Transmission

Supplemental Artifacts

Operational Use Cases

Version Control History

Version Number Date Revision Description Author(s)

1.0 04/13/2026 Initial Draft

Executive Summary The U.S. Coast Guard's ability to interdict maritime narcotics trafficking is challenged by the dual factors of harsh operational environments and the continuous evolution of synthetic drugs like Fentanyl. To maintain mission effectiveness and ensure personnel safety, front-line units require a modernized illicit drug trace detection capability.

This Capability Needs Statement (CNS) establishes the operational requirement for a portable, environmentally rugged, and technically adaptable detection system. The capability must reliably identify a broad spectrum of substances, including novel compounds, in maritime settings and must be supported by a comprehensive lifecycle program, including training and sustainment, to ensure high operational availability.

This CNS defines the key performance attributes necessary to fill this critical gap, enabling the

Coast Guard to counter adaptive threats and successfully execute its counter-drug mission.

1 Operational Context / Threat Summary The U.S. Coast Guard's counter-drug mission is executed across a wide spectrum of demanding operational environments. This includes operations conducted from cutters and small boats on the high seas, in congested coastal waters, and during vessel boardings far from shore.

Additionally, missions occur pier side at domestic and international ports and within shoreside facilities. These environments are characterized by constant vibration, high humidity, temperature extremes, and exposure to corrosive saltwater.

Concurrently, the narcotics trafficking landscape is defined by the constant evolution of designer drugs and synthetic analogues. If the Coast Guard's detection capability cannot perform reliably in these harsh maritime settings, or if it relies on static threat libraries, then front-line operators will be unable to identify novel substances. This failure would have cascading negative impacts:

boarding teams may be unable to establish probable cause for seizure, mission objectives may not be met, and most critically personnel may be unknowingly exposed to highly potent and dangerous compounds.

Therefore, to operate effectively, the Coast Guard requires a detection capability that is both environmentally rugged to withstand the rigors of maritime use and technically adaptable to keep pace with the changing chemical landscape, ensuring boarding teams can accurately identify threats, successfully interdict illicit narcotics, and safeguard the crew.

1.1 Operational Mission and Objectives

The primary objectives of a modernized illicit drug detection capability are to:

• Enhance Personnel Safety: Mitigate the risk of personnel exposure to potent chemical threats. Enable the timely implementation of appropriate on-scene safety protocols.

Directly safeguard the health of boarding team members during law enforcement operations.

• Enable Defensible Law Enforcement Actions: Provide accurate and reliable on-scene analysis of suspect substances. Uncover evidence of illicit activity to inform further law enforcement actions, including seizure , detention, and subsequent legal proceedings.

Ensure boarding officer decisions are based on trustworthy, timely, and actionable results.

• Generate Actionable Intelligence to Dismantle Criminal Networks: Produce legally defensible evidence for use in federal prosecutions. Illuminate trafficking routes and new manufacturing trends. Support joint investigations that disrupt and dismantle

Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs).

1.2 Current and Future Environment

The Coast Guard is advancing its illicit contraband detection capabilities by pursuing next-generation technologies tailored for the dynamic maritime environment.

Below are some of the key areas of improvement:

Capability Enhancement

Technology Investment in modern detection systems to improve reliability and operational availability.

Environmental

Resilience

Equipment engineered for maritime conditions, including high humidity, salt spray, and high-vibration environments.

Threat Library

Updates

Streamlined processes for updating threat libraries to rapidly incorporate new and emerging narcotics.

Data Management Secure, efficient data handling and potential wireless transmission to improve the speed and integrity of information sharing.

Sensor Durability Advancements in sensor robustness to ensure consistent operational readiness.

1.3 Relevant Operational Publications

• Maritime Law Enforcement- General COMDTINST 16247.9, June 2025

• Maritime Law Enforcement Instruction- Drug and Migrant Interdiction Operations

COMDTINST 16247.13, June 2025

• Coast Guard Required Operational Capabilities (ROC) And Projected Operating

Environment (POE) Manual COMDINST M3501.26B, June 2017

2 Capabilities Needed

To address the context described above, a future capability must provide the following major operational capabilities:

Capability Need Description

Advanced On-

Scene Threat

Detection

The capability to rapidly and accurately detect and identify a broad spectrum of illicit substances, including emerging synthetic compounds and high-priority threats like Fentanyl, even in complex mixtures and contaminated maritime environments.

Ruggedized

Hardware

The need for a portable and durable system designed for and resilient to the rigors of maritime and field operations, including temperature extremes, humidity, and vibration, with sufficient battery life for extended boardings.

Reliable and

Shareable Data

Extraction

The capability to securely and efficiently extract and manage evidentiary needs from detection equipment, ensuring the data is usable by internal and external partners to drive real-time decision-making and inform intelligence cycles.

Full Lifecycle &

Sustainment

Support

The requirement for a formalized program that includes a comprehensive training and certification curriculum, a defined hybrid maintenance strategy with clear performance metrics, an established supply chain for required consumables, and a responsive support structure to ensure high operational availability.

3 Capability Performance Attributes

Performance Measure Target State

Advanced On-Scene

Threat Detection

Probability of Detection (Pd) >95% for an expanded, updatable threat library.

False Alarm Rate (FAR) Objective: < 5%.

Time to Analyze < 20 seconds from sample introduction to result.

Ruggedized &

Expeditionary

Hardware

Operational Availability (Ao) 98% at the unit level under typical operating conditions.

Battery Life

8 hours of continuous operations with hot swap capability

Environmental Hardening Objective: Exceeds MIL-STD-

810H

Integrated Data &

Intelligence

Operations

Data Export & Format

Exportable via standard physical connection (e.g., USB-C) as a common file type (e.g., PDF) in

< 2 minutes or Transmittable wirelessly via an approved, secure protocol.

Full Lifecycle &

Sustainment Support Operational Availability (Ao) 98%

Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) 4,000 hours

Training to Proficiency

System in place for Coast Guard members to train Coast Guard members

Consumable Supply Responsiveness

Standard consumables are available to the end-user within

30 days of order.

4 Interoperability The interoperability strategy for this capability is focused on the secure and efficient portability of its evidentiary data, rather than direct integration with enterprise networks. This approach ensures data can be shared widely using approved methods while minimizing cybersecurity risks associated with direct system connections. The following subsections define the acceptable method for data export and the desired future state for data transmission.

4.1 Standard Export Format

The core interoperability requirement is the ability to generate and export evidentiary reports via a standard physical connection (e.g., USB-C). These reports must be in a common, non-proprietary file format (e.g., PDF, CSV) and suitable for sharing and ingestion by authorized personnel via standard USCG communication methods, such as official email. The data must be sufficient for manual entry into the Coast Guard's designated case management solutions and to support the evidentiary needs of external partners.

4.2 Wireless Transmission

As an objective, the system should be capable of transmitting these reports wirelessly via a secure, approved protocol directly to a Coast Guard-issued mobile device (e.g., a ruggedized laptop or tablet). This capability would significantly accelerate the law enforcement and intelligence cycles by enabling near real-time dissemination of evidentiary reports from the point of collection. Immediate data transmission provides a critical decision advantage, allowing for faster situational awareness at the command level and more rapid intelligence fusion with partner agencies. Furthermore, it would streamline the chain of custody for digital evidence and reduce the operational burden on boarding team members.

Supplemental Artifacts

Operational Use Cases

The following Use Cases provide operational context for Contraband Detection.

ID Use Case

Afloat Use Cases

Vessel Boarding and Search: A boarding team, deployed from a cutter or small boat, boards a suspect vessel on the high seas. The portable detection device is used to support determination of reasonable suspicion, which leads to further intrusive searches in hidden compartments, cargo holds, or crew spaces to establish probable cause for seizure.

Cutter-Based Evidence Processing: Following an interdiction, operators use the device within the controlled environment of a Coast Guard cutter to conduct more thorough testing of seized substances. The resulting data logs are exported and attached to the initial case file and evidence logs.

Shoreside & Deployable Operations

3 Port and Facility Security: Ashore units (e.g., Maritime Safety and Security Team

(MSST), Ports Waterways Coast Security (PWCS) Boarding Officer) use the device to screen suspicious items, vehicles, or containers at domestic ports, waterfront facilities, and security checkpoints. This supports both counter-drug and broader port security missions.

4 Intelligence-Driven Operation: Deployable specialized forces (e.g., Tactical Law

Enforcement Team (TACLET), Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT)) execute an operation on a shoreside location linked to a trafficking network. The device is used to rapidly test substances found on-site, providing immediate intelligence and evidence to guide the next phase of the operation.

5 Targeted Container Operations: Trained law enforcement and container inspector personnel use the device to scan containers and materials for the presence of illicit narcotics or other hazardous materials. Devices are also used to detect and identify fentanyl and associated precursor chemicals to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations and to disrupt the illicit fentanyl supply chain.

Training & Sustainment

6 Operator Proficiency Training: At a training center (e.g., Maritime Law Enforcement

Academy (MLEA), instructors use the device to train and certify operators. Students are tested on their ability to correctly employ the device, interpret results, and perform basic maintenance procedures using inert training aids.

7 Train the Trainer Program: Trace detection program trains personnel who are then qualified to train operators at their unit.