Current Title:	Office of CBP Air and Marine
Title in English:	Office of CBP Air and Marine
Abbreviation:

Narrative Summary:
The Office of Border Patrol was established on May 28, 1924. On March 1, 2004 OBP was reassigned to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) along with several other organizations to form the U.S. Customs and Boder Protection. There were twenty Sector Air Operations throughout the USA and Puerto Rico with some 35 aircraft and 70 helicopters of various types.

After smuggling via privat aircraft to the USA increased, the air programm was established in 1969 and became operational in 1971 with some confiscated aircraft under the Department of Treasury. Customs Marine Program was established in 1973 with the acquisition of a small fleet of vessels. The Aviation and Marine Programs merged, creating the Air and Marine Interdiction Division (AMID) in 1999. AMID transitions to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under ICE on March 1, 2003 and is renamed the Office of Air and Marine Operations (AMO). ICE is the investigative arm of the Border and Transportation Security Directorate (BTS), the operational directorate within the DHS tasked with securing the nation’s borders and safeguarding its transportation infrastructure. On October 23, 2004 AMO was reassigned to U.S. Customs and Boder Protection. There were eleven Air Branches and some Air Units throughout the USA and Puerto Rico with some 80 aircraft and 40 helicopters of various types.

The new CBP Air and Marine was formed on October 1, 2005 as Office of CBP Air and got its present  name on January 17, 2006 and includes the former Air and Marine Operations that was originally part of U.S. Customs but which had moved to Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the formation of the Department of Homeland Security. This group is joined by air and marine components from the Border Patrol with some port resources. With 263 total aircraft and more than 1,200 aviation dedicated employees, CBP Air and Marine is the largest law enforcement air force in the world. Consolidation of these resources paves the way for more efficient and economical operation and provides strategic planning advantages for CBP.

Key Dates:
28 May 1924		Office of Border Patrol was established.
1971		Customs Air Program was established.
1999		The Customs Aviation and Marine Programs merged, creating the Air and Marine Interdiction Division (AMID)
1 March 2003		AMID transitions to the DHS under ICE and is renamed the Office of Air and Marine Operations (AMO)
23 October 2004		AMO was reassigned to U.S. Customs and Boder Protection.
1 October  2005		Office of CBP Air was formed.
17 January 2006		CBP Air and Marine was formed.

 

Current Status:
Units of the Office of CBP Air and Marine are fully operational.

Future Plans:
The Office of CBP Air and Marine will receive additional aircraft and helicopters during the next years. The units will get 15 Pilatus PC-12/45 Spectre and probably a total of 55 Eurocopter EC-120B Colibri.

National Insignia:
Current --- Historical

Aircraft Serial Numbering System(s):
The aircraft operate with civil registration, their only distinctive markings being the initials HOMELAND SECURITY or BORDER PATROL.

Unit/Base Aircraft Code System(s):
Coding system not used.

Aircraft Designation System(s):
None.

Current Aircraft Inventory:
Table of Current Service Aircraft

All-Time Aircraft Used List:
Alphabetical Order --- Chronological Order

Main Headquarters:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20229
 

Current Organisational Structure:
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection currently operates from 29 air stations with a mixture of aircraft and helicopter operating from these bases.

Current Order of Battle:
Table of Current Order of Battle

Historical Orders of Battle:

Office of  Air and Marine Operations (AMO)

All-Time Flying Units List:

No information available.

Current Air Bases:
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection currently operates from 29 air stations.

Military Air Bases Listing

All-Time Air Bases Used List:
Military Air Bases Listing

Books:

Aerial Drug Wars : the Story of U.S. Customs Aviation (Henry Holden)

'Magazines:

United States Air Arms 2005 (Ken Wardle)

International Air Power Review 16, p.82-86

Air Forces Monthly 7/2010, p.74-81

Websites: