The United States Coast Guard has released a wide-ranging Request for Information aimed at finding advanced technologies and services to achieve what they call "Maritime Domain Dominance" along over 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline and in four million square miles of maritime areas.

This initiative, introduced by the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, marks a significant change in how the U.S. handles maritime security. Instead of just seeking awareness of maritime activities, the Coast Guard wants the ability to actively manage and control the maritime environment.

The RFI states, “The Coast Guard wants unified, real-time MDD solutions that create a ‘detect-to-act pipeline’ connecting every cutter, small boat, aircraft, unmanned system (both air and surface), and sensors (from space, air, surface, and shore) to our operators and command centers, helping with the decisions and actions that follow.”

Understanding the difference between awareness and dominance is central to the Coast Guard’s goals. Awareness means recognizing and understanding maritime activities, while dominance involves having the power to project force, restrict adversaries' movements, and secure borders.

The Coast Guard’s Rapid Response Rapid Prototype (RAPTOR) team will collaborate with selected responders, likely providing maritime test sites to demonstrate their technologies and services.

Businesses responding to this request need to cover a broad range of technical requirements. This includes how their proposed solutions will integrate with military networks, provide real-time data to command centers, and combine various sensor inputs into a cohesive command and control display. The Coast Guard is particularly interested in AI-driven platforms that can enhance detection rates and speed up response times in search and rescue missions.

The initiative spans multiple operational areas, including space, air, surface, and underwater systems, with options for government or contractor-operated acquisitions.