A
coast guard or
coastguard is a
maritime security organization of a particular country. The term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed
military force with
customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with
search and rescue functions and lacking any law enforcement powers. However, a typical coast guard's functions are distinct from typical functions of both the
navy (a pure military force) and a
transportation police (a civilian
law enforcement agency).