Top 10 Coast Guard Video Competition

CGMA selected 10 compelling videos from publicly released Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security and Department of War content published between Coast Guard Day 2025 and Coast Guard Day 2026. Selections considered mission significance, visual storytelling, historical importance, public interest, and the breadth of Coast Guard operations.

The History of the Top 10 Competition

For nearly a decade, the Coast Guard Top 10 showcased the missions, courage, and skill of Coast Guard crews serving around the world. This year, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance is bringing the tradition back.

The 2026 Coast Guard Top 10 Video of the Year Competition highlights 10 compelling operations, rescues, patrols, and training missions captured between Coast Guard Day 2025 and Coast Guard Day 2026. Read more. 

#10 – Great Lakes Ice Breaking
Coast Guard Cutters MACKINAW and NEAH BAY broke through heavy ice to save lives, open shipping channels, and keep commerce moving across the Great Lakes.   
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#9 – Force From Above
HITRON reached its 1,000th interdiction, using precision airborne tactics to stop suspected drug-smuggling vessels far offshore.
Read More: Blog is Coming!

#8 – Advanced Helicopter Rescue School
Coast Guard aircrews train in heavy surf, along cliffs, inside caves, and in other unforgiving environments to prepare for the most difficult rescues they may ever face.
Read More: Blog Coming Soon!

#7 – National Motor Lifeboat School
Surfmen train in the Graveyard of the Pacific, learning to drive 47-foot motor lifeboats through breaking surf, violent currents, and unforgiving seas.
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#6 – USCGC STONE
During a record-setting patrol, Stone conducted 15 interdictions and helped remove tens of thousands of pounds of illicit narcotics from the Eastern Pacific. Read More: Blog Coming Soon!

#5 – USCGC POLAR STAR
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of America’s only heavy icebreaker, the crew of POLAR STAR opened a path through Antarctic ice, supported McMurdo Station, and freed an Australian cruise ship trapped in pack ice.
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#4 – OPERATION RIVER WALL
High-speed boats, shallow water, night patrols, and deployable specialized forces brought Coast Guard maritime law enforcement expertise to the Rio Grande. Read More: Blog Coming Soon!

#3 – Cape Hatteras Pet Rescue
In a daring mission, An Air Station Elizabeth City crew rescued two people, one frantic dog, and one remarkably unbothered cat 65 miles offshore.
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#2 – Shadow Fleet Interdictions
Coast Guard cutter crews and deployable specialized forces worked with joint and interagency partners to identify, pursue, board, and take control of sanctioned or stateless vessels around the globe.
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#1 – USCGC MUNRO
During a 119-day patrol, Munro seized more than 20,000 pounds of cocaine and operated across multiple high-profile maritime security missions.
Read More: Blog Coming Soon!