KINGS BAY, Ga. -- The Coast Guard will commission a new unit Tuesday designed specifically to protect the U.S. Navy submarines as they come and go from Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.

The Maritime Force Protection Unit Kings Bay will be commissioned during a ceremony at the sub base scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Vice Adm. D. Brian Peterman, commander of the Coast Guard's Atlantic Area, will preside over the commissioning ceremony marking the formal establishment of the new unit.

MFPU Kings Bay will provide enhanced security for Navy's ballistic missile submarines in the Cumberland Sound and around the base's marine transit areas.

These submarines generally operate on the surface with other vessel traffic when entering or departing ship channels near the base, and the new unit will provide additional security measures while the subs are operating under these conditions.

"Maritime force protection is crucial if our nation's strategic naval assets are to be able to safely operate in close proximity to vessel traffic in confined bodies of water," said Peterman.

MFPU Kings Bay's sole mission is to man and operate escort vessels procured by the Navy specifically for use escorting submarines.

Coast Guard personnel have broad law enforcement authority, including the authority to establish, patrol, and enforce exclusionary zones, naval vessel protective zones, restricted navigation areas and security zones supporting naval operations.