Sailors from the U.S. Navy's Riverine Squadron 3 coast into shore to extract a squad of Marines while conducting riverine training during UNITAS-Partnership of the Americas 2012 on Sept. 8, 2012, at Camp Blanding, Fla. (U.S. Marine Corps)

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jobey French, a boatswain's mate assigned to Riverine Command Boat 803 from Riverine Squadron 2, mans an MK-44 mini machine gun while conducting security escort operations for ships transiting out to sea through the Intracoastal Waterway in North Carolina, during Exercise Bold Alligator 2012 on Feb. 1. (U.S. Navy)

Seaman Edward Brand, a gunner's mate assigned to Riverine Squadron 1, fires a GAU-17A gun system from the bow of a riverine patrol boat during a live-fire exercise on May 8, 2012, in Knox, Ky. (U.S. Navy)

Sailors assigned to Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 11 provide anti-terrorism and force protection support during an on-load operation of the Military Sealift Command chartered container ship MV American Tern on April 26, 2012, in Long Beach, Calif. (U.S. Navy)

Sailors assigned to Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 5 and MSRON 9 escort the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson through the Arabian Gulf on March 25, 2011. (U.S. Navy)

Sailors assigned to Riverine Group 1 stand their post aboard command boats as they conduct turning maneuvers at Naval Station Norfolk on Oct. 22, 2010. (U.S. Navy)

A patrol boat assigned to Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 4 executes a sharp turn while patrolling in the Port of Djibouti during a training exercise on April 6, 2012. (U.S. Navy)

The MK-VI patrol boatis being touted as the future of the Riverine force. The 78-foot boat, with a range of 600 nautical miles, will allow coastal riverine sailors to operate farther off the coast. (Courtesy of SAFE Boats International)

Sailors assigned to Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 9 maneuver July 16 during the Rim of the Pacific 2012 exercise. Twenty-two nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel participated in the RIMPAC exercise from June 29 to Aug. 3, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. (U.S. Navy)