March 28, 2023 — The U.S. Coast Guard is taking on an expanded role in the Western Pacific, deploying cutter crews and working with the U.S. Navy to establish an American presence in far-flung island nations. The USCG’s law enforcement and search-and-rescue capabilities dovetail neatly with this mission, and the service wants to double down with four more cutters specifically for the Indo-Pacific.
In its unfunded priorities list for Congress for FY2024 – an indicative set of recommendations for appropriators, above and beyond the budget request – the Coast Guard included a line item for $400 million to fund the acquisition of four more Fast Response Cutters (FRCs), the smallest and most numerous of its seagoing vessels. The FRC has proven itself on long-distance patrols out of Hawaii and Guam, performing tasks above and beyond what might be expected of a 150-foot patrol boat. The class has a nominal range of 2,500 nm, but is capable of 3,500 nm at reduced speed, and it is ideal for fisheries patrols in the wide EEZs of the Pacific islands.