US Coast Guard modernises fleet, expands presence in Indo-Pacific to counter ‘bad actors in the region’
- ‘Having ships on the sea matters. Having the enforcement capacity and capability matters,’ US admiral tells maritime security conference in Hawaii
- Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is also a target for strengthened oversight
The US Coast Guard is carrying out its biggest shipbuilding effort since World War II, modernising its fleet and establishing a presence in the Pacific that the force has not attempted in decades.
Admiral Linda Fagan, the vice-commandant of the US Coast Guard, said the expansion would strengthen enforcement in the region against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and also counter “bad actors”.
“Presence matters. Having ships on the sea matters. But having a regulatory regime, having the enforcement capacity and capability matters,” Fagan told the Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Exchange conference in Hawaii this week.
“The US Coast Guard is committed to the Indo-Pacific Command region. We’re in the process of our largest shipbuilding programme since World War II.”
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More than 100 cutters, or coastguard vessels, have been commissioned, including 11 for national security, 25 for offshore patrol, three for polar security and 64 fast response cutters, which are capable of navigating more than 16,000 kilometres (10,000 miles) to conduct law enforcement operations, Fagan said.