Congress looks to continue Coast Guard’s Pacific expansion

The Coast Guard is slated to continue solidifying its Pacific footprint with new funds from Congress as the service plays an increasingly prominent role in Washington’s regional strategy.

The U.S. House Committee on Appropriations in June approved measures funding federal homeland security and foreign affairs programs for the upcoming fiscal year 2025. That includes $2.1 billion for the U.S. government’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and $175 million for assistance specifically for Pacific island countries.

The Coast Guard was the only military service mentioned by name in the White House’s Indo-Pacific strategy, which is largely aimed at challenging China as Beijing and Washington compete for influence.

The Coast Guard is the only U.S. military branch to be part of the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense — though it is integrated into the Navy’s chain of command in times of war. Officials view the service — with its mixture of military, law enforcement, environmental and public safety missions — as an ideal emissary to win and maintain friends in the Pacific.

The current draft legislation includes $60 million to allow the Coast Guard to base another Medium Endurance Cutter in District 14 — the area of operations that includes the Pacific islands and is headquartered in Honolulu — as well as other funds set aside for the Coast Guard’s expanded presence in the Pacific islands region.

The Coast Guard in 2023 reassigned the Medium Endurance Cutter CGC Harriet Lane from Virginia to Honolulu to serve as the service’s first “Indo-Pacific Support Cutter” devoted to Oceania, with a major emphasis on helping Pacific island nations protect their waters from illegal fishing.

The Medium Endurance Cutters — known as “270s” to Coast Guardsmen for their 270-foot length — are new to the region. U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, pushed for the Lane’s reassignment to Honolulu for Pacific operations and has advocated for increased Coast Guard funding across the board.

The current draft of the spending legislation also includes $3 million to increase the presence of regional Coast Guard advisers as well as $1.2 million for the Coast Guard’s Indo-Pacific Workforce Support Project, which includes funds to increase housing, medical and child care access and capacity in Hawaii and Guam to support the service’s Pacific operations. It also calls for the service to acquire a new pier at its Sand Island base, expand facilities and come up with a report on infrastructure at Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point.

However, while the legislation included many provisions Case fought for, he ultimately voted against it.

House Republicans also included provisions that slashed several diplomatic and aid programs — including prohibitions against funding to several United Nations agencies — and put heavy restrictions on immigration that Case said “supports a one-sided approach to immigration policy and does not secure the border by failing to invest in sustainable and critical immigration reform that would both strengthen border security and benefit American families and businesses.”