China Aggressively Patrols Disputed Waters. Now the U.S. Coast Guard Is Moving In.

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Julyl 14, 2026 | Mike Cherney

[ransomnote]

SINGAPORE—U.S. Coast Guard ships previously deployed in the Middle East are now operating out of Singapore and the Philippines to help challenge China’s assertion of power in the Pacific.

The six 154-foot fast-response cutters are part of the Coast Guard’s reimagined “expeditionary cutter squadron,” which can be sent anywhere in the world. Their first deployment is the western Pacific, where tensions have run high for years as China escalated what is called a gray-zone campaign to project control around Taiwan and the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

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[Carry_Okie]

Since when can’t Singapore and Taiwan afford their own cutters coordinated via associations, such as SEATO?

[DIRTYSECRET]

I always thought our coast guard was there to protect OUR coast. If they’re being deployed that far they may as well become part of our navy.

[fruser1]

Sounds like a regular navy job to me.

Maybe the coast guard will be deployed to the sahara desert one day.

[SoCal Pubbie]

SEATO dissolved in 1977.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

They are there to protect our shipping and to convey a message to counter the growing Imperialist actions of the CCP Dictatorship claiming Tiwanese and International waters as their splash pond.

(Last time I checked, we won Taiwan (Formosa) from Japan at the end of WWII, and rather than ruling it as a protectorate territory we set it free. We have a more recent claim to Taiwan than the running dogs of the CCP, which i do not think existed at when we declared its independence.)

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Since when can’t Singapore and Taiwan afford their own cutters coordinated via associations, such as SEATO?

China would be far more reluctant to challenge U.S. ships.

[DIRTYSECRET]

SEATO came apart in the wake of the Viet Nam fall.

I also remember Ferdinand Marcos taking a quick flight to Peking immediately afterward.

Scared everybody.

[ansel12]

People can’t read WSJ articles, why post them?

[sauropod]

.

[PapaBear3625]

Smaller ships are traditionally part of the Coast Guard.

The cutters, with crew of 2 officers, 20 crew, are much cheaper to deploy than destroyers,

[Antihero101607]

I looked into joining the Coast Guard years ago, and the recruiter informed me that they’re not always deployed or operating in the waters around the U.S.

[Carry_Okie]

SEATO dissolved in 1977.

I'm referring to the model.

[Carry_Okie]

The cutters, with crew of 2 officers, 20 crew, are much cheaper to deploy than destroyers,

PT Boats and Swift Boats were smaller yet, but they were part of the Navy. Size doesn't matter. It's the function that matters.

From Brave AI:

Barring icebreakers, the largest Coast Guard cutters are the 418-foot (127.4 m) Legend-class National Security Cutters (NSCs), which displace 4,500 tonnes and accommodate a crew of 120. These vessels, also known as Bertholf-class, serve as the largest combat ships in the fleet, designed for long-duration high-seas operations. Boats that big would usually be part of the Navy, but they do have a different function and are therefore not heavily armed or defended.

[SoCal Pubbie]

I understand.

[TwelveOfTwenty]

They are there to protect our shipping and to convey a message to counter the growing Imperialist actions of the CCP Dictatorship claiming Tiwanese and International waters as their splash pond.

So let me see if I understand this. We're spending money to send our Coast Guard to defend our interests from the same country that we sent our manufacturing, technology, money, and tax base to in order to save money.

Am I the only one who can see something wrong with this?

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Yep! Open Society guy Milton Friedman said we could do that, IIRC. (And a lot of democrats and some punky pubbies did too. )